Economic development: other; the home rule city act; amend to reflect elimination of the Michigan strategic fund. Amends sec. 4q of 1909 PA 279 (MCL 117.4q). TIE BAR WITH: SB 0631'25
SB 650 amends the Home Rule City Act to expand and refine the authority of certain Michigan cities to create administrative hearings bureaus for blight enforcement. Eligible cities may use these bureaus to hear and decide violations designated by local ordinance as blight violations, collect civil fines and costs, accept admissions of responsibility, and issue orders requiring compliance. The bill limits bureau jurisdiction to specified civil blight-related matters such as zoning, property maintenance, solid waste, sanitation, noxious weeds, vehicle abandonment, right-of-way signage, and certain housing-law-equivalent ordinances, while excluding criminal offenses and other civil infractions.
The bill also sets procedural rules for notice, hearings, evidence, appeals, and default judgments. It requires hearing officers to be licensed attorneys with at least five years of experience, to complete training, and to issue written findings supported by substantial evidence. It provides a right to counsel, witnesses, subpoenas, and circuit court review, and it imposes a $10 justice system assessment for each blight determination. The bill further creates special protections for landlords in rental inspection settings by requiring a correction notice and opportunity to cure before a blight citation is issued, except in emergency situations, and it limits enforcement against certain foreclosure-related entities and owner-occupied principal residences.
SB 650 would amend MCL 117.4q in the Home Rule City Act to broaden and standardize local administrative enforcement of blight ordinances for qualifying cities. It would authorize cities to establish hearings bureaus, define blight violations by ordinance, impose civil fines up to $10,000, assess costs, and, in some cases, trigger additional state civil infractions or misdemeanor penalties for nonpayment or failure to correct violations. The bill also requires cities to remit a $10 justice system assessment to the state treasury and establishes procedural safeguards and appeal rights that would govern these local adjudications. Its enactment is tied to Senate Bill 631, so it would not take effect unless that bill also becomes law.
The available context shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the materials provided. Based on the bill text, the measure appears aimed at strengthening local blight enforcement while also adding procedural protections for property owners and landlords. The overall structure suggests a policy balance between municipal code enforcement and due process safeguards.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the expansion of municipal enforcement power, the use of administrative hearings instead of court proceedings, and the escalation from civil fines to misdemeanor penalties for unpaid or uncorrected violations. Property owners and landlords may be concerned about citation practices, bond requirements on appeal, and the breadth of ordinances that can be designated as blight violations. On the other hand, cities and local code enforcement officials are likely to support the bill because it gives them a more formal and efficient mechanism to address blight, vacant property issues, and nuisance conditions. The bill also contains carve-outs for foreclosure-related entities and principal residences, which may reflect an effort to limit overreach and reduce opposition from housing and lending interests.