Clerk's Office
Township Hall -1st Floor
15145 Beech Daly Road
Redford, Michigan 48239
Point-to-Point Driving Directions
Phone: (313) 387-2750
Fax: (313) 387-2707
Email: clerk@redfordtwp.com
Each year since 2000 when Garth Christie came into office, the monies the Township receives in revenue have been cut dramatically. The proactive approach he has taken in handling each year has been to cut our costs, become more efficient and incorporate new ways to complete the tasks at hand with a minimum affect to the residents.
The Township website is an efficient means for residents to conduct their business with the Township 24/7. Taking over the day to day management of the site was essential. The Township ordinances went on line in January of 2001 and residents and employees alike reference that site daily. Following in March of 2001 the minutes to the Board of Trustees meetings went online. Today, you can pay your taxes, water bills or traffic tickets on line as well as research the history of the Township back to 1969 through the minutes of the Board of Trustees. In May of 2002, the website won an international award and in November, 2003 was rated the 4th best township website in the State of Michigan.
Preparing for the regular board meetings took days and often involved more than one person. In November of 2002, Garth Christie changed the face of business with the e-packet project. Scanning the backup paperwork for the meetings and emailing the packets to the board members has resulted in cost savings by eliminating thousands of sheets of paper and hours of manpower. The e-packet project has been a huge success.
Opening “Avenues of Access” is the trademark of the Clerk’s office. The website brings the residents into each and every department of the Township. A quarterly newsletter brings the residents information about what is happening in the Township. New residents began to receive a “Welcome Package” consisting of valuable information regarding Township services, when they filed their Homestead Affidavits. The cable channel needed revamping and in March of 2002, in an agreement with Time Warner Cable, the Township and the cable company split the cost of hard equipment and software to update the government access channel 8. As a result, we now run a Calendar of Events, provide live transmission of the Township Board of Trustee meetings and show recorded events (State of the Township, etc…) as well. The meeting dates for the Trustees were changed to allow for regular dates the trustees and residents could count on without the past changes due to federally mandated Monday holidays. Information pamphlets were created to encourage resident participation at the board meetings. A hard copy of the board packet is sent to the Library for residents to view.
Reaching out into the community began with Clerk Christie visiting classrooms to teach government at the local schools. He has also run mock elections and given out citizenship awards to All Star Students. In October, 2002 he commissioned the second grade class at Fisher Elementary to draw posters to encourage adults to vote. These posters were placed throughout the township in businesses for all the residents to see. His commitment to the youth of the township has resulted in hiring high school students from both school districts to work in the voting precincts during elections beginning in the November, 2001 election and continues today. In April, 2003 Garth Christie resurrected the Youth Commission and we now have Youth Trustees sitting on the Board of Trustees, Park Commission, Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. It was at this time that the Clerk began writing monthly Citizenship articles in the local paper. In January of 2004 Garth Christie created a Citizen E-Advisor Committee of 35 residents and growing. Issues that come before the Board of Trustees are emailed to the advisors for their input. Also, in January of 2004 Clerk Christie became a delegate to Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).
There has been a spotlight on the election process across the country since November of 2000. Garth Christie has run three elections since then and has met the changes passed by the state and federal legislators each year. All members of the staff are state accredited for elections. Clerk Christie received the prestigious designation of Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) in February, 2003. To save taxpayer dollars he has lobbied for no presidential primary in the 2004 election year and no special elections to replace the state representative. He is working with the county and state clerk associations in preparation for the changes that will be implemented by the federal government under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) over the next few years. In August of 2005, new voting machines, M100, were introduced to our voters. The Automarks made their debut in May of 2006.
A new service to the residents came in May of 2003 when the Clerk's office opened the Passport Acceptance Agency. Since then we have processed more than 775 passports bringing in over $22,500.00 of new revenue into the township.
The clerk’s office will continue to review, update and create means to meet our resident’s needs.
Be sure to check out Services for specific information regarding our department. If you have questions, please email us at clerk@redfordtwp.com or call us (313) 387-2700.
