Manchester became a city in 2023 — what that changed

If you’re buying in Manchester, here’s something new worth knowing: Manchester only became a city in late 2023. For more than 150 years it was a village. In Michigan, a village always sits inside a township, so village residents get two layers of local government instead of one. Manchester was part of Manchester Township. Things like assessing and tax collection ran through the township. In November 2023, Manchester’s voters approved becoming a city. On November 15, 2023, the City of Manchester was born.

The big change: as a city, Manchester is now independent. It’s no longer part of Manchester Township. The city itself now handles its own assessing, elections, and property-tax collection. There was a short transition, though. Because of how Michigan sets tax dates, the township still sent out one last tax bill for late 2023. The city took over collection in 2024. The same thing happened when nearby Chelsea and Dexter became cities. For a buyer today, it’s a tidier picture than it was for 150 years. One local government — the City of Manchester — handles the tax bill and the assessment that used to route through the township.