Saginaw County History and General Information

General Information

Saginaw County contains three cities, 27 townships and five incorporated villages. The population of the County, according to the Federal Census of 1990, is 211,946, of which the City of Saginaw has 69,512. Saginaw County has 814 square miles of rich, fertile soil. It is one of the leading producers of sugar beets and beans in the nation. The top employers of Saginaw County include Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems, General Motors PowerTrain Division, St. Mary's Medical Center, Delphi Chassis Systems, Saginaw City School District, Ameritech and the State of Michigan. Saginaw County has 13 Public School Districts and total enrollment in public schools is 38,928. Saginaw County also has a Vocational Training Center called Averill Career Opportunities Center, Delta Community College, Saginaw Valley State University and Great Lakes College. The County is governed by a legislative body consisting of a 15 member Board of Commissioners, each of whom is elected for a term of two years from districts of approximately 14,000 people. The County Controller/Chief Administrative Officer oversees all of the daily activity within the County. Saginaw County employs approximately 750 full-time and part-time personnel and has a 1999 total operating budget of $120,939,203. The 1999 General Fund budget totals $36,338,724.

County Government in Michigan

There are more than 2400 counties, cities, townships, villages, and school districts in Michigan. Each of these has its own governing body elected by the people, and each has some power to collect taxes. This section briefly describes the ways in which counties may be organized and governed in Michigan.

83	Counties
265	Cities
1245	Townships
266	Villages
579	School Districts
29	Community Colleges
2467	Total

Few counties are governed in exactly the same way, because the state is made up of very different counties. The kind of government a county has depends on its history, population, size, and geography. Counties are known as "local governments" because the people of each county decide for themselves, through locally elected officials what services the county will provide. Counties are also known as "general purpose" governments. General purpose means they provide a number of general services to their residents, such as a Court System, Clerk, Prosecutor, Public Works, Register of Deeds, Sheriff, and Treasurer. The State constitution provides a detailed framework for county government, and allows the State legislature to create more general and specific laws for each county. The county is the largest political subdivision of the state. Regardless of the size or kinds of services performed, most counties in the state have the same general form of government, except for three counties (Wayne is a charter county, Oakland and Bay counties have a unified elected manager form of government).

Legislative Branch

The County Board of Commissioners is the governing body exercising legislative and executive functions for the county. Each county is divided into districts with may vary from 3 to 35 based upon the county's population. A Commissioner is elected from each district for a two-year term. Saginaw County has 15 districts and 15 elected Commissioners, each representing about 14,000 people.

Executive Branch

The County Clerk in many counties serves as the clerk of the court and handles much of the administrative work of the Board of Commissioners including the agendas and minutes. The clerk also may make sure that the proposed ordinances are properly advertised and marriage licenses and birth and death certificates are properly issued. The Prosecutor, like the Judges of the courts in which he or she appears, is more of a state official than a local one. This is because the administration of justice is a state function. The prosecutor is the chief law enforcement officer in the county. In many counties, the prosecutor serves as the legal advisor to the Board - drawing up contracts and ordinances in proper legal form, giving legal opinions, and representing the county in lawsuits. In other places, there is a separate official, usually called the county attorney who does the work. The Public Works Commissioner, sometimes called the Drain Commissioner in other counties, operates and repairs all the county drains. The Register of Deeds is the official recordkeeper of all real property transactions in the county. The Sheriff is in charge of the county jail. A sheriff delivers summonses (orders to appear in court). In addition, he is usually in a law enforcement officer. The Treasurer receives, invests, accounts for, and pays out all the county's money. Some counties have full-time Administrators, also known as Controllers, who handle the day-today operations of the county government. Usually, larger counties with complex issues and a wide variety of services need a full-time administrator. The Board of Commissioners in these counties usually focus on setting policy, while staff seek to implement the policy.

Judicial Branch

There are three different types of courts related to county government. All judges are elected to a 6-year term. The Circuit Court is the highest trial court in the state. It is made up of one to four counties, with 1-33 Judges per circuit, depending on the caseload. The court will hear civil cases over $25,000 (effective 1-1-98) and all felony criminal cases. It also hears appeals from lower courts. The District Courts are local courts that serve the population within their district. The number of Judges in each district is based upon the size of its population. It is the first court level for criminal and civil cases. The Probate Courts hear cases involving juvenile delinquents and dependents. They also hear civil cases involving wills and estates. There is usually one Probate Court per county with one or two Judges. Some counties will combine their probate courts and have several judges (Wayne County has 12). Some Counties will appoint a Court Administrator to Circuit, District, and Probate Courts. A court administrator is responsible for supervising the day to day operations of the court. This person also helps monitor the workload of each of the courts.

History

Saginaw County (Formerly Saginaw Township)

For a period extending over four years, between 1831 and 1835, the district known as the County of Saginaw formed a township attached to Oakland County for judicial purposes. The Legislative Council of the Territory ordained that "all that part of the county lying within the limits of the County of Sagana herefore be set off and established as the County of Sagana, be and the same hereby be set off into a separate township and the name thereof shall be Sagana. The first township meeting to be held in such a township shall be held at the fort of the Sagana, on the first Monday in April, which will be the year 1831". This act was approved July 12, 1830 , and came into force in 1831, when Gardner D. Williams was elected supervisor. The name Saginaw is derived from the language of the Chippewa and it means "Land of The Sauks". The entire Saginaw Valley was inhabited by the warlike Sauks. However, around the year 1520, the Chippewas invaded the territory in great force, and in a series of battles the Sauks were virtually annihilated. The bloodiest of these battles was fought on what has since been known as Skull island in the Saginaw River and on a bluff on the Flint River about a mile from the present Village of Flushing.

Saginaw Becomes A County

The boundaries of the County of Saginaw were set by proclamation of Governor Cass on September 10, 1822. These boundaries were subsequently changed by an act of the Legislative Council, approved, March 2, 1831. During 1834, the question of conferring on the township of Saginaw the status of a County was discussed and a resolution of the Council was passed to the effect: "That the County of Saginaw shall be organized when this act takes effect" -- This act of organization was approved January 28, 1835, and put in force the second Monday of February, 1835.