City Manager
The city manager is appointed by the city council and is the city’s chief administrative officer. The city manager’s office is responsible for implementing city policy as determined by the city council, providing day-to-day operations and leadership for various city departments, and representing the city to the community and other agencies and groups.
The city manager’s office supervises department heads, and develops and administers employment policies according to statute and contract regulations. It is the responsibility of the city manager’s office to prepare the city’s annual budget. Additionally, the office of the city manager keeps the city council informed on issues, researches and prepares agenda items for city council meetings, and attends all meetings of the Standish City Council.
City Clerk/Treasurer
The city clerk/treasurer serves the city council by recording and indexing minutes of council meetings and handling correspondence needed as a result of official council action. The city clerk/treasurer ‘s office updates codes and ordinances and maintains a legislative history of code changes, and indexes and files all legal documents pertaining to city business. It also administers city licensing functions and publishes all legal notices, unless otherwise provided. Utility bills are also prepared through the office of the city clerk/treasurer.
The clerk/treasurer ‘s office is also responsible for ballot preparation, issuance of absent voter ballots, delivery and setup of voting equipment, training of election board workers, the processing of ballots in compliance with federal and state election laws, and the maintenance of voter registration files. The office administers the collection and distribution of all municipal funds for the city of Standish. The city is the property tax collection agency for various taxing entities (state of Michigan Education Tax, Arenac County, Bay/Arenac Intermediate School District, and Standish-Sterling Public Schools). The city clerk/treasurer’s office oversees the safekeeping and investing of all city of Standish funds.
The city clerk/treasurer’s office is also responsible for the collection of water bills, summer and winter taxes, cemetery services, utility bills, and other miscellaneous permit and rental fees. The clerk/treasurer’s office is involved in city revenue forecasting and budget preparation and management. Additionally, this office works in conjunction with the city’s independent auditors to complete the annual audit and produce the city’s annual financial statements.
City Assessor
The city assessor’s office is charged with the appraisal of all real property and personal property for property tax purposes. The city assessor’s office conducts the March Board of Review for the purpose of allowing the taxpayers of Standish to protest the coming year’s proposed assessments. The city assessor’s office operates under the provisions of the General Property Tax Act of 1896, as amended along with any applicable local charter provisions.
The city assessor’s office is also responsible for land splits and combinations, property transfer affidavits and homestead exemption affidavits, and name and mailing address change.