How Ann Arbor is run
Who runs Ann Arbor, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Ann Arbor's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Ann Arbor
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- 12 months' salary as severance if fired without cause
- City pays 15% of earnings into an executive 401(a) retirement plan
- Retiree health account of $3,500 per year of service
- 20 vacation days a year
- Use of a city vehicle
- One-time $8,400 payment (3% of salary) approved in January 2026
Ann Arbor city staff
894 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Adopted FY2027 total after council amendments, up from 863 in the FY2026 budget. City of Ann Arbor · May 18, 2026
The budget sets total positions. A2OpenBook shows expenses and vendor payments, but we found no posted list of individual employees' pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Ann Arbor in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $24.7M (2025-06-30). City of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Treasury unit$69.1M · 41%
- Non-departmental$40.8M · 24%
- Financial and budget planning unit$25.5M · 15%
- Ann Arbor Housing Commission$7M · 4%
- Parks and recreation$6.3M · 4%
- Information technology$4.9M · 3%
- Police$3.8M · 2%
- Other departments$12.7M · 7%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Non-departmental$39.2M · 23%
- Police$34.7M · 20%
- Fire$23M · 14%
- Parks and recreation$13.4M · 8%
- Ann Arbor Housing Commission$7.4M · 4%
- District court$5.9M · 3%
- Information technology$4.8M · 3%
- Other departments$41.7M · 24%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
These are rates for a home that is the owner's principal residence. Rentals and businesses also pay the 18 mill school operating tax, for a total of 68.7887 mills.
33¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Ann Arbor
- City of Ann ArborIncludes 1.9299 mills the city collects for the transit authority.17.6884 · 33%
- Schools (Ann Arbor Public Schools, Washtenaw ISD, state education tax)20.2483 · 38%
- Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority2.374 · 4%
- Washtenaw County7.5495 · 14%
- Washtenaw Community College3.3548 · 6%
- Ann Arbor District Library1.8228 · 3%
- Total (mills)53.0378
FY2025 rates for a home in the city of Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County). City of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Ann Arbor is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityAnn Arbor Police DepartmentCity of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
- FireThe cityAnn Arbor Fire DepartmentCity of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Ann ArborCity of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Ann ArborCity of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Ann ArborBarton Pond, impounded by the Barton Dam, is the main source of drinking water.City of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
- Sewer and wastewaterThe cityCity of Ann ArborCity of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Ann ArborCity of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
- AirportThe cityCity of Ann ArborCity of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | WyomingMI | FlintMI | Ann ArborMI | Grand RapidsMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 78,588 | 79,306 | 122,233 | 201,183 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $221,835 | Not confirmed | $300,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $11,193 | Not confirmed | $34,878 | $35,204 |
| General fund per resident | $558 | $1,120 | $1,391 | $1,028 |
| Debt per resident | $976 | $791 | $2,104 | $3,353 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $185 | $2,845 | $121 | $1,599 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.1 | 6.2 | 7.3 | 9.0 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Ann Arbor publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on time City of Ann Arbor · Dec 18, 2025
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2027 adopted budget is linked from the Financial Reporting page. The adopting resolution is posted on Legistar. City of Ann Arbor · Oct 10, 2026
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Ann Arbor · May 18, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeetings air live on CTN and are online live and on demand. Minutes are posted on Legistar. City of Ann Arbor · May 18, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe Local Officers Compensation Commission's 2025 resolution states the mayor's and council members' salaries for FY2027 and FY2028. City of Ann Arbor · Nov 25, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Police and fire take $34.7 million and $23.0 million of the $170.1 million FY2026-27 general fund. How will the added firefighter positions change overtime costs?
- The pension plan was 97.85% funded on June 30, 2025, and the FY2027 budget pauses extra contributions above the required amount. When will the city resume them?
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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