Government of Detroit

The government of Detroit, Michigan is run by a mayor, the nine-member Detroit City Council, the eleven-member Board of Police Commissioners, and a clerk. All of these officers are elected on a nonpartisan ballot, with the exception of four of the police commissioners, who are appointed by the mayor. Detroit has a "strong mayoral" system, with the mayor approving departmental appointments. The council approves budgets, but the mayor is not obligated to adhere to any earmarking. The city clerk supervises elections and is formally charged with the maintenance of municipal records. City ordinances and substantially large contracts must be approved by the council.[1]

The flag of Detroit

The 2012 Charter added political bodies to council districts called Community Advisory Councils. They are created by the circulation of petitions by residents.[2] In March 2014 The Detroit City Council passed an ordinance that formalized the directive given in the City Charter.[3][4] Members of the Seventh District CAC were elected in the 2016 general election on November 8.[5] In October 2019 a local activist submitted petitions to make District 4 Detroit's second CAC.[6][7] Members were elected to it in the 2020 general election.[8]

Municipal elections for mayor, city council and city clerk are held in years following presidential elections (such as 2013, 2017 and 2021).[9]

In 2018 the people of Detroit voted to revise the city charter, and elected a Charter Commission for that purpose.[10] The revised charter could have substantially changed the structure of the government of Detroit if it was approved.[11] However voters rejected the revisions in the 2021 primary election.[12]

Politics
See also: List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan

City departments

City departments include:

Courts
William Woodbridge, the first justice of the territorial Supreme Court.

Detroit's courts are all state-administered and elections are nonpartisan. The Circuit and Probate Courts for Wayne County are located in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center (formerly the "City-County Building"). Circuit and probate judges are elected county-wide, with circuit judges handling all cases where more than $25,000 is in dispute, felonies, divorce/custody actions, and matters of general equitable jurisdictions. Probate Court is responsible for estate administration, guardianships, conservatorships and juvenile matters. The divorce/family court docket is run jointly with the Circuit Court.[13]

The 36th District Court, with judges elected citywide, handles civil disputes where less than $25,000 is in dispute, landlord-tenant matters, misdemeanors, and preliminary examinations of criminal defendants charged with felonies prior to being bound over to circuit court. The 36th District Court incorporated the city's common pleas, traffic court, and misdemeanor prosecutions.[14]

In addition to these trial courts, Detroit hosts the 1st District of the Michigan Court of Appeals, located at Cadillac Place, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan located in the Theodore Levin Federal Courthouse building in Downtown Detroit.[15]

City finances
The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center.

In addition to property tax, the city levies an income tax of 2.4% on residents, 1.2% on non-residents, and 2.0% on corporations since 2013.[16] Revenue is also obtained from utility taxes, hotel excises and from the Detroit-owned Water and Sewer system that provides most of the fresh water and sewage treatment facilities within the metropolitan area. Detroit has had to fight off legislative efforts to turn control of the system to the suburbs.[17]

The city has experienced some fiscal years of balanced budgets in the new millennium with new growth in business and tourism.[18] The city has planned a reduced workforce and more consolidated operations.[19] In addition, Detroit had asked for pay cuts and other "give backs" from the municipal unions that represent city employees.[20]

On March 1, 2013, Governor Rick Snyder announced the state was taking over the financial control of the city from the local government.[21] The state is requesting a review team to look over the financial state of the city and determine if an emergency manager is needed to take over control of city spending from city council.[21] On March 14, 2013, Michigan's Local Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board appointed an Emergency Financial Manager, Kevyn Orr. Mr. Orr assumed his receivership responsibilities on March 25, 2013.

On July 18, 2013, Detroit filed the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history, from which it exited on December 10, 2014.[22][23]

Law
Further information: Law of Michigan

The city is governed pursuant to the Home Rule Charter of the City of Detroit, and the Detroit City Code is the codification of Detroit's local ordinances. Unless a violation of the code or other ordinance is specifically designated as a municipal civil infraction (or unless expressly otherwise required by applicable state or federal laws), the violation is a misdemeanor.[24] Where there is a conflict with the Wayne County Code, the most liberal interpretation of the most restrictive, or the one imposing the most desirable, standard shall prevail.[25]

Sister cities

Sister cities include:[26]

International border city:

See also

References
  1. "Charter of the City of Detroit" (PDF). detroitmi.gov. City of Detroit. January 1, 2012. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
  2. "The Detroit Charter and City Government ARTICLE 9. CHAPTER 1. COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCILS". detcharter.com. 2012 Detroit Charter Revision Commission. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  3. "Detroiters Push to Establish Community Advisory Councils in City Districts". wdet.org. WDET 101.9 and Wayne State University. Archived from the original on 2019-08-06. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  4. "Action Alert: City Council Evening Meeting Monday March 3rd". detroitpeoplesplatform.org. Detroit Peoples Platform. March 3, 2012. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  5. "Wayne Co., Mi General Election 11/08/16 Total Results" (PDF). waynecounty.com. County of Wayne. November 23, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  6. Losinski, Brendan (October 15, 2019). "Community Advisory Council approved for Detroit's 4th District". candgnews.com. C & G Publishing. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  7. "Community Activist Files 1,570 Signatures to Create Community Advisory Council". telegramnews.net. Telegram Newspaper. October 3, 2019. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  8. "City of Detroit Community Advisory Council District 4 Partial Term Ending 01/01/2022" (PDF). waynecounty.com. Wayne County Michigan. November 5, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  9. Ward, George E. (July 1993). Detroit Charter Revision - A Brief History Archived December 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Citizens Research Council of Michigan (pdf file).
  10. Henderson, Stephen (October 15, 2018). "Detroit Will Elect a Commission to Revise Its Charter… Again". wdet.org. WDET. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  11. Perkins, Tom (November 7, 2018). "Community delivers blow to Duggan-Gilbert axis in Detroit Charter Commission race". metrotimes.com. Metro Times. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  12. "Detroit's controversial charter revision plan, Proposal P, fails".
  13. Wayne County Court System (2004) Archived April 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Wayne County, Michigan website (accessed April 20, 2006).
  14. Michigan's 36th District Court Archived November 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine at ‘’www.36thdistrictcourt.org (accessed April 20, 2006).’‘
  15. Mason, Philip (October 1995). Naming of the Court House in Detroit after Theodore Levin Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. The Ragens at www.theragens.com/history/ (accessed April 20, 2006).
  16. "City of Detroit Income Tax Rates". Detroitmi.gov. City of Detroit. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  17. Wisely, John (10/25/05). Suburbs ramp up water system fight. The Detroit News.
  18. Mayor Kwami Kilpatrick (4-12-2006).Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Explains Budget Plan Archived September 12, 2007, at the Wayback MachineWDIV ClickonDetroit.com
  19. Lin, Judy (4/28/05). Detroit triggers loan limit. The Detroit News.
  20. Heath, Brad; Lin, Judy; Y. Moore, Natalie (17 July 2007). "Mayor: Fix Detroit or risk takeover". Detroit News. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  21. "Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder takes over Detroit's finances amid financial emergency". 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  22. "Creditors to fight Detroit insolvency claim | the Detroit News". Archived from the original on 2013-08-10. Retrieved 2013-10-31. The Detroit News
  23. Helms, Matt (11 Dec 2014). "Q and A: Detroit exits bankruptcy". The Detroit News. Detroit Media Partnership. USA Today. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  24. Detroit City Code § 1-1-9
  25. Wayne County Code § 1-23
  26. Online Directory: Michigan, USA (2006) Archived May 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Sister Cities International (accessed April 20, 2006).

Further reading
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