Updates on the Alma Powell Branch Library can be found on kpl.gov/pow

Kalamazoo’s City Government


Kalamazoo City Hall
Kalamazoo Public Library Photo, Miller Davis Collection MD-501

Commission-Manager Form of Government

In 1836, the Village of Bronson was renamed Kalamazoo. Seven years later it was incorporated as a village. In 1884, the Village of Kalamazoo adopted a charter and was incorporated as a city. The city instated a commission-manager form of government in 1918, one of the first cities in the United States to adopt this style of local government.

City Commission

The City Commission consists of seven members who are elected at-large on a non-partisan basis. City Commissioners are elected to staggered four-year terms, with three Commissioners elected every two years. The Mayor is elected on a separate ticket in each election to serve two-year terms, and the Commission candidate receiving the most votes at EACH election serves as Vice Mayor (this office will change at each election, the Vice Mayor will serve the final two years of their term as Commissioner). The Mayor holds executive power over the Commission, and the Vice Mayor performs mayoral duties in his/her absence. Elections are held in each odd-numbered year.

City Manager

Under the current commission-manager form of government, the commission’s policies are administered by the city manager, who is appointed by and reports to the city commission. The city manager is responsible for the administrative affairs of the city, carrying out policies formulated by the city commission, and preparing the city’s annual budget.

Sources

Books

State and Local Government in Michigan

  • Lewis, Ferris E.
  • Hillsdale Educational Publishers, 1984, especially the chapters on village and city government
  • H 353.9774 L67 1984

City Documents

Charter of the City of Kalamazoo, as amended November 3, 1998

  • City Doc CH 5C48-1998

Local History Room Subject File

Kalamazoo (Govt.) and its subdivisions

Websites

City of Kalamazoo

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