Please consider calling members of the Michigan House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to ask them to bring HB-4597 “Restoring Local Control over Speed Limits” up for consideration and ultimately pass it on to the full legislature for a vote. Unless this committee does that, HB-4597 will die in committee and will never even be considered.
Also consider speaking at September 9 Board of Trustees meeting in favor of a resolution proposed to be sent to this committee in support of considering this bill. A unanimous vote by our Board on this would be useful.
Phone numbers are at the end of the email below in bold type from local residents Phyliss Andrus and Jodi Byers. They have lead a nine year effort to lower the speed limit on Collins Rd. It is now 45. It used to be 25. Part of Collins. , in my view is a school zone (Baldwin Elementary). This bill goes beyond that to give us local control of our local roads.
As you may know at the August 12th Oakland Township Board of Trustees meeting Supervisor Buxar presented what is considered a probable remedy to dangerous road conditions here in Oakland Township, particularly the excessively high speed limits in our residential neighborhoods.
Though our interest began on our formerly sleepy, little, Collins Road, posted for many years at 25mph and then boosted to an unsafe speed of 45mph, complaints regarding dangerous conditions on many roads have been heard by township leadership for years.
House Bill 4597 has been introduced by Michigan House District 66 Representative Josh Schriver on June 10, 2025.
The Bill is entitled “Restoring Local Control Over Speed Limits”
The first step in getting a bill to become law is to get it heard and discussed in committee.
This is where citizen input is absolutely crucial. Citizens can let their legislators know that this bill- becoming-law is important to them by emailing and phoning (preferable) their House and Senate representatives.
Please see the 2 attachments below with an easily understood overview of HB 4597 and a list of members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to contact. This committee is where the bill’s journey begins.
Please do all YOU can to make this long-sought-for help to make residential streets safer for ALL Michigan residents.
E-mail and/or phone the members of the Transportation Committee, starting with Chairperson Michigan House Representative Patrick Outman and urge a public hearing regarding this very important matter, the passage of HB 4597.
School starting has greatly affected the number of cars and busses that impact safe residential streets in our area (perhaps yours as well), thus the request for your immediate attention to this matter.
The Michigan House is in session most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays of the month.
It is advised to call on those days to maximize your ability to speak to a live person rather than leave a message.
When you call (preferable) or email, identify yourself, your address and then simply state your complaint about an unsafe road condition in your vicinity and request committee action on House Bill 4597 to bring it to the Floor ASAP.
If you wish to contact the Bill’s primary sponsor Representative Josh Schriver here is his information.
email: Josh Schriver@house.mi.gov
phone: 1-517-373-0839
If you are concerned, as we are, with making Michigan roads safer and would like to be kept apprised of progress of HB 4597 kindly e-mail us back so that we may communicate with you easily. Please feel free to contact either Jodi or me if you need further Information.
If your pet project (fix your road, for example) is not funded in the budget, it will not be done. The 2026 fiscal year budgeting process will be done by the Board of Trustees in three open-to-the-public, but not video-taped, open-meetings-act-compliant-special-meetings termed “workshops” on September 11, 18, 25 during working hours. Watch the township website for times and agendas for each. The 2026 budget will probably be worked out by an informal process involving a non-voting decision-making process. This could be improved on by voting on formal motions. Then this 2026 budget will be presented, and approved or rejected, by law, at a “budget hearing” as part of a regular Board meeting. This gives you four opportunities to comment on the budget, as all these meetings must allow public comment per the open meetings act.
If you attend, you will also hear more frank and informative discussions then you will hear when Board meetings are being video-taped.
This weekly newspaper provides a summary of our Oakland Township Board Meetings. In today’s 5/28/25 issue are four entries about the May 13th Board Meetings. I do not intend to duplicate The Record’s reporting efforts.
Page 4 – the legally required synopsis of the May 13, 2025 regular meeting is provided by our Township Clerk
Page 5 – Article – “Silverbell and Gallagher Paving Study Approved”
Page 5 – he legally required synopsis of the May 13, 2025 special meeting is provided by our Township Clerk
Page 7 – Article – “Southwest Water District rate increase on July 1″
Lately there have been several free copies inside the door of Township Hall, if you want to see one before subscribing. Also paper copies are for sale at Cider Mill for $1.25.
I have no financial connection to this paper. I just want us to have a local newspaper. Your subscription will help with that goal.
In response to comment below concerning the Country Creek Corners shopping center, it is my understanding that the owner of the about 2 acres seeks approval for all those possible uses, in theory. I assume the owner wants this approval so he can seek businesses who want to locate there and lease some of the property for one or more of those uses. Then, at that point, the specific, detailed plans have to be approved by Township Planning Commission and Board of Trustees.
Oakland Township Sentinel 