Government and education are vital to the economic well being and quality of life in Manistee County.

Government

Manistee County has one city, five villages and 15 townships responsible for a variety of government services, in additional to county government. In addition, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians is a sovereign and federally recognized Tribal government within the boundaries of a 70,000 acre reservation along the Manistee River, with government offices in the City of Manistee. Together, these governments provide services to nearly 24,000 permanent county residents, with over 6,500 residing in the City of Manistee.

County governance is provided by a seven-member Board of Commissioners and a County Administrator/Controller. County services include county planning and equalization, brownfield redevelopment, emergency services and “911,” drain management, solid waste management and public safety. An independent County Road Commission manages the County’s public roads, partnering with state a local transportation agencies.

Townships are governed by elected Trustees and an elected Supervisor and Clerk. They oversee township planning and zoning, management of township properties, fire and emergency services and others.

The City of Manistee was founded in 1869. County Villages include Copemish, Bear Lake, East Lake, Onekama and Kaleva.

The City and Villages in Manistee county are governed by independently elected councils. The City and Villages are responsible for sewer and water.

The City of Manistee has a three-year Strategic Plan that was created in 2007 and includes a long-term vision, missions and strategic goals for the City. The vision of the City is to “…be a community of choice on the northwest Michigan coastline with a strong, diversified economy providing opportunities for all…a city whose prosperity continues into the future.”

Education

The Manistee Intermediate School District (ISD) serves over 3,700 students. There are four public school districts, one public academy, two non-public schools and a community college that serve Manistee County. The ISD provides support for the Michigan Curriculum Frameworks; curriculum alignment; teaching and learning standards; professional development; assessment; grant writing; school improvement; gifted and talented programs and a school improvement plan guide.

The County’s five public schools systems include: Bear Lake with 390 students; Kaleva Norman Dickson with 950 students; Manistee with 1,772 students, Onekama with 495 students and CASMAN Academy with 104 students.

West Shore Community College is a public, two-year institution that is based in Scottville, Michigan, just south of the Manistee County border. It offers a complete range of Associate’s degrees. Most recently, the College collaborated with West Shore Medical Center to develop new education and training facilities on the campus of the Medical Center just outside of the City of Manistee which will provide an additional location for Manistee students to access training and post-graduate programs.

Both the Community College and the County’s school districts emphasize practical learning skills and training and support for training and development of the County’s future workforce. The Community College has specialized programs that are tailored to meet the needs of employers