Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 38.502 (2026)

Civil service commission; membership, appointment, terms; election of president.

✓ current as of July 2026

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FIREMEN AND POLICEMEN CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM

Act 78 of 1935

38.502 Civil service commission; membership, appointment, terms; election of president.

Sec. 2.

The civil service commission shall consist of 3 members, 1 of whom shall be appointed by the principal elected officer of the city, village or municipality with the approval of the legislative body; and he shall serve for a period of 6 years from the date of his appointment. The second member of the commission shall be selected by the paid members of the fire and/or police department and he shall serve for a period of 4 years from the date of his appointment; a majority vote of the members of the fire and/or police department shall be necessary to select such member. The third member of the commission shall be selected by the aforesaid members of the commission and he shall serve for a period of 2 years from the date of his appointment. Thereafter all appointments shall be made for a period of 6 years each; each commissioner to serve until his successor is appointed and qualified by the appointing power hereinbefore designated.

The 3 members of the commission shall together elect 1 of their number to act as president of the commission, who shall serve for 1 year. Each year thereafter the commissioners shall elect 1 of their number, president, the member so elected to serve 1 year.

History: 1935, Act 78, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1935 ;-- Am. 1945, Act 287, Imd. Eff. May 25, 1945 ;-- CL 1948, 38.502 ;-- Am. 1951, Act 15, Eff. Sept. 28, 1951 ;-- Am. 1957, Act 43, Eff. Sept. 27, 1957

PopularName Notes:

Police and Fire Civil Service Act

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 3 cases, 1980–2014 · leading case: Mayor of Cadillac v. Blackburn, 857 N.W.2d 529 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014).

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Mayor of Cadillac v. Blackburn, 857 N.W.2d 529 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014). “MCL 38.502. The act prohibits any civil service commissioner from serving on “any political committee or [taking] any active part in the management of any political campaign.”

Mollett v. City of Taylor, 494 N.W.2d 832 (Mich. Ct. App. 1992). “MCL 38.502; MSA 5.3352. The first member is "appointed by the principal elected officer of the city, village or municipality”; the second member is selected by the paid members of the fire or police department; and the third member is selected by agreement of the other two…”

Cantwell v. City of Southfield, 290 N.W.2d 151 (Mich. Ct. App. 1980). “*378 Resolution of this question depends upon our interpretation of MCL 38.502; MSA 5.3352. It provides, in relevant part: "The civil service commission shall consist of 3 members, 1 of whom shall be appointed by the principal elected officer of the city, village or municipality…”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.