About Dearborn Proposal 1, which would create a "wards system" for our City Council
An objective look at Proposal 1 and every change it would make in the City Charter
This proposal is on the Dearborn ballot for the city election to be held November 4, 2025. It is on the ballot because a group obtained a sufficient number of petition signatures to put the proposal before voters. This is how the proposal appears on the ballot:
PROPOSAL 1: PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENTS TO PROVIDE FOR A WARDS SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT FOR THE LEGISLATIVE BODY
Charter amendments to provide for a 9-member City Council with 7 members elected from districts and 2 members elected at large; to establish an 8-member City Redistricting Commission to draw Council districts after each census which are of equal population, compact, contiguous, and allow for communities of interest; to provide for election by the Council of a Council President and President Pro Tem; to provide for the filling of vacancies among Council members; and require City Charter Commissioners be elected from Council districts.
Shall Sections 6.1, 6.4-6.20, 7.3, and 12.3 of the Dearborn City Charter be amended, as explained above?
YES
NO
HERE'S HOW PROPOSAL 1 WOULD CHANGE CITY GOVERNMENT
Multiple sections and chapters of the Dearborn City Charter would be amended if voters approve Proposal 1. The City Charter is a voter-approved document that determines the structure of city government. This is a summary of all of the changes that would be made.
IT WOULD CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF OUR CITY COUNCIL TO A “WARDS SYSTEM”
Dearborn has always elected its City Council members “at large,” which means all voters throughout the city elect all seven council members, and all seven council members represent the entire city.
Proposal 1 would divide the city into seven districts (also known as wards) of equal population (roughly 15,200 residents in each) and one council member would be elected from each district, selected by just the voters in that district. Two more council members would continue to be elected at large, by all voters across the city. So, along with the new structure, the City Council would grow to nine members from its current seven.
A council member elected in a district would have to reside within that district, and would vacate their seat if they moved their residence outside the district boundaries.
The changes would take effect in the city elections to be held in 2029.
IT WOULD CREATE A COMMISSION TO DIVIDE THE CITY INTO COUNCIL DISTRICTS
A City Redistricting Commission would be formed to draw boundaries for City Council districts. There is some confusion about how many members this commission will have. The petitions that were signed to put the proposal on the ballot reference an eight-member commission, so that’s what is in the proposal on the ballot.
However, the proposed new language for the City Charter that was attached to the petitions says the commission would have seven members. According to the proposed new Charter language, the City Redistricting Commission would consist of the three members of the City Election Commission (the City Clerk, Corporation Counsel/City Attorney, and a private individual appointed by the City Council) and four members of the public, one from each of the city’s four Zip Codes. A process would be set up for residents to apply for the four positions by Zip Code, and ultimately the four would be selected by random draw.
The proposal sets guidelines for how districts are to be drawn, with most guidelines being part of accepted practice and law, including districts being of equal population, geographically contiguous, and to reflect “communities of interest.”
District boundaries will be redrawn after each U.S. Census. After first created for the 2029 city elections, districts would be adjusted to account for possible population shifts after the 2030 Census, and changed for the 2033 city election from what they were in 2029.
The proposal requires the city to provide funding for the Redistricting Commission to do its work. It does not estimate how much this would cost taxpayers. Typically, the drawing of district lines requires the hiring of specialists/consultants, and there are potential legal costs.
IT WOULD CHANGE HOW VACANCIES ON THE CITY COUNCIL ARE FILLED
If a vacancy occurs on the City Council, it is filled by the highest vote-getter not elected in the previous election. This process continues for any subsequent openings on the Council.
Vacancies would be filled in a similar manner under a wards system, but the succession of council members in each district would be limited to those who ran for office in that district. If no next-highest vote-getter is available to fill a vacancy in an at large seat, the council will appoint a new member. If no next-highest vote-getter is available in a district seat, a special election would be held just within that district to fill the seat.
IT WOULD CHANGE HOW THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT IS CHOSEN
Currently, the people of Dearborn choose the City Council President. The council member who receives the most votes in an election becomes Council President for that term. The second-highest vote-getter becomes Council President Pro Tem.
Under Proposal 1, this would change to having members of the City Council elect its own President and President Pro Tem at the first meeting of each new term.
IT WOULD CHANGE PETITION REQUIREMENTS FOR CANDIDATES FOR ALL OFFICES
To get on the ballot, currently, candidates for all city elected offices must submit petitions with 100 to 200 signatures from registered Dearborn voters.
With the proposed wards systems, candidates for City Council in a district would have to get 100 to 200 signatures from voters who live in that district. Candidates for citywide office (mayor, clerk and two at large council seats) would also still have to get 100 to 200 signatures, but would have to include at least 10 signatures from each of the City Council districts.
IT WOULD REQUIRE THAT CHARTER COMMISSIONERS BE ELECTED BY DISTRICT
If a Charter Revision Commission is created to write a general revision of the City Charter, the commission would consist of two commissioners elected at large across the city, and one commissioner from each of the seven City Council districts. Currently, when a charter commission is elected, all nine members are elected at large, across the entire city
A Charter Revision Commission is not elected on a regular schedule, and when one is seated, it exists only for a limited period of time before disbanding. Dearborn voters will next be asked in 2033 if they want to elect a charter commission to do a general revision of the charter. If voters turn down the creation of a charter commission in 2033, it would next come to a vote in 2045.
(If you want to see the actual revised language of the Dearborn City Charter that is proposed in Proposal 1, click here)