COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Coldwater Community School officials who are planning to ask voters to approve a bond question in May 2017 have gotten some help from a U.S. District Court Judge.
A ban had been in place which prevented the release of any kind of information about upcoming measures on local ballots for 60 days before the vote.
U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara approved a settlement between a coalition of local taxing units and the Secretary of State, effectively ending the ban permanently.
The judge previously ruled that the law, signed by the Governor, appeared to violate the first and 14th amendments. It is already illegal for public bodies to spend taxpayer’s dollars on materials that would urge a vote either way on a ballot issue.
The original bill was slipped into another piece of legislation that expanded from 13 to 50 pages on the last day of the legislative year.
Only a few legislators claimed they had a chance to read the amendment before voting.
