City Council — Mon Nov 9 · 6:30 PM · City Hall + Zoom, Meeting ID 269 857 2603
City Hall, within reach —
the lake, within sight.
Trash days, meeting links, the budget — one search away. And when the work is done, Oval Beach is ten minutes from your front door.
I need to…
The six errands residents run most. Flip a card — every one turns over.
Trash & Recycling Schedule
Pickup days, holiday changes, and what goes in each cart.
Flip meThe City contracts with Republic Services for trash & recycling. Set up service online or at 1-877-698-7274 — collection calendars for 2026 and 2027 are posted.
Brush & Leaf Pickup
Seasonal dates and set-out rules.
Flip meMonthly DPW pickup with published rules: limbs no bigger than 8″ × 4′, piles no higher than 4 feet, leaves un-bagged — set out no sooner than the Friday before your date.
Forms & Permits
Every city form in one place.
Flip meBuilding permits, zoning, STR licenses, FOIA — named in plain words with the real fee printed on the card. Many now start right here, online.
Meetings & Zoom
In person, or one standing Zoom link.
Flip meCouncil and board meetings, hybrid by default — Meeting ID 269 857 2603, the same link every time.
Water & Sewer
Service lines, connections, KLSWA.
Flip meThe Kalamazoo Lake Sewer & Water Authority runs water and sewer. The City publishes a lead service-line inventory and answers the common questions in a Water Service Line FAQ.
Budget & City Plans
The money documents, current editions.
Flip meThe 2026–2027 Budget, the 2026–2031 Capital Improvements Plan, and the Master Plan Update — named for what they are, not filed under codes.
Nothing on the homepage matches that — try “trash”, “zoom”, or “budget”, or call City Hall at (269) 857-2603 and a person will point you right.
Public meetings, hybrid by default 🏛️
Every public meeting is held in person at City Hall and on Zoom at the same time, posted under Michigan's Open Meetings Act. Agendas, packets, videos and minutes are published for every meeting date.
Documents residents actually open 📂
Current editions, named for what they are. Tap one for a plain-words summary, or open the document itself.
- 2026–2027 Budget City finances · PDF
- 2026–2031 Capital Improvements Plan Projects · PDF
- Master Plan Update Planning
- Tri-Community Parks & Recreation Plan Parks · PDF
- Short-Term Rental Task Force Report Housing · PDF
- FOIA Policy Records · PDF
- Code of Ordinances Records & law
- Schedule of Fees Rev. June 9, 2025 · PDF
- Good Neighbor Guide Short-term rentals · PDF
- Short-Term Rental License Ordinance Housing · PDF
Happening in Saugatuck 📣
Election dates, meeting nights, and the season's rhythms — the town's wall, straight from the City's own pages.
Election Day — November 3, 2026
Polling place for the 2026 elections. Every ballot returned to the Clerk's office by the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. will be counted. Sample ballot and election notices are posted by the Clerk.
Voting information →Historic District Commission
Monthly meeting (1st Thursday). Agendas & packets, video and minutes are published for every date.
Agendas & minutes →City Council
Regular meeting — Council meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays, with a workshop the Wednesday before.
Agendas & packets →Zoning Board of Appeals
Monthly meeting (2nd Thursday) — variances and appeals of zoning interpretations.
Agendas & minutes →Planning Commission
Monthly meeting (3rd Thursday) — site plans, special land uses, and the Master Plan Update.
Agendas & minutes →City Council
Regular meeting (4th Monday). Watch in person, or join from home on the standing Zoom link.
Agendas & packets →2027 Wicks Park Boat Slip Application opens
The 2027 boat slip application becomes available February 2, 2027. Slips lease at $1,900 resident / $2,100 non-resident under the Wicks Park Boat Slip Policy.
Slip policy (PDF) →Music in the Park
The gazebo at Wicks Park hosts the Music in the Park series, featuring popular bands on the riverfront lawn.
About Wicks Park →Oval Beach season
2026 beach passes are available: day pass $15 at the beach, season pass $75, City taxpayer season pass $20 at City Hall.
Beach details →Never miss a date — City eNews Blast
Sign up with your email and the City's news, notices and meeting packets come to you.
Sign up →The Town Map 🗺️
Until now, the only way to know a street was loud — or a lot was full — was to drive there and find out the hard way. Now the town keeps the map. Neighbours rate how loud each part of town is, right now, and every lot shows how it's filling before you leave the house. Reports stick around: the map remembers between visits.
Downtown · Butler Street
Tap any spot on the map, then tell it like it is.
What's making the noise?
How loud is it there right now?
Pick a lot on the map
Every public lot in town — 1,868 spaces in all, counted in the City's 2026 Parking Study.
—
There now? Call it:
📣 Latest word around town
Reports are saved on this device — come back tomorrow and the map still knows.
City Forms — Apply Online 🗂️
The City Hall counter, online. Pick what you need, answer the same questions the paper form asks, attach your documents, and send it in — every fee below is the City's published fee.
Short-Term Rental License
Rent your home for under 31 days — annual license + fire inspection.
STR License Renewal
Renew before your license expires — due 30 days ahead.
Business License
Annual license for businesses operating in the City.
Building Permit
Building, electrical, plumbing & mechanical — via Michigan Township Services.
Zoning Permit
Decks, patios, sheds, pools, fences, new dwellings.
Sign Permit
A new or changed sign for your business or home.
Site Plan Review
Planning Commission review of a development site plan.
ZBA Application
Variance, appeal, or interpretation from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Tree Removal Permit
Permit to remove a tree; new-tree permits are $25.
Garage Sale Permit
Permit for a residential garage sale — limit two per year.
Hawker / Peddler Permit
Sell door-to-door or as a street vendor, by the day.
