City Hall (269) 857-2603

City Hall

The entire building now houses the offices of the City Manager, Clerk, Treasurer, support staff and Assessor.

Saugatuck's Village Hall, a two-story white clapboard building with green shutters, a columned porch, and flower boxes, under a large tree.
102 Butler Street City Hall Photo: H-Town Native, CC BY-SA 4.0
Open
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Call
(269) 857-2603
Mail to
P.O. Box 86, Saugatuck, MI 49453
Council meets
2nd and 4th Mondays, 6:30 p.m.

If mailing anything be sure to include the post office box.

Offices and Staff

Voting, Public Records, and Boards

City Council

The City of Saugatuck operates under a Council/Manager form of government. The City Council consists of seven members (serving two year terms) including the Mayor and the Mayor Pro-Tem. City Council is responsible for adopting and amending city laws and ordinances, determining city policies and standards, and authorizing the annual city budget. The Council also directs the City Manager who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city and is the chief policy advisor to the Council.

Saugatuck City Council meetings are held at Saugatuck City Hall, 102 Butler Street, Saugatuck, MI 49453 at 6:30 p.m. The Council meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month unless otherwise noted. The Council workshops are held the Wednesday before the Council meeting unless otherwise noted.

Next Meetings

Public meetings will be hybrid; held in-person at City Hall and hosted virtually over Zoom for all who are interested to attend.

Who Serves

The legislative power of the city, except as reserved by this charter, shall be vested in a council consisting of seven (7) councilmen elected at large on a nonpartisan basis. The council shall have the power and authority to adopt such ordinances and resolutions as it shall deem proper in the exercise of its powers.

City Charter, Section 4.1, in the Code of Ordinances

Write to City Council

Communication submitted through this form will go to the City Manager to be included as communication for City Council in a future meeting. Your name, City of Saugatuck residency status and comments will become part of the public record. Contact information will not be shared.

Required

Are you a resident of the City of Saugatuck?

Not sent

Communications are not received online yet. To write to Council today, email the City Manager at rcummins@saugatuckcity.com or leave a letter at City Hall.

Fiscal Year 2026/27

Goals and Priorities

Saugatuck is an inclusive waterfront community that welcomes all. City residents enjoy a great quality of life living in one of the country’s highest-rated tourist destinations.

Saugatuck is a vibrant, inviting community with a talented and dedicated staff, great schools, an active tourist-based economy, stable property values, and sense of history as the community moves into the future.

Residents and visitors enjoy a unique, small-town atmosphere, exceptional parks, and access to beautiful natural resources.

Operations, Public Health & Safety

We will maintain a culture of fiscal responsibility and friendly, honest, and transparent government. We will partner with the Fire District and Sheriff’s office to ensure we take the right measures to keep our community safe.

Infrastructure

We will focus on maintaining and improving current infrastructure while planning and saving for future needs

  • Complete Maple Street construction

    Essential$2,010,000road, stormwater, and sidewalk

  • Complete Elizabeth Street design; begin construction

    Essential$400,000

  • Complete feasibility and plan for Park Street improvements; begin design

    Essential$70,000partly grant funded

  • Renovate City Hall interior

    $35,000design, options, and engineering

  • Make further sidewalk repairs

    $20,000

  • Maintain and resurface roads

  • Finalize plan for lead service line replacement

    Regulatory

  • Update signage and wayfinding

    $130,000park and street signs too

  • Evaluate long-term funding options for CIP/AMP

  • Encourage AT&T cellular antenna installation and other telecommunication improvements from private sector

Parks & Recreation

We understand that our natural resources are the foundation of residents’ quality of life and our tourism economy and will invest to sustain and enhance them.

From the Fiscal Year 2026/27 Goals and Priorities and the City’s 2026–2027 budget presentation; the deer cull's limit is from the City Manager Report, September 16, 2026.

Partners

Police, Fire, Water, and Building

We will partner with the Fire District and Sheriff’s office to ensure we take the right measures to keep our community safe.

Jobs

Work for the City

Qualified applicants may print the Employment Application below or stop by City Hall to request a paper application at 102 Butler Street, Saugatuck, MI 49453 or may call City Hall at 269-857-2603 for more information.

The City of Saugatuck is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or genetic information.

Current Posting

Public Works Equipment Operator and Maintenance Worker

History of City Hall

  1. 1868

    Incorporated as a village

    In 1868, the Village of Saugatuck was incorporated by the Board of Supervisors of Allegan County. An incorporation census counting 831 residents was taken on January 8, 1868 and in 1869-70, the Village was reincorporated by an act of the legislature.

  2. 1871

    Spared from the fires

    On October 9, 1871, Fennville and Holland burned to the ground, the same day as the great fire in Chicago. Saugatuck was spared, leading to a greater awareness of fire fighting. Two hundred pails were purchased and distributed around town.