Garth Christie is a life-long resident of Redford and an honor graduate from Thurston High School, the University of Michigan Dearborn (B.A.), and Wayne State University (J.D.). He is a member in good standing of the State Bar of Michigan. Garth enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served as a JAG Officer and an Adjutant in the Infantry. He retired from the reserves at the rank of Captain and is a member of the VFW Post 345 and American Legion Post 271 in Redford.
Click here for photo of Garth Christie reading at Fisher School
Eight years on the Zoning Board of Appeals gave Garth a solid background in zoning and planning issues. Consequently, when he was elected as a Trustee in 1996, he was appointed the Board's representative to the Planning Commission.
Garth began serving as Clerk on November 20, 2000. He received his Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) in February of 2003 and in 2004 was re-elected to the clerks office with the largest percentage of all township officials with 98.94% of the vote. Christie continues his professional development with his acceptance into the First Level of the Master Municipal Clerk Academy by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks on July 31, 2006. In October of 2006 he passed his final exam for the University of Wisconsin Extension course on Parliamentary Procedure and is qualified for membership in the National Association of Parliamentarians. 2007 began with the Michigan Township Association honoring Clerk Christie as a 2007 graduate with the Township Governance Academy Credential at their Education Conference in Detroit, Michigan with his Board of Trustees congratulating him with a proclamation on February 13, 2007. His goals are to continue to create and expand avenues of access to public information, to promote community participation in local government and to simplify and reorganize the Township's record keeping system through the use of technologies.
The Clerk's Office provides a myriad of services ranging from elections to garage sale permits. (Click here for a full list and descriptions)
Click here for an application to vote absentee in the August and/or November Elections.
Candidates running in the Democratic Primary in Redford Township click here
Unofficial election results for the Presidential Primary held on January 15, 2008
Unofficial Results from the May 6, 2008 elections
South Redford School District
(Vote for not more than 2)
Cheryl L. Flesher 622
Elizabeth Kangas 639Clarenceville School District
(Vote for not more than 2)
Mark Brooks 9
Brenda Uren 9(Vote for not more than 1)
Sharon Simpson 10(Vote for not more than )
Jilian Cramb 6
Brad Tripp 8
Proclamation - Garth Christie
Garth Christie took the Clerk’s office to Fisher Elementary School Second Grade in Redford earlier this month to learn about voting and give the students a chance to vote in a mock election. Read more about it.2008 Elections
January 15, 2008 - Presidential Primary Election
May 6, 2008 - School Election
August 5, 2008 - Primary Election
November 4, 2008 - General ElectionPassport acceptance facility
Board of Trustee Meeting Dates
The Clerk's Office at Town Hall has officially opened it's passport acceptance facility. Passport hours are 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. If you are 16 years of age, bring a Certified Copy of your brith certificate; issued by the government with a raised seal, two passport photos, your State Drivers license or State Identification card, one check for $75.00 and $25.00 in cash. www.travel.state.gov If you are under 16, contact us for your requirements.
All meetings are held at 7:00p.m. at Town Hall, 15145 Beech Daly Road, Redford, MI.2008 Board of Trustee Meeting Dates
January 8 & 22
February 5 & 19
\ March 4 & 18
April 8 & 22
May 13 & 27
June 10 & 24 July 8
August 12 & 26
September 9 & 23
October 14 & 28
November 11 & 25 December 9
If you would like to speak at the Township Board Meeting, please click here. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to view this file - Click here to get Acrobat now! ) Print the form, complete it and send it to:
Clerk's Office: Township Hall15145 Beech Daly Road
Click Here for the Procedure to Address the Township Board
For more information about the Township Board Meetings click here.
Click Here for the July 8th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the June 24th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the June 10th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the May 27th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the May 13th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the April 22nd meeting agenda.
Click Here for the April 8th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the March 18th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the March 4th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the February 19th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the February 5th meeting agenda.
Click Here for the January 22nd meeting agenda.
Click Here for the January 8th meeting agenda.
The Charter Township of Redford posts the minutes of the Redford Township Board of Trustees in five public locations throughout the Township in accordance with MCL 42.7. Click here for the list of minutes.
State of Michigan: www.michigan.gov
For Birth and Death Records, Marriage Licenses and DBA information:
Wayne County: co.wayne.mi.us
Ordinance Links Code Zoning
Michigan Township Association: www.michigantownships.org
Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks www.michiganclerks.org
