Photo: PeRshGo · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Van Buren Township run?
Van Buren Township’s town government spent $46.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,544 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Van Buren Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Van Buren Public Schools
Van Buren Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Belleville, Sumpter Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,515 per pupil, $9,742 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.
Lincoln Consolidated School District · $17,279 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,544 per resident a year, or $4.23 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$767 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Van Buren Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($767 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 24 Michigan towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $798, and the middle half spent $545–$1,023. Van Buren Township spent less than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.6 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 towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Van Buren Township itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 114% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Van Buren Township 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: $767 · 2024: $1,544. Per resident it went from $767 to $1,544 (up 101%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 28,425 to 30,173.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,559 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.32% 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 Van Buren Township’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 Van Buren Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Van Buren Township →
Who’s in charge in Van Buren Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Van Buren Township’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on vbtmi.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 256 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (30,173).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
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 Van Buren Township voted in 2024
Official results for Van Buren Township’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat61.2%10,854 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican36.8%6,523 votesOthers: 2.0% (358 votes).
Most votes in Van Buren Township: Kamala D Harris
Wayne County: Harris 62.7%, Trump 33.7% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
of Van Buren Township’s 24,158 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat61.9%
Mike RogersRepublican34.8%Most votes in Van Buren Township: Elissa Slotkin
Wayne County: Slotkin 63.4%, Rogers 31.9% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%
Most votes in the district: Debbie Dingell
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Van Buren Township, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren Township | 61.2% | 36.8% | 2.0% | 17,735 |
| Wayne County | 62.7% | 33.7% | 3.6% | 856,690 |
| 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 Van Buren Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: vbtmi.gov ↗
- 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 Van Buren Township compares with the towns next door
Van Buren Township spent $767 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $576 to $1,935. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Ypsilanti Township | $576 | $3,678 |
| Canton Township | $899 | $5,236 |
| Sumpter Township | $913 | $3,225 |
| Romulus | $1,935 | $2,744 |
| Van Buren Township | $767 | $3,559 |
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 Van Buren Township’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Van Buren Township’s government
How much does Van Buren Township spend per resident?
About $1,544 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $767 was less than 54% of 24 Michigan towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Van Buren Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,559 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see vbtmi.gov.
Who runs Van Buren Township’s government?
See vbtmi.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Van Buren Township yet.
How did Van Buren Township vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 61.2%, Donald J Trump 36.8% (17,735 votes, official results). Wayne County: Harris 62.7%, Trump 33.7%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.
How many people work for Van Buren Township?
118 full-time and 31 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $798,140 (about $9.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Van Buren Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Darrin Camilleri) and State House District 31 (Reggie Miller). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Van Buren Township’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 →