|
THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF ROYAL OAK 21131 GARDENLANE – SECOND FLOOR FERNDALE, MI 48220-2266 |
|
To contact us:
|
|
Phone: 248-547-9800 Fax: 248-547-1415
|
|
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
When do I have to register to vote in order to vote in the current election?
Is there a website that I can go to and register to voter?
Why do I have to file a absentee voters application for every election?
Where do I apply for a business license?
How do I know if the zoning is right for the proposed business?
Where do I register to vote? You can register to vote at the Secretary of States Office at your local Clerk’s office and at the County Clerk’s office.
Will my voters registration card indicate where my polling place is located for both school and regular elections? Yes, The name of the polling place and address for any and all elections will be on your voters registration card.
I was a registered voter in another community and just recently moved to the Charter Township of Royal Oak, where would do I vote now? If is has been less then thirty days before the posted close of registration date, then you will have to go to your last polling place vote and do a change of address application. If it has been more than thirty days since you moved and you have completed a change of address application at the secretary of state, local and/or county clerk’s office you should receive your voters registration card through the mail before the scheduled election and it will indicate your new polling location. If you have not received a new voters registration card, it doesn’t mean you are not registered to vote, the voter would simply have to contact the Clerk’s office any time before or during the election to get their polling location. If your residency is challenged by either a voter, the Clerk’s office or the State of Michigan (QVF), that will also be indicated and some additional information may be required to satisfy the challenge.
What does QVF mean? QVF stands for Qualified Voters File and is provided by the State of Michigan on a electronic database that each and every county, city, village, and township in Michigan has access to.
When do I have to register to vote in order to vote in the current election? The close of registration for any election is 30 days prior to the election date. If you register after the close of registration you will not be able to vote in the current election but you will be able to vote in the elections that follow.
Is there a website that I can go to and register to voter? There is a website that you can pull a voters registration application form fill it out completely and sign it and mail it to the Clerk’s office, or the Secretary of States. The website for the state is www.michigan.gov/sos or www.royaloaktwp.org (which is the Township’s new website) and the voter registration forms will be available for printing and mailing under the Clerk’s office.
I am going to be out of town or away from the community on the day of the election how do I obtain an absentee voters application? Contact your local clerk’s office and one of the staff can mail one to you, you complete it and send it back to the Clerk’s office in your jurisdiction or you can obtain a copy of one from the website and that has to be completed with your signature and it can be mailed and/or hand delivered to the local Clerk’s office.
Why do I have to file a absentee voters application for every election? Because the way the QVF system and election laws are setup, an application to vote (which is located on the bottom part of your AV application) must be acquired for each and every election, due to the fact we have to compare it to the signature we have on file and it also helps us to keep track of each absentee ballot we send and receive so that there are no duplicate ballots or if a ballot is not returned and or the voter changed their minds and decides to vote at the polling place.
Where do I apply for a business license? If you are a new business you must follow a different process than those that are renewing their business licenses. Renewal of business licensing, you will receive an invoice in the mail and you have a certain time (usually 30 days from the date of the invoice) to pay the fees or you will be fined $100 in addition to the invoice. The Township requires you to pay for business licensing once every year and inspections every two years. If you are a new business you must completely fill out a business license application, which is also the application for your certificate to occupancy, pull any necessary permits, get a certificate to occupy once all of the above has been approved and then appear before the Board of Trustees for approval to actually open up for business.
How do I know if the zoning is right for the proposed business? You can either call or come in to the administrative offices and inquire and someone will happy to assist you getting started with everything, also we have a check list on file to follow for the process of opening a business in the Charter Township of Royal Oak, which is available in the Building department or the clerk’s office.
How is rezoning handled? You must first apply for rezoning, pay a fee to appear before Planning Commissioners and obtain approval from them, if they deny your request based on various reasons, they will let you know what those reasons are and then you have the option of complying with their request and/or appearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals. If Zoning approves your request they will inform the planning commission and the Board of Trustees and any criteria that is needed will be forwarded to all parties involved. If they deny your request, you will not receive a rezoning agreement. The cost of appearing before either entity, with the exception of the Board of Trustees is based on what you are trying to do. The Planning Commissioners meet once a month usually the 2nd Wednesday of each month. The ZBA only meets when necessary. The Board meets once a month, the second Thursday of each month (unless there is a holiday, unfavorable weather conditions or the lack of a quorum). You must have all requests in for the Planning commission at least 30 days prior to the meeting date.
Once I have obtained all relevant approvals and gone through the process, how soon can I open my business? Once the final process of Board of Trustees approval has been obtained you will receive a business license and you can open your business upon receipt of the license. You will receive a certificate to occupy as soon as all relevant inspections and approvals from the Building department have been obtained, but that only allows you to start setting the business up, it does not grant you permission to open the business. You cannot open the business until you have obtained a business license. |
