How Port Huron is run
Who runs Port Huron, 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 Port Huron's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Port Huron
Port Huron has a council-manager government. The seven-member City Council, a mayor and six members all elected citywide, passes ordinances, adopts the budget and hires the city manager. The city manager runs day-to-day operations and appoints the department heads, including the clerk, treasurer, assessor, attorney, police chief and fire chief.
What they are paid
Port Huron city staff
254 full-time-equivalent positions. 2025-06-30. Filled full-time equivalent positions on June 30, 2025, from the annual report's statistical section, up from 240 in 2020. City of Port Huron · Dec 23, 2025
The city posts its union contracts and employment regulations on its Open Government page. We found no list of individual employees' pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Port Huron 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 budget's own projections show general fund spending above revenue in each of the next three years: $43.3 million of spending against $38.4 million of revenue in FY2027-28, and $43.5 million against $40.5 million in FY2029-30. Those projections include several million dollars a year of capital projects. The budget says it may need further review by the council during the year to either increase revenues or reduce services. City of Port Huron · Apr 27, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $6.9M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: A 2015 council fund balance policy aims to move the general fund's unrestricted fund balance toward 25% of adopted spending. At June 30, 2025, unassigned fund balance equaled 17.8% of general fund spending and transfers. A further $2.3 million is committed for contingencies. City of Port Huron · Dec 23, 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
- Property taxes$12.8M · 29%
- Income tax$10.4M · 24%
- State shared revenue$5.7M · 13%
- Bond proceeds for the tainter gate project$5.3M · 12%
- Charges to other funds$3.8M · 9%
- Charges for services$2.6M · 6%
- Other (permits, grants, fines, investment income, rents, transfers and assigned fund balance)$3.1M · 7%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (police and fire)$22.6M · 52%
- Capital outlay (including the $5.05M tainter gate project)$5.6M · 13%
- General government$5.4M · 12%
- Recreation, parks and culture$5.2M · 12%
- Public works$2.6M · 6%
- Debt service$1.1M · 2%
- Transfers to other funds$794,785 · 2%
- Other (other functions and senior citizen discounts)$485,187 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Michigan homesteads are exempt from the 18-mill school operating tax, so rentals and businesses pay 59.5634 mills. Properties in the Downtown Development Authority also pay an added 1.9874 mills.
40¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Port Huron
- City of Port HuronOperating, public safety, parks and recreation, and streets.16.8217 · 40%
- St. Clair County9.2173 · 22%
- State education tax6 · 14%
- School district (debt)3.62 · 9%
- Intermediate school district (general, special and vocational education)3.4156 · 8%
- Community college1.882 · 5%
- Blue Water Area Transportation Commission0.6068 · 1%
- Total (mills)41.5634
FY2024-25 rates for a homestead in the city of Port Huron (St. Clair County). City of Port Huron · Dec 23, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Port Huron is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPort Huron Police DepartmentCity of Port Huron · Dec 23, 2025
- FireThe cityPort Huron Fire DepartmentCity of Port Huron · Dec 23, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Port HuronCity of Port Huron · Dec 23, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityAlso serves parts of four surrounding communities.City of Port Huron · Dec 23, 2025
- Sewer and wastewaterThe cityCity wastewater utilityCity of Port Huron · Dec 23, 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 | MarquetteMI | Port HuronMI | JacksonMI | Bay CityMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 21,944 | 28,273 | 31,022 | 31,868 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $137,891 | Not confirmed | $185,000 | $165,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $10,403 | $8,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,210 | $1,548 | $1,243 | $908 |
| Debt per resident | $1,438 | $3,394 | $1,398 | $1,010 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,759 | $1,463 | $953 | $743 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.0 | 7.4 | 9.9 |
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 Port Huron 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 Open Government page posts union contracts but no city manager agreement. We found none in 2025-26 council packets. City of Port Huron · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's yes and no votes by name. City of Port Huron · May 26, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city charter sets per-meeting pay for the mayor and council members. City of Port Huron · May 1, 2024
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned fund balance was $6.9 million on June 30, 2025, or 17.8% of general fund spending and transfers, while council policy aims toward 25%. When does the city expect to reach that goal?
- The city's MERS pension plan was 76.23% funded, with a $41.4 million net pension liability, after $52 million of pension bonds in 2020. What is the plan to close the gap?
- The budget projects general fund spending above revenue in FY2027-28 through FY2029-30. Which revenues or services will the council revisit?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The charter requires the city manager to submit the proposed budget by the second regular council meeting in April; it went to the council on April 27, 2026. The council held the public hearing on May 11, 2026, and adopted the FY2026-27 budget and tax rates on May 26, 2026. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Port Huron next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
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?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.