Saginaw River

Bay County is made up of 14 townships and 4 cities. It is home of around 106,000 people, making it the 20th most populace county in the State of Michigan.

The Bay County government consists of a number of elected officials, including the Bay County Executive and the seven-member Bay County Board of Commissioners. The County government is set up under Public Act 139 of 1973. This format provides for an elected County Executive who, as chief administrator, has influence over all departments, except those headed by other elected officials. In that manner, the County Executive appoints and supervises all department heads.

In Michigan, most local government functions - police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. - are the responsibility of individual cities and townships. 

The list below contains links for the elected officials of Bay County.

For a complete list of governmental departments and divisions, see All Departments. You can also review the Bay County Organization Charts for more information on the activities and breakdown of how Bay County operates. The homepage contains the Dashboard and Citizen's Guide, which provides useful information such as demographics and statistics on a variety of subjects.

Bay County is located on the east side of Michigan's lower peninsula, on the shores of the Saginaw Bay. More information on Bay County's history can be viewed here

Bay County's Vision & Mission Statement

Vision

To provide a continuously improving quality of life in our community through leadership and services.


Mission

To efficiently provide customer and tax payer-focused public services that improve the quality of life for Bay County Residents.