Urban township (Michigan)
Encyclopedia
An urban township is a designation of a unit of local government
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
as prescribed by section 2 of Public Act 281 of 1986, being section 125.2152 of the Michigan Compiled Laws. The designation allows a general law township
or charter township
to be considered a municipality
under the auspices of the act, and create what is known as a "local development finance authority," in the same way a city
or village
is entitled. This authority is created in order to, according to the long title of the act, "encourage local development to prevent conditions of unemployment and promote economic growth." Powers entitled to such authorities include the issuance of municipal bond
s and tax increment financing
.
There are five different methods in which a township may be designated an urban township by the state. Common requirements between all methods are a population requirement, which usually mandates that there be 20,000 residents in a township—though that number can be as low as 10,000—and in one case, the population requirement is not on the township at all, but the county
; the population of said county must be over 1,000,000. This, however, only applied to two counties as of 2003 (Wayne
and Oakland
).
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
as prescribed by section 2 of Public Act 281 of 1986, being section 125.2152 of the Michigan Compiled Laws. The designation allows a general law township
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
or charter township
Charter township
A charter township is a form of local government in the U.S. state of Michigan. Townships in Michigan are organized governments. A charter township is a township that has been granted a charter, which allows it certain rights and responsibilities of home rule that are generally intermediary in...
to be considered a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
under the auspices of the act, and create what is known as a "local development finance authority," in the same way a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
or village
Village (United States)
In the United States, the meaning of "village" varies by geographic area and legal jurisdiction. In many areas, "village" is a term, sometimes informal, for a type of administrative division at the local government level...
is entitled. This authority is created in order to, according to the long title of the act, "encourage local development to prevent conditions of unemployment and promote economic growth." Powers entitled to such authorities include the issuance of municipal bond
Municipal bond
A municipal bond is a bond issued by a city or other local government, or their agencies. Potential issuers of municipal bonds includes cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, special-purpose districts, school districts, public utility districts, publicly owned airports and seaports, and any...
s and tax increment financing
Tax increment financing
Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, is a public financing method which has been used as a subsidy for redevelopment and community improvement projects in many countries including the United States for more than 50 years...
.
There are five different methods in which a township may be designated an urban township by the state. Common requirements between all methods are a population requirement, which usually mandates that there be 20,000 residents in a township—though that number can be as low as 10,000—and in one case, the population requirement is not on the township at all, but the county
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
; the population of said county must be over 1,000,000. This, however, only applied to two counties as of 2003 (Wayne
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
and Oakland
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
).