Municipal Civics FAQ

Submitted by whitemice on Thu, 04/10/2025 - 10:57

This page is under development, content will change frequently

Knowledge is a foundational element of democracy. This page is an index of terms and names, providing related information. The purpose is the clarify what-is-what within the scope of local/municipal politics and institutions. Often times the boundaries and purview's of various authorities is not clearly defined; or the local parameters of topics like "Rent Control" are not explained, seemingly anywhere.

A

Affordable Housing

G

Grand Rapids Public Schools

I

Inclusionary Zoning

Inclusionary zoning is a strategy to [attempt to] induce the creation of Affordable housing where some share of newly constructed units must be made available at rates indexed to area median income. Under Michigan's Act 226 of 1988 inclusionary zoning is categorized as a type of rent control.

For more information see Rent Control.

The ITP (Interurban Transportation Partnership)

The ITP, under the brand name "The Rapid", is the public transit authority which includes the city of Grand Rapids. The ITP is governed by a board of representatives of the six member cities: Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Walker, and Wyoming. Grand Rapids appoints five members to the board, each of the other cities appoint two. Even with five seats the city of Grand Rapids is proportionally underrepresented relative to both population and economic contribution.

The Grand Rapids City Commission does not control the ITPs revenue, operations, or other policies. Under Michigan law the ITP is a type of "special district", which are similar to school districts, in that they have an independent governing body and revenue source(s), even if they share the name of other areas or authorities with which they overlap territoriality.

Questions, comments, or suggestions related to the ITP should be addressed to the ITP's board or staff, and not to the City Commission or city staff.

History

Prior to the ITP public transportation was provided by the Grand Rapids Transit Authority (GRTA), 1963 - 1978. The city of Grand Rapids was the only member of the GRTA.

In 1978 the six current members of the ITP created the Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA) as a regional transit authority. Funding by each of the participating cities was optional, and the service provided deteriorated. The failure of this approach was readily apparent, so the six cities collaborated to create the ITP as a state recognized transit authority (Act 196 of 1986). In April of 2000 the six cities approved a funding millage for the authority, this established a base level of funding for the new authority.

Act 196 of 1986

Th Act 196 of 1986 estalishes the concept of a transportation authority.

A transportation authority is granted the following powers:

  • The ability to levy a property millage of up to 5 mills, with voter approval. The transportation authority may propose one, and only one, ballot item per calendar year.
    • The ITP's current millage rate is 1.47 and expires 2029-12-31.
  • Impose and collect rents and fees for users of public transportation facilities.
  • Charge fares for users of public transportation services.
  • Apply for and accept grants, loans or contributions from public or private parties for the purpose of providing transportation services.

Related

P

Public Transportation

The public transportation operator within the city of Grand Rapids is the Interurban Transportation Partnership

R

The Rapid

"The Rapid" is brand [marketing] name for what is the ITP (Interurban Transit Partnership).

See more information under the Interurban Transportation Partnership

Rent Control

Rent control is prohibited by Michigan state law (Act 226 of 1988). Under this law a local government [including a city government] may not pass any ordinance with the intent of controlling the rent which is charged for leasing of privately owned residential property. The only exception is for property in which the local government has a "property interest" - this generally means some ownership of the property.

TL/DR: The Grand Rapids City Commission could not pass a "rent control" measure even if the mayor and every city commissioner wanted to.

Act 226 of 1988, passed by the then Democratic controlled legislator and signed by Democratic governor James Blanchard:

    Sec. 1. (1) As used in this section, "local governmental unit" means a political subdivision of this state including, but not limited to, a county, city, village, or township, if the political subdivision provides local government services for residents in a geographically limited area of this state as its primary purpose and has the power to act primarily on behalf of that area.
    (2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), a local governmental unit shall not enact, maintain, or enforce an ordinance or resolution that would have the effect of controlling the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential property.
    (3) This section does not impair the right of any local governmental unit to manage and control residential property in which the local governmental unit has a property interest.
    (4) This section does not limit the power of a local governmental unit to adopt an ordinance or resolution to implement a plan to use voluntary incentives and agreements to increase the supply of moderate- or low-cost private residential property available for lease.

Under this act inclusionary zoning falls under the same restrictions as rent control of existing units.