Your Kentwood City Government

1
Your Kentwood City Government

• Mayor Richard Root

2
Where is Kentwood?
3
Local Government in Michigan

• Michigan Law defines 4 types of local government
  
• County (example Kent)
• Township (example Gaines)
• Village (example Caledonia)
• City (example Grand Rapids)
• Which one is Kentwood?

4
About Kentwood

• Originally known as Paris Township (1839)
• Adopted City Charter in 1967
• What is a Charter?
• The charter is a document that describes the
  powers and duties of all city officials. It
  defines how meetings will be conducted, how laws
  are made, what officials are elected and their
  terms, and how city finances and taxes are
  administered.
• Strong Mayor form of government
• Kentwood is unique because we have a
  Mayor-Manager (strong Mayor) form of government.
  That means our mayor is also responsible for
  running the citys daily operation. Most cities
  in Michigan have an elected mayor and an
  appointed city manager (Grand Rapids, Walker,
  Grandville, Wyoming, Lansing, Detroit)

5
Q. Whats an Official?
A. Someone who serves in a public capacity.

• Appointed Official- is one selected by the city
  commission. The city has many committees that
  need community members appointed to them. These
  include Parks Recreation, Planning, Historic
  Preservation, Library, Economic Development, etc.
  
• The city commission can also appoint an official
  to fill an un-expired term of an elected official.

• Elected Official - is one selected by the voters
  at an election. Elected offices in Kentwood
  include the Mayor, City Commissioners (6),
  Treasurer, Clerk and Judge.

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Organization
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Elections
Dan Kasunic City Clerk

• The clerk is responsible for administering the
  election process in the city.
• Who can vote? ANYONE who is 18 years old, and is
  a registered voter.
• On election day, voters go to the polling booths
  in their precinct and use a ballot to place a
  vote.

8
Police Department

• Crime Prevention
• Traffic Services
• Detective Bureau
• Neighborhood Relations

9
Kentwood Fire Department

• Fire Prevention
• Fire Suppression
• Emergency Medical Services
• Public Education
• Emergency Management
• Hazardous Materials Response
• Technical Rescue

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Public Works

• Municipal Water and Sewer
• Road Maintenance
• Snow Plowing
• Grass Mowing and Maintaining
• Vehicle Maintenance
• Building and Grounds Maintenance
• Parks Maintenance

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Kentwood Parks Recreation

• 15 parks
• Programming
• Rec Center
• Basketball
• Tennis
• Disc Golf
• Splash Pads
• Trails

12
Land Use

• Land use is the
• practice of planning where how things are
• placed along with size and height.
• The Planning Commission is typically charged with
  formulating the Master Plan to guide growth in a
  logical manner.

13
Kentwood, Michigan

• Census - every 10 years the Federal Government
  takes an official count of everyone who is living
  in the United States.
• 2000 Kentwood Census Data
• Kentwood population - 45,255
• Under 25 years of age - 23,648
• 78.2 were born in Michigan
• 2,386 speak a language other than English
• Housing Units - 19,507
• Size - 21.04 miles

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Commission Meetings

• Kentwood City Commission meets the 1st and 3rd
  Tuesday of each month at 730pm at the Kentwood
  City Center, 4900 Breton Rd
• Agenda an outline showing what topics will be
  discussed at a meeting
• Public Hearing the time during the meeting
  where anyone can speak to a specific item on the
  agenda.

15
Taxes and Revenues

• Where does the money come from?
• Taxes - anyone who owns property in the city of
  Kentwood pays taxes. Taxes pay for city staff and
  services.
• Permits
• Fees
• Fines