City Budget

2025/26 Budget Invests in Quality of Life Improvements, Public Safety, Infrastructure and Innovation

For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, the City budget totals $320 million. The adopted City millage rate is 17.5323. The City millage rate continues to be lower than most cities in Michigan and is one of the lowest in Macomb County.

The budget funds 554 full-time positions and includes seven additional Public Safety positions. Four Firefighter/EMT positions are included to staff two additional ambulances to address peak demand. Two Police Officers will be assigned to the grant funded Crisis Response and Intervention Team to provide appropriate responses to individuals in crisis. An additional School Resource Officer for Warren Consolidated Schools was also adopted. The City continues to rank lowest amongst our comparable communities at 4.1 full-time employees per 1,000 residents.

Continued Road Improvements

The annual budget continues to prioritize road repair and reconstruction. The 2025/26 budget includes over $12 million in major road work, including:

• Reconstruction of 15 Mile Road from Mound to Maple Lane
• Resurfacing of Dobry Drive
• Repair of the Schoenherr Bridge over the Red Run Drain

Work will also commence on the $10.4 million reimagination of Clinton River Road from Hayes to Canal.

In addition, as a direct result of the renewal of the Safe Streets millage, the adopted budget includes a $6.6 million investment in neighborhood streets that will fund sectional repairs and full reconstructions of 22 neighborhood streets.

Quality of Life and Facility Upgrades

Thanks to the Pathway to Play and Preservation millage approved by the voters in November, the adopted budget includes transformational quality of life projects including the construction of a Pickleball Complex, the development of two new parks and the creation of a trail through the Nature Preserve. Significant sidewalk repair and gap completion is also funded, as well as the increasing of the City’s tree canopy and the creation of a Land Bank for open space preservation.

Significant facility investments are adopted including the renovation of the unused jail facility at the Police Department into a state-of-the-art training facility. A complete renovation of Fire Station #5 will also begin to upgrade and modernize the 35-year-old structure. Both of these projects will be completed using available resources.

Public Safety Innovation

The adopted budget continues to prioritize the planned replacement of Public Safety equipment. Funds will be used to replace 17 Police vehicles and a Fire Engine. Innovation also continues through the implementation of the Drone as a First Responder program, which will improve incident response time and improve Officer and Firefighter safety.

City Administration Statement

The City’s financial position is very strong with healthy reserves equating to over $39 million or 30% of General Fund expenditures. “The adopted budget continues the Sterling Heights tradition of focusing on public safety, infrastructure, quality of life services and innovation. This focus strengthens economic vitality for our businesses and keeps taxes low for residents all while providing best in class services,” said Chief Financial Officer, Jennifer Varney.