Hello and welcome to the website
of the City of St. Johns!

Also, more importantly, welcome to our city and all it has to offer.  Comfortably nestled in the heart of mid-Michigan, it’s the people that make the difference in our community.

St. Johns is a welcoming community that’s blessed with people who invest their time and energy to help one another and make our community a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family. It may have a small-town atmosphere but it’s rich with ideas and energy and the sense of a greater community.

In town you’ll find many tree-lined streets, well-planned subdivisions, and a revitalizing downtown.  You’ll also find lots of recreational activities, including a segment of the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail, parks with playgrounds, and a recently added splash pad.  Residents benefit from great schools, a seasonal farmers’ market featuring local vendors, parks with playgrounds, and several festivals held throughout the year.  We’re pleased to host a district library, a hospital, and countywide transit system…and you get the picture.

Strategically located between Lansing/East Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Flint, residents have the best of both worlds because of easy access to their museums, hospitals, arenas, ballparks and other attractions as well.

But being a “small town” has its distinct benefits.  St. Johns is a low-crime community with safe neighborhoods.  We operate a well-trained and dependable volunteer fire department, have a dedicated police force, and are also home to a countywide ambulance authority.

If you’re an entrepreneur, we host many features that may be of appeal, including a Michigan-certified industrial park, a welcoming and helpful community development staff, and lots of opportunities for commercial and retail development.

We enjoy this quality of life while having one of the lowest tax rates of communities of comparable size in mid-Michigan.  As a community we’ve also been proactive in ensuring good roads through an annual “streets millage” which has been overwhelmingly supported and has provided tremendous dividends. I’m also proud to say that our government is efficient, effective, and fiscally sound – our City Commission and city employees are good stewards of taxpayer funds.

If you’re already a part of our community, thank you. If you’re considering relocating your home or business to St. Johns -- or simply thinking about a visit -- please do. You won’t be disappointed.

While most everything you’ll need or want to know about St. Johns is right here on this website, our job at City Hall is to help make you successful, so don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of service.

City Commission

The City of St Johns practices what is known as the "Commission - Manager" form of city government.

The Commission-Manager form is the system of local government that combines the strong political leadership of elected officials in the form of a Commission, with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government Manager. The form establishes a representative system where all power is concentrated in the elected Commission and where the Commission hires a professionally trained Manager to oversee the delivery of public services.

In Commission-Manager government, Commission members are the leaders and policy makers elected to represent the community and to concentrate on policy issues that are responsive to citizens' needs and wishes. The Manager is appointed by the Commission to carry out policy and ensure that the entire community is being served.

The City is treated as a unit for election and general administration purposes.

Pictured from left to right: Chris Hyzer, Eric Hufnagel, Mayor Scott Dzurka, Vice Mayor Brad Gurski, and Chris DeLiso.

Commissioners and terms

Mayor Scott Dzurka
Term as commissioner expires November of 2026

Commissioner Chris Hyzer
Term as commissioner expires November of 2026

Commissioner Eric Hufnagel
Term as commissioner expires November of 2028

Vice Mayor Brad Gurski
Term as commissioner expires November of 2028

Commissioner Chris DeLiso
Term as commissioner expires November of 2028

Commission Meetings are held the 4th Monday of the month (except in December (2nd Monday) at 6:00 p.m. in the Clinton County Courthouse, 2nd Floor, Suite 2200.

YouTube Channel with City Commission Meeting Recordings: YouTube-City Commission Meetings 

Advantages of a City Charter

• It secures Home Rule for St. Johns. It establishes a simple, direct and businesslike form of government.
• It creates a single-headed administrative establishment and this administrative unity makes for harmony between departments, since all are subject to a common head.
• It insures expertness in administration at the point where it is most valuable, namely, at the head.
• Regular municipal elections will be held every two years.
• It makes elective officers responsive to public opinion by means of the initiative and referendum. It furnishes through the recall a simple method of removing inefficient or corrupt officials.
• It permits public work to be done by direct labor as well as by contract.
• It centralizes purchasing, which will effect greater saving in the purchase of supplies.
• It recognizes the people as the sole sources of governmental power and imposes upon each member of the community the duty and responsibility of actively interesting himself in the affairs of the city.

Public Comment Policy