Government

The City of Cadillac was incorporated as a city in 1877, after its settlement as a logging community. It was named after Antoine De La Monthe Cadillac, a Frenchman who is responsible for the first permanent settlement at Detroit in 1701. The City of Cadillac is governed by its City Council, which is composed of four council members and one mayor. All members have equal authority. Council members are elected by ward and serve four-year terms. The mayor is elected at large and serves a two-year term. Neither position is term-limited. The City Council exercises all power conferred upon or possessed by the City through adoption of laws, ordinances, and resolutions except as limited by the City Charter or state law. The City Council meets the first and third Mondays of the month at the Cadillac Municipal Complex, 200 N. Lake Street, Cadillac Michigan 49601. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.

Day to day operations are directed by the City Manager, who is appointed the chief administrative officer by the City Council. The City Manager is responsible for the administration of all City departments, which in total include 84 full time employees and for the enforcement of all laws, provisions of the City charter, and acts by City Council. The City Manager is also responsible for making reports and recommendations to the City Council. The City Manager's Office also includes an Assistant City Manager and Executive Secretary. The Assistant City Manager is responsible for Human Resources, Community Development, and special projects/committees, including the Downtown Development Authority. The City Manager's office is located at the Cadillac Municipal Complex and can be reached at (231) 775-0181.

The Finance Department is comprised of the Director of Finance, City Accountant, City Clerk/Treasurer, Deputy City Clerk/Treasurer, Payroll Clerk, and Cashier. The Finance Department is responsible for all accounting and finance related functions. This responsibility is discharged in accordance with Federal and State regulations, the City Charter, Ordinances enacted by the City Council, directives from the City Manager, and is consistent with Governmental Accounting and Financial Standards established by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.

The Police Department is comprised of a Director of Public Safety, Captain, Detective Lieutenant, four Sergeants, ten Police Officers, one Code Enforcement Officer and two Clerks. The mission of the Cadillac Police Department is to provide the highest quality service and protection to the community by empowering its members and community residents to work together to enhance quality of life while protecting the rights and dignity of all persons.

The Fire Department is comprised of a Director of Public Safety (who also oversees the police department), Fire Marshal, Captain, two lieutenants, seven full-time fire fighters and 17 on-call, part-time fire fighters.

The Utilities Department, headed by the Director of Utilities, consists of 21 employees within four divisions, which include Administration, Distribution and Collection (water), Water Resources (wastewater) and Laboratory Services. Administration is located within the City Municipal Complex. Responsibilities of the Distribution and Collection Division include operations of the public water supply, water distribution system, and sanitary and storm water sewer collection system. The Water Resource Division operates Cadillac's advanced wastewater treatment plant and the Local Development Finance Authority's groundwater cleanup system. Laboratory Services provides analytical testing to support departmental needs as well as contracts with other municipalities for specialized testing.

The Public Works Department, headed by the Director of Public Works, consists of 14 employees within four divisions, which include Streets, Forestry, Parks and Cemetery. In total, the Department of Public works is responsible for street repair and maintenance operations, parks and forestry programs, cemetery operations, maintenance of city-owned recreational facilities, repair and maintenance of equipment owned by the Stores and Garage Fund, overseeing the solid waste removal contract, facilities manager of the municipal complex, and risk manager.

The Engineering Department, headed by the City Engineer, consists of five employees within two divisions, which include engineering and planning/zoning/building. The primary responsibility of the City Engineer is to plan, design, inspect, and test all new construction of streets, water mains and sanitary sewer projects throughout the City of Cadillac. The Planning and Zoning Division is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the City's zoning, flood plain ordinances, building codes, and functions as the secretary to the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board. In 1992, the City adopted the Building Officials Code Administration National Housing Maintenance Code as well as the Fire Prevention Code. The City also contracts with a planning consultant and Geographic Information Systems consult via the Engineering Department.