Coghlin Park Gazebo Rental
Rent the gazebo for a wedding or private event.
FOIA Records Request
Request public records under Michigan's FOIA, PA 442 of 1976.
Serve on a Board
Apply for a seat on a city board, commission or committee.
Every city form — assessing, waterfront, right-of-way, special events and more — is in the A–Z index below, and the full list with the City's official PDFs is on the Forms page.
Come see for yourself
A working town that happens to sit on one of the best beaches on Earth. Flick through the cards — each one flips.
Oval Beach
Soft sand, big water, the sunset everyone photographs.
Flip meOval Beach
One of the Top 25 beaches in the world (Condé Nast Traveler) at 690 Perryman Street. Season: Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend, 8 AM – 10 PM. Day pass $15 · Season $75 · Taxpayer season $20. Swim at your own risk — no lifeguards.
Mt. Baldhead & the Dunes
303 steps up. The view pays for every one.
Flip meMt. Baldhead & the Dunes
303 wooden steps climb 250 feet through a 100-acre dune to an observation deck — the harbor, the Kalamazoo River, and Lake Michigan in a single eyeful. Park closes at 10 PM; no dogs.
Art Coast Galleries
A working art colony, not a gift shop with paintings.
Flip meArt Coast Galleries
Saugatuck is the Art Coast of Michigan — studios and galleries that have drawn painters here for over a century, all walkable downtown.
The Chain Ferry
Hand-cranked across the river — since 1857.
Flip meThe Chain Ferry
The Diane, est. 1857 — the only hand-cranked chain ferry of its kind left in the United States, departing each dock every 10–15 minutes. $3 for ages 11+, $1 for 10 and under, free for 2 and under. 528 Water Street.
Drag or swipe the row → the town keeps going.
Departments & Staff
Small staff, real people. Call (269) 857-2603 and you'll reach one of these desks — or write to them directly.
Ryan Cummins
City Manager
(269) 224-9443
rcummins@saugatuckcity.com
Chief Administrative Officer — day-to-day operations, budget, personnel, contracts.
Jamie Wolters
City Clerk · FOIA Coordinator
(269) 558-9495
jwolters@saugatuckcity.com
Elections, official records, FOIA requests. Free notary services for City residents.
Sara Williams
Deputy Clerk · Administrative Assistant
(269) 224-9507
sara@saugatuckcity.com
Meetings and elections support, payments, permit processing.
Nicole Bredeweg
City Treasurer
(269) 224-9503
nicole@saugatuckcity.com
Treasury, accounting, financial reporting, tax payments.
Mark Ondersma
Director of Public Works
(269) 857-4137
mondersma@saugatuckcity.com
Streets, sidewalks, parks, waterfront, utilities, capital projects. DPW office: 3338 Blue Star Hwy · (269) 857-2638.
Adam Kerridge
Public Works Supervisor
(269) 455-1450
adam@saugatuckcity.com
Field operations for the Department of Public Works.
Michelle Gibson
Public Works Admin / Project Coordinator
(269) 224-9504
mgibson@saugatuckcity.com
Customer service, scheduling, budgeting and project coordination at DPW.
Grayson Moore
Director of Planning & Zoning
(269) 237-1823
gmoore@saugatuckcity.com
Zoning administration, planning and Historic District processes, code enforcement.
Anthony Meyaard, MMAO
City Assessor · Assessing Solutions Inc.
(269) 224-9505
assessor@saugatuckcity.com
With Don Jollay, Deputy Assessor. Office hours 2nd & 4th Thursday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
Dan Poll
Building Official · Michigan Township Services
Building, electrical, plumbing & mechanical permits and inspections. 111 Grand Street, Allegan · Mon–Fri 8 AM – 12 PM & 1 – 5 PM.
Law Enforcement
Allegan County Sheriff's Department
Non-Emergency (269) 673-3899
Emergency 911
Dedicated officers provided by the Allegan County Sheriff's Department.
Fire Department
Saugatuck Township Fire District
Emergency 911
saugatuckfire.org
Fire protection and STR inspections are handled by the Fire District.
Text City Hall 💬
No app. No account. No digging through a website at the beach. If you can send a text, you can ask this town a question — when the next meeting is, what a beach pass costs, whether the lot is full. Try it right here:
Get town texts 📱
The other direction matters too. Sign up once and the town can reach you — before the meeting, before the lot fills, before the brush truck passes your street.
- Meeting reminders — the day before, with the Zoom link
- Beach & parking alerts — on the busy days, before you drive over
- Town notices — road work, brush pickup, elections, emergencies
Everything A–Z
Every page on the City's site — nothing left behind. Search above filters this list too.
City Hall & Government
- Calendar
- City Charter
- Code of Ordinances
- Unpublished Ordinances
- Employment
- Floodplain Information
- Harbor Management
- History of City Hall
- Invasive Species / Deer Resistant Plantings
- Short-Term Rentals
- Social District
- Trash & Recycling
- FOIA — Freedom of Information
- Contact the City
- Website Feedback
- eNews Sign-Up
Departments
Boards & Committees
- Board of Review
- City Council
- Eurasian Water Milfoil Study Group
- Fire District Board
- Historic District Commission
- Interurban Board of Directors
- Kalamazoo Lake Harbor Authority
- Kalamazoo Lake Sewer & Water Authority
- Library Board of Trustees
- Parking Improvements Task Force
- Parks and Public Works Committee
- Planning Commission
- Short-Term Rental Task Force
- Tri-Community Non-Motorized Trail Study Committee
- Tri-Community Recycling Ad-Hoc Committee
- Tri-Community Wildlife Committee
- Zoning Board of Appeals
- Minutes & Meeting Info
- Apply for Boards & Commissions