Livonia's City Charter: A Candidate's Observations and Recommendations.

Observations Regarding the Livonia City Charter

(Prepared by Steve King – Candidate for Livonia City Council)

Observation 1 – Outdated and Archaic Language

The Livonia City Charter dates back to 1950 and still contains outdated terms

and references to obsolete offices and statutes. This creates confusion, legal risk,

and unnecessary complexity in city governance.

Recommendation: The City should undertake a charter modernization to

remove obsolete terms, align references with current Michigan law, and ensure

consistency with the Livonia City Code.

Observation 2 – Election Timing and Residency Inconsistencies

Sections addressing election schedules, candidate nomination procedures, and

residency requirements no longer match current practices or local ordinances.

Inconsistencies can cause confusion for both candidates and election

administrators.

Recommendation: The City should reconcile and update these sections to

accurately reflect existing election schedules, deadlines, and residency

standards—or defer entirely to state election law for clarity and compliance.

Observation 3 – Council Structure and Representation

The charter provides for a seven-member City Council elected at-large. While

this system has served Livonia for decades, it may not provide equal

neighborhood representation as demographics and population patterns change.

Recommendation: The City should review whether the at-large election model

continues to meet the representational needs of residents and consider exploring a

ward-based or hybrid representation structure through public hearings or a formal

charter review.

Observation 4 – Appointment and Vacancy Procedures

Currently, the charter allows the remaining council members to fill most

vacancies by appointment rather than by special election. While this maintains

continuity, it can limit voter input when long terms remain unfilled by election.

Recommendation: The City should clarify or revise the vacancy-filling

process—possibly requiring a special election if more than a certain portion of

the term remains—to strengthen transparency and public trust.

Observation 5 – Purchasing and Financial Controls

Procurement rules and spending thresholds are largely governed by ordinance,

with limited guidance in the charter itself. This broad discretion can lead to

inconsistent application or outdated thresholds as costs and best practices evolve.

Recommendation: The City should review purchasing policies and thresholds to

ensure they align with modern procurement standards, promote transparency, and

include appropriate competitive-bidding safeguards.

Observation 6 – Ethics and Accountability Provisions

The charter contains only minimal language addressing conflicts of interest and

lacks a comprehensive ethics or oversight framework. In today’s governance

environment, stronger standards are essential for maintaining public confidence.

Recommendation: The City should add explicit ethics and accountability

provisions—either by charter amendment or by ordinance—establishing an

independent review mechanism, clear disclosure requirements, and defined

enforcement authority.

Conclusion:

Livonia’s Charter has served the community well for 75 years, but modernization

is overdue. Updating outdated language, clarifying election and vacancy

procedures, reviewing representation, tightening financial controls, and

strengthening ethics standards would all improve transparency, accountability,

and public trust in city government.

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