Photo: Lrgjr72 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Pontiac run?
Pontiac’s city government spent $75.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,214 per resident.
What stands out about how Pontiac is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Pontiac City School District
Pontiac’s K–12 school district, shared with Sylvan Lake, Auburn Hills, Lake Angelus. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,507 per pupil, $10,645 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.
About $1,214 per resident a year, or $3.33 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Pontiac yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Pontiac’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported 1% of its 2022 dollars), so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 5% since 2023
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Pontiac reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2023: $1,171 · 2024: $1,214.
full-time in March 2025, up from 106 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,257 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.03% 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 Pontiac’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 Pontiac’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pontiac →
Who’s in charge in Pontiac
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pontiac’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on pontiac.mi.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 418 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 (61,854).
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.
How Pontiac voted in 2024
Official results for Pontiac’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat77.2%16,959 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican21.1%4,632 votesOthers: 1.7% (372 votes).
Most votes in Pontiac: Kamala D Harris
Oakland County: Harris 54.3%, Trump 43.7% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
of Pontiac’s 43,137 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat76.9%
Mike RogersRepublican19.8%Most votes in Pontiac: Elissa Slotkin
Oakland County: Slotkin 54.8%, Rogers 42.7% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%
Most votes in the district: Haley Stevens
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Pontiac, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontiac | 77.2% | 21.1% | 1.7% | 21,963 |
| Oakland County | 54.3% | 43.7% | 1.9% | 772,145 |
| Michigan | 48.3% | 49.7% | 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 Pontiac.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: pontiac.mi.us ↗
- 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 Pontiac compares with the towns next door
Pontiac’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $952 to $3,127 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Waterford Township | $952 | $2,722 |
| Bloomfield Township | $1,834 | $7,902 |
| Auburn Hills | $1,898 | $2,941 |
| Sylvan Lake | $2,065 | $4,947 |
| Lake Angelus | $3,127 | $10,000+ |
| Pontiac | estimate | $1,257 |
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 Pontiac’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pontiac’s government
How much does Pontiac spend per resident?
About $1,214 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Pontiac?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,257 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.03% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see pontiac.mi.us.
Who runs Pontiac’s government?
See pontiac.mi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pontiac yet.
How did Pontiac vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 77.2%, Donald J Trump 21.1% (21,963 votes, official results). Oakland County: Harris 54.3%, Trump 43.7%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.
How many people work for Pontiac?
148 full-time and 40 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $934,011 (about $11.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Pontiac in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Jeremy Moss) and State House District 53 (Brenda Carter). The House district also covers parts of two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pontiac’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 →