The Prettiest Little City in The State of Michigan

Government

Sylvan Lake has been operating under the Council-Manager form of government since the City Charter was adopted by a vote of the people on February 26, 1947. The City Council is the governing body and the City Manager is its administrative agent assigned to carry out the policies determined by Council.

City Council

City Council has five members who are elected by the voters. These elections are non-partisan and each Council member is elected for a three-year term. The Mayor is selected annually by the vote of fellow Council members and serves as chairperson of the Council. The Mayor has no veto power over Council actions and no independent administrative authority.
City Council meets for a regular meeting the second Wednesday of each month in the Sylvan Lake Lutheran Church, 2399 Figa, West Bloomfield, at 7:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend these meetings. Council appreciates all input from residents on all issues. The Council members do not have offices at City Hall, but you may get in touch with any of them by contacting City Hall (248 682-1440) during business hours. Our City Council members are:

Mayor: Paul Hungerman
Mayor Pro-tem: Aron Lorenz
Councilmember Sharon Maurina
Councilmember John Shepp
Councilmember Eric Wiegand

City Manager

Sylvan Lake's City Manager is John Martin. The City Manager is appointed by the Council and carries out all duties as requested by Council, such as seeing that laws and ordinances are enforced, advising Council as to financial conditions of the City, preparing the annual budget and submitting it to Council, supervising all employees in the City, overseeing all operations of the City, and many other duties.

City Clerk

Our City Clerk is Dennise Clippert. The City Clerk's office maintains voting records, registers new voters, and distributes and receives absentee ballots. To be eligible to vote you must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age, a Michigan resident for a minimum of 30 days, and reside in Sylvan Lake. You must be registered at least 30 days prior to the election date to be eligible to vote in that election. You may register to vote at City Hall or the Office of the Secretary of State. We have one precinct, #1, and vote at the DPW Garage, 1820 Inverness. The polls are open on any election day, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. School Elections also take place at the DPW Garage.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission is an advisory group to Council and is composed of six members appointed by the Council, two representatives of City Council and the City Manager. They act as the initial reviewing body on all re-zoning requests and guide residential and commercial developments so that continuity and compatibility of land use will benefit the City. The Planning Commission also advises City Council on possible zoning ordinance changes. The Commission meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Sylvan Lutheran Church 2399 Figa, West Bloomfield (behind LaRosa Market).