Flint Township voters will weigh renaming the township Oak Hills on Nov. 3

FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Voters in Flint Township will decide on Nov. 3 whether they want the charter township renamed Oak Hills, an advisory ballot question that still leaves the final call with the township board.

Supporters say the rename would separate the township’s identity from the city of Flint and reduce confusion that they argue hurts hiring and business. Jerry Preston, chairman of the committee backing the change, told WNEM the effort has run for years and that the township’s tax base is shrinking in part because outsiders link the township to the city’s water crisis. He cited a dive shop that lost customers who assumed it used Flint city water, and ZIP codes that can list Flushing, Swartz Creek or Burton for township addresses.

ABC12 reported that township trustees voted 5-1 in July to put the question on the ballot after a 2022 Downtown Development Authority survey ranked Oak Hills as the top new-name choice. The proposed ballot language on the Yes Oak Hills campaign site asks whether electors approve a July 20, 2026, board resolution to change the name to Charter Township of Oak Hills. The site and ABC12 both note that voter approval would not rename the township by itself; a majority of trustees would still have to approve.

Township Supervisor Karyn Miller told WNEM at a September town hall that unifying under one name was the goal and that a full changeover could cost roughly $150,000 to $175,000. The Yes Oak Hills site puts the township’s estimate under $150,000 and points to a Jan. 1, 2028, effective date so uniforms, vehicles and signs can turn over through normal replacement. Trustee Gene A. Leverette Sr., who voted against putting the question on the ballot, told WNEM the board should put that energy into other township needs.

Backers say a rename would not raise taxes or change postal addresses on its own. Yes Oak Hills and ABC12 both say the township’s seven ZIP codes would stay until any later Postal Service change. If voters and then trustees approve, Preston told WNEM the new name would take effect Jan. 1, 2028.

Sources:
WNEM / James Felton, “Flint Township voters to decide on changing name to Oak Hills,” Oct. 15, 2026, https://www.wnem.com/2026/10/15/flint-township-voters-decide-changing-name-oak-hills/
WNEM / Trae Harris, “Flint Township residents weigh proposal to rename community Oak Hills,” Sept. 17–18, 2026, https://www.wnem.com/2026/09/18/flint-township-residents-weigh-proposal-rename-community-oak-hills/
ABC12 / Liam Clymer, “What you need to know about the Flint Twp. renaming proposal before Nov. 3,” Oct. 14, 2026, https://www.abc12.com/news/politics/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-flint-twp-renaming-proposal-before-nov-3/article_f48b680e-2478-40f7-b67d-f32f370c2c12.html
Yes Oak Hills, campaign site and ballot language, accessed Oct. 16, 2026, https://www.yesoakhills.com/
Photo: Lorie Shaull, “Vote Here sign in Minneapolis, Minnesota (50564083472).jpg,” Nov. 3, 2020, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vote_Here_sign_in_Minneapolis,_Minnesota_(50564083472).jpg

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Tags: Flint · News · Flint Township · Oak Hills · Elections · November ballot