Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0Garden City spent less per resident in 2022 than 78% of similar cities
Garden City’s city government spent $46.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,722 per resident.
What stands out about how Garden City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,434 per resident in 2022: less than 78% of them
Garden City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,434 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Michigan cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,682, and the middle half spent $1,488–$2,015. Garden City spent less than 78% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($8.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Michigan cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Garden City itself left out).
About $1,722 per resident a year, or $4.72 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Garden City reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,434 · 2023: $1,445 · 2024: $1,722.
full-time in March 2025, down from 126 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,046 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.80% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Garden City’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Garden City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Garden City →
Who’s in charge in Garden City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Garden City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on gardencitymi.org/department.asp ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 225 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (26,815).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Garden City School District
Garden City’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,825 per pupil, $12,475 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Garden City voted in 2024
Official results for Garden City’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.2%8,157 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.4%6,806 votesOthers: 2.3% (360 votes).
Most votes in Garden City: Donald J Trump
Wayne County: Harris 62.7%, Trump 33.7% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
of Garden City’s 21,034 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Mike RogersRepublican49.2%
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat46.1%Most votes in Garden City: Mike Rogers
Wayne County: Slotkin 63.4%, Rogers 31.9% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%
Most votes in the district: Rashida Tlaib
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Garden City, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City | 53.2% | 44.4% | 2.3% | 15,323 |
| Wayne County | 33.7% | 62.7% | 3.6% | 856,690 |
| Michigan | 49.7% | 48.3% | 2.0% | 5,664,186 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017; Elissa Slotkin: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project); Mike Rogers: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project). All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Garden City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: gardencitymi.org/department.asp ↗
- 2Michigan HouseState representatives
- 3Michigan SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Michigan
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Garden City compares with the towns next door
Garden City spent $1,434 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $2,686. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Westland | $2,686 | $2,751 |
| Garden City | $1,434 | $3,046 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Garden City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Garden City’s government
How much does Garden City spend per resident?
About $1,722 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,434 was less than 78% of 18 Michigan cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Garden City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,046 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.80% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see gardencitymi.org/department.asp.
Who runs Garden City’s government?
See gardencitymi.org/department.asp for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Garden City yet.
How did Garden City vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 53.2%, Kamala D Harris 44.4% (15,323 votes, official results). Wayne County: Harris 62.7%, Trump 33.7%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.
How many people work for Garden City?
119 full-time and 51 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $936,273 (about $11.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Garden City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Dayna Polehanki) and State House District 26 (Dylan Wegela). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Garden City’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →