How Grand Rapids is run
Who runs Grand Rapids, 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 Grand Rapids's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Grand Rapids
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
Grand Rapids city staff
1,805 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Total positions in the FY2027 Fiscal Plan, 14 more than the amended FY2026 budget. The audit counted 1,719 full-time equivalents on June 30, 2025. City of Grand Rapids · Jul 1, 2026
The fiscal plan lists every authorized position by department. We found no posted list of individual employees' pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Grand Rapids 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.
The city's own outlook
The FY2027 budget is structurally balanced and does not use fund balance for ongoing operations. The city's forecast shows spending outpacing revenue, with deficits in FY2028 through FY2031, but fund balance stays above the 15% policy level, at 26.91% by FY2031. City of Grand Rapids · Jul 1, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $88.4M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance equal to 15% of expenditures, including transfers out, plus a separate Budget Stabilization Fund goal of 10%. On June 30, 2025, the unassigned balance was $58.3 million above the policy. City of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 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$127M · 62%
- State grants$28.5M · 14%
- Property tax$19.8M · 10%
- Charges for services$17.1M · 8%
- Investment income and rentals$5.2M · 2%
- Fines and forfeitures$2.4M · 1%
- Other (local units, licenses, other financing, federal grants, other)$6.6M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$75.4M · 36%
- Fire$48.3M · 23%
- General administration (incl. subsidies to parks and the 61st District Court)$27.6M · 13%
- Dispatch$8M · 4%
- Street lighting$6.3M · 3%
- Fiscal services$5.1M · 2%
- Other departments$36.2M · 18%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
These are rates for rentals and businesses. A home that is the owner's principal residence may get an 18 mill reduction in the school tax, so homeowners pay less.
17¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Grand Rapids
- Schools (Grand Rapids Public Schools, Kent ISD, Grand Rapids Community College)28.9471 · 56%
- City of Grand Rapids8.9544 · 17%
- Kent County6.231 · 12%
- State education tax6 · 12%
- Transit (Interurban Transit Partnership)1.395 · 3%
- Total (mills)51.5275
2024 tax year rates for non-homestead property in the city of Grand Rapids (Kent County). City of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 2025
See what a Grand Rapids home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Grand Rapids is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityGrand Rapids Police DepartmentCity of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 2025
- FireThe cityGrand Rapids Fire DepartmentCity of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe cityGrand Rapids Police Emergency Communications CenterCity of Grand Rapids · Jul 1, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water systemAlso serves suburban communities.City of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity sewer systemCity of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 2025
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Grand RapidsCity of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Grand RapidsCity of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Grand RapidsCity of Grand Rapids · Dec 15, 2025
- Bus transitAnother agencyInterurban Transit Partnership (The Rapid)City of Grand Rapids · Jul 1, 2026
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 Grand Rapids publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe commission approved a new agreement in November 2024. We found no posted copy on the city website or meeting portal. City of Grand Rapids · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCommission meetings stream live and are archived on the city's YouTube channel. Agendas and minutes are posted online. City of Grand Rapids · Oct 10, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe 2026 vacancy application states a commissioner's annual salary of $35,204. We found no document stating the mayor's pay. City of Grand Rapids · Mar 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The city forecasts general fund deficits from FY2028 through FY2031, with fund balance falling to 26.91% of spending by FY2031. Which costs or revenues would the commission change first?
- Debt rose from $531.8 million to $674.6 million in FY2024-25, mainly for the amphitheater and soccer stadium. How much of the repayment depends on Kent County's lodging tax?
- Police and fire take $75.4 million and $48.3 million of the $206.9 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. How will those costs fit within the forecast deficits?
- The city's two pension plans owed $321.6 million at their latest measurement. What is the plan to raise their 73.95% and 77.21% funded levels?
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