With a charter adopted on July 1, 1974, the government of Detroit, Michigan, is run by a mayor, the nine-member Detroit City Council, and clerk elected on a nonpartisan ballot. Detroit has a "strong mayoral" system, with the mayor approving departmental appointments. The council approves budgets, but the mayor is not obligated to adhere to any earmarking. The city clerk supervises elections and is formally charged with the maintenance of municipal records. City ordinances and substantially large contracts must be approved by the council. Municipal elections for mayor, city council and city clerk are held every year congruent to 1 modulo 4 (meaning 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009).[1]
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Detroit has consistently supported the Democratic Party in local and national elections since about 1922.
Detroit's courts are all state-administered and elections are nonpartisan. The Circuit and Probate Courts for Wayne County are located in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center (formerly the "City-County Building"). Circuit and probate judges are elected county-wide, with circuit judges handling all cases where more than $25,000 is in dispute, felonies, divorce/custody actions, and matters of general equitable jurisdictions. Probate Court is responsible for estate administration, guardianships, conservatorships and juvenile matters. The divorce/family court docket is run jointly with the Circuit Court.[2]
The 36th District Court, with judges elected city-wide, handles civil disputes where less than $25,000 is in dispute, landlord-tenant matters, misdemeanors, and preliminary examinations of criminal defendants charged with felonies prior to being bound over to circuit court. The 36th District Court incorporated the city's common pleas, traffic court, and misdemeanor prosecutions.[3]
In addition to these trial courts, Detroit hosts the 1st District of the Michigan Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan located in the Theodore Levin Federal Courthouse building in Downtown Detroit.[4]
In addition to property tax, the city levies an income tax of 2.65% on residents, 1.325% on non-residents, and 1.6% on corporations. Revenue is also obtained from utility taxes, hotel excises and from the Detroit-owned Water and Sewer system that provides most of the fresh water and wastewater treatment facilities within the metropolitan area. Detroit has had to fight off legislative efforts to turn control of the system to the suburbs.[5]
The city has experienced some fiscal years of balanced budgets in the new millennium with new growth in business and tourism.[6] The city has planned a reduced workforce and more consolidated operations.[7] In addition, Detroit had asked for pay cuts and other "give backs" from the municipal unions that represent city employees.[8]
City departments include:
Sister cities include:[9]
International border city:
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