  3. 1880

    Fire hall built on Butler Street

    Impetus for the construction of a new fire house, council chamber, hall and lock up on Butler Street came on July 7, 1879 when it was determined that the old fire house was too small to accommodate the fire equipment. The fire house committee decided to begin construction which was almost completed in 1880 at a cost of $824.33.

  4. 1926

    Redesigned by Carl Hoerman

    The building was redesigned and renovated in 1926 by noted local artist Carl Hoerman, who created a new entryway with the distinctive pillars that we see today. The bell was replaced by a siren and the ball rope which always hung at the entrance, disappeared forever.

  5. 1929

    Basement added

    In 1929, a basement was dug and the jail moved downstairs. Remains and burial articles from a Native American cemetery were excavated in the process of this work. (The early settlers had also buried their dead here until Riverside Cemetery was created in the 1860's.)

    A black-and-white photograph of the two-story clapboard Village Hall in 1929, with its bell cupola, double doors, and bare trees, captioned by hand “Saugatuck Village Hall 1929.”
    Village Hall 1929 Photo: Saugatuck-Douglas History Center

  6. 1931

    Art gallery in the council chamber

    The Saugatuck Art Association opened an art gallery in the council chamber in 1931 highlighting Saugatuck’s long time contribution to the arts. The City Council continues to honor the talents of many artists by displaying and rotating works of art throughout the chambers of the City Council.

  7. 1984

    Saugatuck becomes a city

    Saugatuck became a City in the summer of 1984.

  8. 1989

    Interior redesigned

    In 1988 local architect Richard Rudich was hired to redesign the interior. Modern offices for the Clerk, Treasurer, Police, Mayor and City Manager were provided. The work was completed in the spring of 1989 at a cost of $175,125.00.

  9. 1990

    Listed on the State Register

    On July 19, 1990, the building was listed on the Michigan’s State Register of Historic Sites completing 110 years of continuous use.

Village Presidents and Mayors

Village presidents, 1868 to 1984 48 names
  1. Horace D. Moore 1868–1869
  2. John B. Bacon 1870
  3. Stephen A. Morrison 1871
  4. Randolph Densmore 1872
  5. Isaac Wilson 1873–1874
  6. Daniel L. Barber 1875–1876
  7. Lintsford B. Coates 1877
  8. Horace D. Moore 1878
  9. Alfred B. Taylor 1879
  10. James G. Williams 1880
  11. Wallace B. Griffith 1881
  12. James G. Williams 1882
  13. Daniel L. Barber 1883
  14. Frank A. Winslow 1884–1885
  15. John F. Henry 1886–1892
  16. James M. Pond Nov., 1892
  17. Fred Wade 1893–1896
  18. Samuel Reed 1897–1898
  19. Fred Wade 1899
  20. John H. Pear 1900–1901
  21. John Koning 1902
  22. John H. Pear 1903–1904
  23. Henry Bird, Jr. 1905–1906
  24. Waterman G. Phelps 1907–1910
  25. William R. Takken 1911–1912
  26. Frank J. Comstock 1913–1914
  27. Clarence Wade 1915–1916
  28. William Allen 1917
  29. Clarence Wade 1918
  30. Waterman G. Phelps 1919–1920
  31. Clarence Wade 1921
  32. Joseph Zwemer 1922
  33. Clarence A. Lynds 1923
  34. Herman E. Kreager 1924–1933
  35. Clarence A. Lynds 1934–1935
  36. Frank W. Sewers 1936–1938
  37. Frank. J. Comstock 1939
  38. Francis E. Force 1940–1942
  39. Clarence A. Lynds 1943–1949
  40. Frank Wicks 1950–1951
  41. George W. Wright 1952–1955
  42. Roscoe Funk 1955–1956
  43. Richard Hoffman 1957–1960
  44. Lynn McCray 1961–1970
  45. Julius VanOss 1971–1973
  46. James Christenson 1974–1977
  47. DeForest Doerner 1978–1983
  48. Wayne Entsminger June, 1984
Mayors since 1984 22 names
  1. Gerald O’Connell 1984–1985
  2. Margaret Sanford 1985–1987
  3. Robert Berger 1987–1989
  4. David Mocini 1990–1992
  5. Richard Crawford 1993–1994
  6. Charles Rickett 1995–1996
  7. Mark Bekken 1997–1998
  8. Russell Gardner 1999–2000
  9. Jeff Spangler 2001
  10. Henry Van Singel 2002–2004
  11. Catherine Simon 2004–2006
  12. Tony Vettori 2006–2008
  13. Barry E. Johnson 2008–2010
  14. Jane Verplank 2010–2012
  15. William Hess 2012–2015
  16. Chris Peterson 2015–2017
  17. Ken Trester 2017–2020
  18. Mark Bekken 2020–2021
  19. Garnet Lewis 2021–2022
  20. Scott Dean 2022–2023
  21. Lauren Stanton 2023–2024
  22. Holly Anderson since 2024