Shelby Township was recognized as a “Best Managed” community for 2025 by Business View Publishing. This prestigious honor highlights the township’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, visionary planning, and community-focused leadership.
According to Business View: “Shelby Township has been awarded one of the best managed communities because its leadership has mastered the balance of fiscal responsibility and visionary growth—holding tax rates steady for over a decade while investing in cutting-edge infrastructure, expanding green spaces, and attracting high-tech industries. This blend of economic strength, community pride, and forward-looking planning makes Shelby Township a model for municipalities nationwide.”
Shelby Township’s designation as a “Best Managed” community for 2025 by Business View Publishing is a national recognition reserved for municipalities that exemplify exceptional leadership, fiscal responsibility, and strategic community growth. Honorees are selected by the magazine’s editorial team based on a qualitative assessment of management excellence, including innovative infrastructure, service delivery, and long-term planning.
This distinction places Shelby Township among a select group of communities nationwide acknowledged for balancing smart governance with visionary growth, highlighting the township’s status as a model of municipal excellence.
A key factor in this recognition is Shelby Township’s local millage rate of 9.2999, which has remained unchanged for decades despite steady population growth and weathering the 2008 economic downturn and property value collapse. This rate is the lowest among all Macomb County communities that provide residents with full-service, full-time police and fire protection.
“This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of our elected officials, staff, and residents,” said Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis. “We operate with two core principles. One is our mission statement, ‘the citizen is why,’ and the other is to meet or exceed the needs of our residents without increasing taxes.
“These two principles guide everything we do. While this distinction proves our strategy works, the most impactful result measures are the smiles we see on our residents’ faces at our parks and events and the feedback we get that they feel safe and secure in our neighborhoods.”
While maintaining these low rates and premier services, the township has continued to make significant investments in public infrastructure without issuing debt or increasing taxes.
In 2012, a new police headquarters opened to support modern public safety operations and was expanded in 2018. Two new fire stations were strategically placed in each quadrant of the township to improve EMS response times for residents.
In 2019, the township opened the 25,000-square-foot Shelby Township Activities Center, which houses the Senior Center, open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and provides recreational opportunities for all ages, including two full-size sports courts in the gymnasium, a feature not available in the previous senior center.
All of these facilities were built, staffed, and opened entirely with cash, avoiding costly bonds or additional debt.
The township’s 9.2999 millage rate also covers operations and programming for Shelby Township’s 1,300 acres of public parks as well as its 26,000-square-foot Shelby Township Library, which opened in 2021 as the township’s first standalone library facility.
Shelby Township’s leadership has focused on smart growth, maintaining stable tax rates, and enhancing quality of life through infrastructure improvements, park expansions, and initiatives that attract new businesses and technology-driven industries. These efforts have helped the township set a benchmark for municipalities across the state and the nation.
View the Business View Publishing article on 2025 Best Managed Community Shelby Township
