Taylor council adopts resolution opposing Michigan bills that would limit local zoning authority

The Taylor City Council on April 7 adopted a resolution opposing several bills pending in the Michigan House that the city says would curtail local zoning authority and alter residential standards.

The resolution, read into the record by Councilmember Jeremy, lists House bills 55‑29 through 55‑32 and 55‑81 through 55‑85 and states the bills would impose new study and documentation requirements, change minimum house square‑footage rules, adjust parking and mobile home regulations, and permit duplexes on single‑family parcels — all changes the resolution says would conflict with local authority under state zoning law.

Mayor Wooley called the bills "an absolute joke" and said the city had joined the Downriver Community Conference in opposition. "Stay out of our backyard," he said, urging Lansing not to override local planning and zoning decisions. The resolution (motion by Mister Thomas, supported by Mister Wallace) passed and council directed that copies be sent to state legislators representing Taylor.

The resolution frames the bills as a threat to locally driven planning and infrastructure review, including water and sewer capacity assessments, and cites the city's planning and zoning boards as locally accountable bodies suited to determine land‑use rules.