How Jackson is run
Who runs Jackson, 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 Jackson's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Jackson
Jackson has a council-manager government. The seven-member City Council, a mayor elected citywide and six ward council members, passes ordinances, adopts the budget and hires the city manager, clerk, assessor and attorney. The city manager runs day-to-day operations and appoints department heads.
What they are paid
- $735 a month vehicle stipend for using his own car on city business
- Free parking permit behind City Hall
- Eligible each year from 2025 for the general cost-of-living raises given to non-union employees
Jackson city staff
229 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 60, Fire 33. 2025-06-30. Full-time equivalent employees in 2025, from the annual report's statistical section, up from 191 in 2021. City of Jackson · Dec 16, 2025
The city posts its pay ranges for non-union administrative and supervisory staff by grade in council packets. We found no list of individual employees' pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Jackson 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: $18M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: A 2012 council policy sets a minimum general fund balance of 15%, with a desired level of 30%. At June 30, 2025, unassigned fund balance equaled 54.9% of general fund spending and transfers out. City of Jackson · Dec 16, 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 taxes$11.8M · 31%
- Property taxes$11.6M · 30%
- State revenue sharing$5.7M · 15%
- Planned draw on fund balance$3.9M · 10%
- State grants$1.7M · 4%
- Charges for goods and services$1.5M · 4%
- Contributions from other funds$787,000 · 2%
- Other (investment income, permits, fines, grants and other revenue)$1.6M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$12.9M · 33%
- Fire suppression$7M · 18%
- Public safety, unallocated$2M · 5%
- Economic development$1.7M · 4%
- Parks and facilities maintenance$1.3M · 3%
- Contributions to other funds$1.1M · 3%
- City attorney$946,598 · 2%
- Other (administration, elections, streets lighting, forestry, cemeteries and other activities)$11.7M · 30%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Michigan homesteads are exempt from the 18-mill school operating tax, so rentals and businesses in Jackson Public Schools pay 67.5656 mills. Parts of the city are in three other school districts, and downtown properties also pay a 2-mill DDA levy.
35¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Jackson
- City of JacksonIncludes 8.025 mills for the Act 345 police and fire pension.17.26 · 35%
- Jackson County7.1054 · 14%
- Jackson County ISD8.6614 · 17%
- Jackson Public Schools (debt and recreation)6.697 · 14%
- State education tax6 · 12%
- District library (Jackson County)1.7308 · 3%
- Jackson Community College1.126 · 2%
- Jackson Transit Authority0.985 · 2%
- Total (mills)49.5656
FY2024-25 rates for a homestead in Jackson Public Schools (Jackson County). City of Jackson · Dec 16, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Jackson is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityJackson Police DepartmentCity of Jackson · Dec 16, 2025
- FireThe cityJackson Fire DepartmentCity of Jackson · Dec 16, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of JacksonCity of Jackson · Dec 16, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Jackson · Dec 16, 2025
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity sewer utilityCity of Jackson · Dec 16, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of JacksonIncludes Ella W. Sharp Park.City of Jackson · Dec 16, 2025
- CemeteriesThe cityCity of JacksonCity of Jackson · May 19, 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 | Port HuronMI | JacksonMI | Bay CityMI | MidlandMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 28,273 | 31,022 | 31,868 | 42,806 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $185,000 | $165,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $10,403 | $8,000 | Not current (2023) |
| General fund per resident | $1,548 | $1,243 | $908 | $1,523 |
| Debt per resident | $3,394 | $1,398 | $1,010 | $738 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,463 | $953 | $743 | $2,094 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 9.0 | 7.4 | 9.9 | 8.4 |
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 Jackson publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe adopted budget resolution with revenue and expense summaries is in the May 19, 2026 council packet; past budget books are in the city archive. City of Jackson · May 19, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's yes and no votes by name. City of Jackson · Sep 22, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeetings stream on cable, the city website and YouTube, recordings are posted, and agendas and minutes are online. City of Jackson · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe August 2025 compensation commission resolutions state the yearly salaries of the mayor and council members. City of Jackson · Aug 19, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe pay ordinance for non-union administrative and supervisory staff, with pay ranges by grade, is in council packets. We found no list of individual pay. City of Jackson · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget draws $3.9 million from fund balance, after unassigned fund balance reached $18.0 million on June 30, 2025. How much of that reserve does the council plan to keep?
- The budget counts on $11.8 million of income tax in FY2026-27. What supports that estimate?
- The Employees' Retirement System was 72.50% funded, with a $17.6 million net pension liability. What is the plan to raise that funding level?
- Police ($12.9 million) and fire suppression ($7.0 million) make up about half of the $38.5 million general fund budget. How will the city pay for future public safety wage increases?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager must submit a recommended budget by the first regular council meeting in May. The council held the public hearing on May 5, 2026, and adopted the FY2026-27 budget and tax rates on May 19, 2026. The charter requires adoption by May 31. See who is running for council
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