How Saginaw is run
Who runs Saginaw, 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 Saginaw's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Saginaw
Saginaw has a council-manager government. Nine council members, elected at large for four-year overlapping terms, adopt ordinances and the budget and set the tax rate. The council appoints the city manager, who runs day-to-day operations and appoints all department heads.
What they are paid
Saginaw city staff
416 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public services 124, Water and wastewater 90, Police 75, Fire 42, Other departments 85. FY2026-27. Full-time positions in the FY2026-27 approved budget, up from 397 in FY2021-22. The budget also funds 56 part-time positions. City of Saginaw · May 18, 2026
The budget lists budgeted pay by job title for each department. We found no list of individual employees' pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Saginaw 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 forecast expects general fund spending to grow about 2% a year while revenue grows 1% a year or less. A 1979 charter cap limits the city's operating property tax to $3.8 million or 7.5 mills, whichever is less. City of Saginaw · May 18, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $10.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: We found no minimum reserve target. The budget policy requires a balanced budget, with revenue and fund balance at least equal to spending. Unassigned balance was 21% of FY2024-25 general fund spending and transfers out. City of Saginaw · Dec 11, 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
- City income tax$18M · 39%
- State revenue sharing$11.1M · 24%
- Property taxes$4.2M · 9%
- Reimbursements$3.8M · 8%
- Grants$3M · 6%
- Licenses, permits and fees$2.4M · 5%
- Charges for services$1.4M · 3%
- Other (interest, fines, rents, other revenue, fund balance, transfers)$2.3M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$18M · 39%
- Fire$10.1M · 22%
- Public services$5.4M · 12%
- General government$4.1M · 9%
- Fiscal services$3.5M · 8%
- Neighborhood services and inspections$2.4M · 5%
- Other general fund$2.7M · 6%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Rates as listed in the city's audit. Michigan homesteads are exempt from up to 18 mills of school operating tax, so most homeowners pay less than the total shown.
19¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Saginaw
- City of Saginaw (operating 6.7368 and police and fire 7.5000)14.2368 · 19%
- Saginaw school district33.1 · 45%
- Saginaw County12.91 · 17%
- Intermediate school district4.6438 · 6%
- Public libraries3.9947 · 5%
- Transit3.2 · 4%
- Delta College2.0563 · 3%
- Total (mills)74.1416
2025 direct and overlapping property tax rates in Saginaw. City of Saginaw · Dec 11, 2025
See what a Saginaw home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Saginaw is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySaginaw Police DepartmentCity of Saginaw · Dec 11, 2025
- FireThe citySaginaw Fire DepartmentCity of Saginaw · Dec 11, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityRaw water from Lake Huron comes through the Saginaw-Midland Municipal Water Supply Corporation, which Saginaw co-owns with Midland.City of Saginaw · Dec 11, 2025
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity sewer utilityCity of Saginaw · Dec 11, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of SaginawCity of Saginaw · Dec 11, 2025
- ParksThe cityCity of SaginawCity of Saginaw · Dec 11, 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 | Bay CityMI | MidlandMI | SaginawMI | Battle CreekMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 31,868 | 42,806 | 42,863 | 52,021 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $165,000 | Not confirmed | $178,039 | $190,000 |
| Council member pay | $8,000 | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $908 | $1,523 | $1,077 | $1,263 |
| Debt per resident | $1,010 | $738 | $890 | $924 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $743 | $2,094 | $3,234 | $2,166 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 9.9 | 8.4 | 9.7 | 10.3 |
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 Saginaw publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 approved budget book and a budget-at-a-glance summary are posted on the budget page. City of Saginaw · Oct 10, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe manager's page gives his appointment dates but no contract. The budget states only the budgeted salary. City of Saginaw · Oct 10, 2026
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Saginaw · May 18, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Saginaw · May 18, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists budgeted pay by job title in each department. No list of individual pay. City of Saginaw · May 18, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- General fund spending exceeded revenue by $561,503 in FY2024-25, and the budget forecast expects spending to grow 2% a year against revenue growth of 1% or less. How will the city close that gap?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $10.6 million on June 30, 2025, 21% of spending, but the city has no stated minimum. What reserve level does the council aim to keep?
- The city's MERS pension plans were 60.63% funded, with a $138.6 million net pension liability. How long will it take to reach full funding?
- The FY2026-27 budget lists $178,039 for the city manager position. Will the city post the manager's employment agreement and benefits?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presented the proposed FY2026-27 budget in April 2026, with a transmittal letter dated April 27, 2026. The council held the public hearing and adopted the budget and tax millage on May 18, 2026. See who is running for council
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