How Sault Ste. Marie is run
Who runs Sault Ste. Marie, 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 Sault Ste. Marie's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie has a commission-manager government. Voters elect a mayor to a two-year term and six commissioners to four-year terms, and the commission sets city policy. The city manager, who serves at the commission's pleasure, runs daily operations, oversees city departments and prepares the budget.
What they are paid
- A city car, or an $800 monthly car allowance, at his choice
- City matches his defined contribution retirement savings up to 7% of base salary
- Four weeks of vacation a year, rising to five after one year
- Life insurance of two times annual earnings, up to $200,000
- Up to $3,500 for moving expenses
Sault Ste. Marie city staff
The budget shows wages by department but no staff count. Michigan has no statewide pay database, and we found no pay list by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Sault Ste. Marie 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: $2M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: A 2013 commission policy calls for unrestricted general fund balance of 15% to 20% of the year's operating spending and recurring transfers out, and unassigned balance plus accrued leave of at least 8%. City of Sault Ste. Marie · Dec 19, 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 tax, city operating levy$5.7M · 34%
- Property tax, police and fire pension levy$2.2M · 13%
- State revenue sharing$2M · 12%
- Ambulance billing, after write-offs$1.2M · 7%
- Payments in lieu of taxes from the water and sewer funds$856,700 · 5%
- Dial-A-Ride grants (federal and state)$800,000 · 5%
- Accounting and management charges to other funds$587,500 · 4%
- Aune-Osborn campground$550,000 · 3%
- Other (permits, fees, other grants, rents, interest, marinas, other taxes and transfers)$3M · 18%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (incl. TRIDENT drug task force and auxiliary police)$4.3M · 26%
- General government (commission, manager, finance, clerk, assessor, elections, city hall, attorney)$2.3M · 14%
- Fire$2M · 12%
- Ambulance$1.6M · 9%
- Parks and recreation (incl. campground, Pullar arena, Sault Seal area)$1.5M · 9%
- Public works and engineering$1.3M · 8%
- Dial-A-Ride, DDA and contribution to fund balance$1.2M · 7%
- Other (capital equipment, transfers out, community development, marinas, cemetery, docks, historic homes)$2.4M · 15%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Sault Ste. Marie is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySault Ste. Marie Police DepartmentCity of Sault Ste. Marie
- FireThe citySault Ste. Marie Fire DepartmentCity of Sault Ste. Marie
- Ambulance (EMS)The citySault Ste. Marie Fire and Ambulance DepartmentCity of Sault Ste. Marie
- WaterThe cityCity of Sault Ste. Marie (sewer and water fund)Rates are set each year with the budgetCity of Sault Ste. Marie · Dec 19, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Sault Ste. Marie (sewer and water fund)City of Sault Ste. Marie · Dec 19, 2025
- City streets and snow removalThe cityCity of Sault Ste. Marie Public Services DepartmentCity of Sault Ste. Marie
- Trash and recyclingPrivate companyGFL (Green for Life)Residents request service from GFL; curbside recycling is picked up twice a monthCity of Sault Ste. Marie
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Sault Ste. Marie Parks and Recreation DepartmentMaintains over 30 parks, plus campgrounds, marinas and the Pullar Community BuildingCity of Sault Ste. Marie
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 | NilesMI | WoodhavenMI | Sault Ste MarieMI | OwossoMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 11,665 | 12,503 | 13,083 | 14,437 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $128,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $906 | $1,485 | $1,283 | $851 |
| Debt per resident | $368 | $360 | $1,729 | $2,542 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,436 | $340 | $2,064 | $371 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | — | — |
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 Sault Ste. Marie publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Sault Ste. Marie
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe city manager's employment agreement, signed July 6, 2026, is posted on the City Manager page. City of Sault Ste. Marie
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Sault Ste. Marie
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows wage totals by department. We found no pay list by position on the city's finance pages. City of Sault Ste. Marie
Questions to ask your council
- In FY2025 the general fund took in $1.2 million more than it spent, but $4.3 million in transfers out cut fund balance by $3.0 million. What did the transfers pay for?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $2.0 million on June 30, 2025, against a $16.8 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. When will reserves reach the 15% to 20% the city's policy calls for?
- Debt was $22.6 million on June 30, 2025, mostly for water and sewer, and the city has authorized more water and sewer revenue bonds since. How will repaying them affect water and sewer rates?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presents the recommended budget to the commission by its second meeting in April. The commission holds a public hearing and must adopt the budget before June 1. See who is running for council
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