Charter Says Council Meetings Must Be Held Within City
To the Editor:

At the February 4 City Council meeting, during the public comment portion of the agenda, I asked the question whether it was legal for the Council to schedule a regular meeting March 17 at LaSalle High School, which is located outside the city limits.

The resolution to do so had been passed a short while earlier at last night's at the meeting, but no public comments, questions, or concerns were allowed to be heard prior to Council's resolution.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the lawyer employed by the City was unable to provide any written comment or legal citation of earlier precedents concerning my question. Instead, he gave me permission to call the Attorney General.

Also, the city attorney told me that this kind of thing happened "all the time." He went even further to state that the City of Royal Oak always has its meetings on Mackinac Island.

With his permission, I called Mary Ellen Graver, clerk, City of Royal Oak. Yes! There probably have been several city managers' conferences on the Island in the past, but not any regularly scheduled City of Royal Oak meetings have been held outside that city limits.

After all, that would make it a hardship for the citizens of Royal Oak to participate, at so great a distance!

The next thing I did was research our city charter, which clearly states at the very beginning (within the first 15 pages the Council read recently!) that nothing in the 1969 Charter would rescind the previous law, Public Act 215 of 1895, except as noted.

Of course, the next thing I did was research Public Act 215 of 1895; and, there, just as bright as day, in section 88.6 it reads:

"The council ... shall hold regular meetings for the transaction of business, at such time and places within the city as it shall prescribe, not less than two of which shall be held in each month."

Let's think about the phrase, "within the city." Do you think that needs a law degree to comprehend?

Is LaSalle High School "within the city?" No!

Does the Mayor plan to annex Moran Township before March 17 in order to go ahead with his council's resolution to hold the regular business meeting of the City of St. Ignace?

We can only wait and watch.

Mary Elizabeth Nichols

St. Ignace