Kalamazoo’s City Government
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.
Written by Kris Rzepczynski, Kalamazoo Public Library Staff, 1998. Last updated August 2020.
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
Local History Room Subject File
Kalamazoo (Govt.) and its subdivisions
Websites