What does a YES vote on City of Sterling Heights mean?

The amount above which Sterling Heights purchases and improvements need Council pre-approval would rise from $5,000.00 to $50,000.00, an inflation adjustment of the 1968 amount.

What does a NO vote on City of Sterling Heights mean?

Council pre-approval would still be required for purchases and improvements over $5,000.00.

Where does the $50,000 figure come from?

The City says the $5,000 approved by voters in 1968, adjusted for inflation, is approximately equivalent to $50,000.

Is there another Sterling Heights question on the ballot?

Yes. A separate Charter question asks whether vacancies in elective office should be filled by special election when Council does not appoint, or when two or more years remain in the term.

How many votes does City of Sterling Heights need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on City of Sterling Heights?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

City of Sterling Heights — Charter Amendment (purchasing authority) (Macomb County)

Last updated Sat, Nov 7, 4:33 PM ET

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Sterling Heights voters

What it does: In 1968, the Charter established $5,000.00 as the amount over which council pre-approval is required for public purchases and improvements. The amount approved by the voters in 1968, as adjusted for inflation, is approximately equivalent to $50,000.00. The City is seeking to update sections 13.03 and 13.04 of the Charter regarding purchasing authority to account for inflation. Shall the purchasing authority in Sections 13.03 and 13.04 be updated to the amount of $50,000.00 to reflect an inflationary adjustment of the amount approved by the voters in 1968?
A YES vote means: The amount above which Sterling Heights purchases and improvements need Council pre-approval would rise from $5,000.00 to $50,000.00, an inflation adjustment of the 1968 amount.
A NO vote means: Council pre-approval would still be required for purchases and improvements over $5,000.00.
Needed to pass: A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Left–right lean: Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Explained

Today

Since 1968, Sterling Heights' City Charter has required City Council approval in advance for public purchases and improvements over $5,000 (Sections 13.03 and 13.04).
That $5,000 figure has not changed since 1968. The City says it equals about $50,000 today after adjusting for inflation.

If it passes

The threshold for Council pre-approval of purchases and public improvements would rise from $5,000 to $50,000.
Purchases and improvements above $50,000 would still need Council approval in advance.
The ballot question sets a fixed $50,000 figure; it does not provide for automatic future inflation adjustments.

Who would notice

Sterling Heights City Council and City staff who handle purchasing, and vendors and contractors doing business with the City. It has no tax effect.

How it got here

The City placed the question on the November 3, 2026 ballot to update the 1968 purchasing amount for inflation, according to the explanatory text printed with the ballot question.

Written by SpectrumVote from 1 linked sources (1). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

Background

According to the City Manager's presentation recorded in the June 16, 2026 City Council minutes, the 1968 Charter set $5,000 as the purchase amount above which formal Council approval is required, the amount has never been adjusted for inflation, and the Consumer Price Index equivalent today is $50,000.

City administration said the change would remove more than one hundred items a year from Council agendas and would match the $50,000 bidding threshold the Council adopted earlier; it said Council would still approve all spending through the annual budget and the twice-monthly bill list.

Councilman Radtke argued that a lower threshold would leave more purchases visible to residents in agenda packets; a motion to use $40,000 instead failed 3–4 (Mijac, Radtke and Sierawski in favor).

The Council then voted 5–2 on June 16, 2026 to place the $50,000 amendment on the ballot, with Councilman Radtke and Mayor Pro-Tem Sierawski voting no.

Put on the ballot by Sterling Heights City Council, 5–2 (Radtke and Sierawski opposed), June 16, 2026 (resolution placing amendments to Charter Sections 13.03 and 13.04 on the ballot).

From official source.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Sterling Heights mean?: The amount above which Sterling Heights purchases and improvements need Council pre-approval would rise from $5,000.00 to $50,000.00, an inflation adjustment of the 1968 amount.
What does a NO vote on City of Sterling Heights mean?: Council pre-approval would still be required for purchases and improvements over $5,000.00.
Where does the $50,000 figure come from?: The City says the $5,000 approved by voters in 1968, adjusted for inflation, is approximately equivalent to $50,000.
Is there another Sterling Heights question on the ballot?: Yes. A separate Charter question asks whether vacancies in elective office should be filled by special election when Council does not appoint, or when two or more years remain in the term.
How many votes does City of Sterling Heights need to pass?: A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Should I vote yes or no on City of Sterling Heights?: SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
When is the vote?: The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the Macomb County ballot.

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