Whether you want to brush up on your civic knowledge or engage more with the Oakland County government, our comprehensive compilation can deepen your understanding of elected officials, departments, committees and more.
Like the state and the country, Oakland County operates under an executive-legislative-judicial form of government. An executive and a 19-member board of commissioners govern the county together. Each is elected by residents to represent them for four years, a single term in office.
Other elected county officials include:
- Clerk and Register of Deeds (Lisa Brown)
- Prosecutor (Karen D. McDonald)
- Sheriff (Michael J. Bouchard)
- Treasurer (Robert Wittenberg)
- Water Resources Commissioner (Jim Nash)
While the executive (David Coulter) serves the entire county, the commissioners each support their own district. The county is divided into 19 equally populated districts, each representing approximately 63,000 residents. Cities, villages and townships can be split between districts. For example, Rochester Hills is shared by districts 4 and 6. These districts don’t match the city, village or township districts or the U.S. congressional districts. For example, in Pontiac (ZIP code 48340), the county district is 9, city district is 5 and U.S. congressional district is 11.
The easiest way to find your county district and commissioner is to type your address into our interactive map.
Responsibilities of the Executive vs. the Board
The Oakland County executive has authority similar to the U.S. president’s, with responsibilities that include:
- Proposing and managing the county budget and finances
- Coordinating county activities
- Managing county projects and services
- Appointing county executive deputies, officers and directors of departments, offices and divisions that include:
- Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center
- Aviation
- Children’s Village
- Circuit Court
- Community Corrections
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Economic Development
- Equalization
- Facilities Management
- Fiscal Services
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Management and Budget
- Medical Examiner
- Neighborhood and Housing Development
- Older Adult Services
- Probation
- Public Communications
- Purchasing
- Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives
- Sustainability
The Oakland County Board of Commissioners is like the U.S. Congress, with responsibilities that include:
- Establishing and creating county policies
- Establishing the annual county property tax millage rate
- Adopting county ordinances and rules
- Adopting the annual county budget and long-range capital improvement program
- Adopting the county development plan
- Adopting and enforcing rules establishing the authority, duties and responsibilities of county departments, offices and divisions
- Operating four standing county committees:
- Economic Development and Infrastructure
- Finance
- Legislative Affairs and Government Operations
- Public Health and Safety
- Interviewing and appointing residents to serve on county boards, committees and commissions
The Executive and Board Work Together
Oakland County’s executive and Board of Commissioners work together to formulate, budget and implement special projects benefiting residents that include:
Share Your Voice
Alongside voting, Oakland County residents have opportunities for involvement that include:
- Serving on a county board, committee or commission
- Addressing the county Board of Commissioners during the public comment portion of a full board meeting or one of the four standing committee meetings or watching a live feed or recording on YouTube
- Volunteering with the county Parks and Recreation Department, Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center, Children’s Village or Circuit Court
- Applying for a county job or internship
Getting involved in the local government can seem overwhelming at first. But once you start, it can take you far in making a positive impact on your community.
By the Numbers
3: The number of executives Oakland County has had
19: The number of current Oakland County commissioners
63: The number of cities, villages and townships in Oakland County
1819: The year Oakland County was founded by Michigan Territorial Governor Lewis Cass
1,288,337: The number of Oakland County residents estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau
Follow along with Oakland County on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube using #OaklandCounty, or visit our website for news and events year-round.