City Exempt From Bill On Elections

A bilí requiring Michigan municipalities to hold elections in November of each odd-numbered year will have no effect upon Ann Arbor. The bilí is currently awaiting Gov. William G. Milliken's signature to put it on the law books. Lansing sources say indications are that he will sien the bilí. State Rep. Raymond J. Smit was instrumental in having Ann Arbor exempted from the bilí. A section of the law exempts home rule cities which conduct partisan elections. Ypsilanti, which conducts nonpartisan elections in the spring, will not be exempted from the law. However, the bilí provides that local governing bodies may take action within 30 days after the law goes into effect to exempt themselves. Gov. Milliken refused to sita an earlier version of the bilí which passed the Legislature. The original bilí would have required Ann Arbor to go to the November elections and would have forced a change inj the city's system of having two-j year staggered terms for councilmen. If Ann Arbor should in the future decide to switch to the November election it would take either a change in the state law or a revisión of the City Charter. Ann Arbor's City Council thisj year went on record opposingl the original bül and a fewl years ago city voters rejectedl (by a narrow margin) a charter! amendment which would have! established fall elections.