How Battle Creek is run
Who runs Battle Creek, 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 Battle Creek's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Battle Creek
Battle Creek has a commission-manager government. The nine-member City Commission, a mayor elected citywide, five ward commissioners and three at-large commissioners, passes ordinances, adopts the budget and hires the city manager and city attorney. The city manager runs day-to-day operations and appoints department heads.
What they are paid
- City pays 10% of base salary into a 457 retirement savings plan
- $500 a month car allowance
- Severance of six months' salary plus one month per full year of service, up to 12 months, if fired without cause
- Member of the city's Employee Retirement System
Battle Creek city staff
535 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 130, Fire 76. 2025-06-30. City of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 2025
The city posts its union contracts, which set wages for each employee group. We found no list of individual employees' pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Battle Creek 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 against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $12.5M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance at no less than 17% of current-year budgeted operating revenue. At June 30, 2025, it was 21.2%, so the policy was met. The city meets this target. City of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 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
- Income tax (net of refunds)$23.4M · 36%
- Property taxes$21.2M · 33%
- State revenue sharing$7.1M · 11%
- Recreation fees$2.8M · 4%
- Police department revenue$2.7M · 4%
- Transfer from the Local Development Finance Authority$1.5M · 2%
- Streets reimbursements$1.2M · 2%
- Other (fees, interest, PILOTs and other revenue)$5.2M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$27.1M · 41%
- Fire$17.2M · 26%
- Recreation$3.9M · 6%
- Streets$3.9M · 6%
- City manager's office$2M · 3%
- Community services$1.7M · 3%
- Finance$1.4M · 2%
- Other (attorney, elections, city hall, assessor and other activities)$8.5M · 13%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Michigan homesteads are exempt from 18 mills of school operating tax, so rentals and businesses pay 69.267 mills. About two-thirds of the city's taxable value is in Battle Creek Public Schools; four other districts overlap the city at similar rates.
31¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Battle Creek
- City of Battle Creek15.665 · 31%
- Calhoun County10.3006 · 20%
- Battle Creek Public Schools7.5 · 15%
- Calhoun ISD6.1919 · 12%
- State education tax6 · 12%
- Kellogg Community College3.6109 · 7%
- Willard Public Library1.9986 · 4%
- Total (mills)51.267
FY2024-25 rates for a homestead in Battle Creek Public Schools (Calhoun County). City of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 2025
See what a Battle Creek home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Battle Creek is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBattle Creek Police DepartmentCity of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 2025
- FireThe cityBattle Creek Fire DepartmentCity of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Battle CreekCity of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 2025
- Trash collectionContractorRepublic Services, under contract with the cityThe current contract was first approved on December 15, 2020.City of Battle Creek · Jun 2, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Battle CreekCity of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 2025
- AirportThe cityCity of Battle Creek (W.K. Kellogg Airport)City of Battle Creek · Dec 22, 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 | MidlandMI | SaginawMI | Battle CreekMI | WyomingMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 42,806 | 42,863 | 52,021 | 78,588 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $178,039 | $190,000 | $221,835 |
| Council member pay | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $11,193 |
| General fund per resident | $1,523 | $1,077 | $1,263 | $558 |
| Debt per resident | $738 | $890 | $924 | $976 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,094 | $3,234 | $2,166 | $185 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 8.4 | 9.7 | 10.3 | 5.1 |
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 Battle Creek publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Battle Creek · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe city manager's employment agreement is in the September 2, 2025 commission agenda packet. City of Battle Creek · Sep 2, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Battle Creek · Sep 2, 2025
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe Local Officers Compensation Commission's 2025 report states pay per meeting attended for the mayor and commissioners. City of Battle Creek · Aug 19, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay publishedUnion contracts for each employee group are posted, and they set wages. We found no list of individual employees' pay. City of Battle Creek · Oct 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The combined net pension liability was $112.7 million, and the MERS plan was 58.38% funded. What is the plan to raise that funding level?
- Police ($27.1 million) and fire ($17.2 million) make up most of the $65.7 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. How will the city pay for future public safety wage increases?
- The city issued $26.9 million of general obligation bonds in September 2025, after reporting $48.1 million of debt on June 30, 2025. How will the new debt payments fit in the general fund?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presented the proposed budget at a commission workshop on May 7, 2026. The public hearing was set for May 19, 2026, and the commission adopted the FY2026-27 budget and millage rates on June 2, 2026. See who is running for council
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