Politics & Government

Clarifying the Language of Tuesday's Ballot Question

Trenton voters will decide to allow city administrators to publish notices and ordinances on the city's website, on cable access stations, in public buildings and in local newspapers.

Trenton voters will face a single issue on the ballot Tuesday.

If passed, city administrators would be allowed to publish city notices and ordinances on the city's official website, in three public buildings, on all cable access stations of all cable and satellite providers operating within the city and in local newspapers.

The information would be provided in paper form at , and the .

Find out what's happening in Trenton Grosse Ilewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some voters believe the the change means city administrators would no longer publish notices and ordinances in The News-Herald, but Trenton City Administrator Bob Cady said this is not the case.

Cady said the change gives administrators the option to publish important information in other places in the event any local newspapers were to go out of business.

Find out what's happening in Trenton Grosse Ilewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Cady said he and other city administrators rely on "The News-Herald to publish ordinances, and if it were to go out of business we would be forced to use the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News," which would be expensive.

"We don't want to be stuck and not have an alternative," Cady said.

Cady said city administrators plan to continue to use newspaper publications as long as they are available and inexpensive.

The Ballot Question is as Follows:

Shall Sections 7.4 of the Trenton City Charter, entitled “Publication and Recording of Ordinances,” and Section 17.4 “Definition of Publication” be amended to permit, as an alternative to newspaper publication, the posting and publishing of locally required notices and ordinances on the city’s official website along with paper copies to be posted in three public buildings; or on the public access stations of all cable and satellite providers operating within the city together with paper copies to be posted in three public buildings?

[ ] YES [ ] NO


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