Cooper Charter Township

What Cooper Charter Township does

Cooper Charter Township is a charter township operating under Michigan state law in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, delivering a full suite of municipal services to its residents. Its core functional areas span property tax collection and assessment, election administration, fire protection via a two-station paid/on-call department, contracted policing through the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office, building permits and inspections, zoning administration, cemetery operations, parks management (including the 600+ acre Kalamazoo Nature Center and Markin Glen Park), and contracted curbside recycling and bulk-trash pickup through Republic Services. Governance is provided by an elected Board of Trustees led by Supervisor Jeff Sorensen (in role since 2000), Clerk DeAnna Janssen (elected 2016), and Treasurer Robin DeHaan, supported by approximately ten named administrative and enforcement staff plus fire-department leadership.

The township's revenue mechanics are those of a Michigan charter township rather than a commercial enterprise: it is funded primarily via property tax levies, an annual 1% administrative fee on tax collection, miscellaneous permit and cemetery fees, and intergovernmental arrangements such as the 2025 Parchment School District tax-collection agreement. Pricing for individual transactions is usage-based—a 3% credit-card convenience fee (min $2), a $1.50 e-check fee on bills under $10,000, and a $10 e-check fee above $10,000—processed through the Point and Pay gateway, with property records accessible via the BSA Online portal. Document management runs on Laserfiche, GIS mapping on ArcGIS, and event publishing on a Google-Calendar-exportable website.

The business model is a public-sector monopoly: the township is the sole statutory provider of tax collection, assessing, elections, zoning, fire suppression, and cemetery services within its boundaries, holds no private ownership or shareholders, and is accountable to residents through democratic governance. The customer base is exclusively geographic—property owners and residents of the township—with no external commercial customers and no expansion of addressable market beyond its jurisdictional limits.

Name

Cooper Charter Township

Legal name

Cooper Charter Township

Website

https://coopertwp.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cooper Charter Township is a Michigan municipal government in Kalamazoo County providing property tax collection, elections administration, fire and contracted police protection, building permits, zoning, cemetery services, and parks to township residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Housing Programs (92511), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Property tax collection
• Building permits inspections
• Fire department services
• Elections administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cooper Charter Township is a Michigan charter township that delivers core local government services to residents, including property tax collection (summer and winter), property assessment, elections administration with absent voter and early voting, fire and emergency response from a two-station department, contracted police services, building permits and inspections across residential and commercial categories, cemetery management for two sites, curbside recycling and bulk trash pickup, parks and nature preserve access, and zoning administration. The township collects fees for permits and convenience payments, and its operations are funded primarily through property taxes and state-authorized administrative charges.

Product overview

Cooper Charter Township operates as a Michigan municipal government providing standard local government services to residents. The township offers a unified portfolio of civic services including property tax collection, elections administration, public safety (fire and contracted police services), building permits and inspections, property assessing, parks and recreation, cemetery management, curbside recycling and waste collection, and zoning administration. Services are provided through a traditional township government structure with elected officials (Supervisor, Clerk, Treasurer, Trustees), appointed department heads, and contracted service providers. The township does not offer technology products or software platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Tax Collection Services Municipal tax collection for summer and winter property taxes for Cooper Charter Township and contracted school district levies, including online payment via Point and Pay, mail-in options, drop box deposits, and in-person payments. Services include tax deferment programs and poverty exemptions.
• Elections Administration Full election services including voter registration, absent voter ballot processing, early voting coordination, and election inspector recruitment for Cooper Charter Township residents.
• Fire Department Services Two-station paid/on-call volunteer fire department providing fire prevention, education, fire suppression, EMS response coordination, and annual fire safety inspections for the township.
• Police/Sheriff Services Contracted police services provided to Cooper Charter Township through the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office, with monthly police call reports published for the township.
• Building Permits and Inspections Comprehensive building permit services including residential and commercial building permits, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and gas piping permits, demolition permits, and required inspections conducted by independent inspectors contracted by the township.
• Property Assessing Services Property assessment services including annual 20% property review, Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) processing, land value determination, Economic Condition Factor (ECF) calculations, and poverty exemption applications.
• Parks and Recreation

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Republic ServicescoreOthersRepublic Services is contracted to provide curbside recycling pickup every other week and spring/fall bulk trash pickup services for Cooper Charter Township residents.
• Kalamazoo County Sheriff's OfficecoreOthersPolice services are provided to Cooper Township through the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office. Monthly police call reports are published for the township.
• Consumers EnergycoreOthersConsumers Energy provides gas and electric utility services. Township provides streetlight outage reporting tool linking to Consumers Energy for residents to report issues.
• Kalamazoo County TreasurercoreOthersDelinquent property taxes are turned over to the Kalamazoo County Treasurer on March 1. County Treasurer also offers Foreclosure Prevention Program for residents.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• City of Kalamazoo: The City of Kalamazoo is a larger municipal incumbent in the same county, providing the full range of services Cooper does — tax collection, fire, police, elections, parks, building permits, and assessing — but at a much larger urban scale and with broader regulatory authority.

Others

• Michigan Townships Association: Michigan Townships Association is the statewide membership and advocacy organization for Michigan's charter and general law townships, including Cooper. It provides governance training, legislative advocacy, and best-practice resources that shape the operating environment for entities like Cooper Charter Township.

Direct peers

• Comstock Township: Comstock Township is an adjacent Kalamazoo County township delivering a similar full-service municipal portfolio including tax collection, fire/EMS, parks, assessing, zoning, and recycling. Comparable in statutory authority, geographic scope, and resident service model.
• City of Portage: The City of Portage is an adjacent Kalamazoo County municipality offering tax collection, public safety, parks, cemetery services, assessing, and building permits to a similar suburban residential base. Although organized as a city rather than a township, its service portfolio and resident profile closely overlap Cooper's.
• Oshtemo Township: Oshtemo Township is a Kalamazoo County charter township providing property tax collection, fire service, planning/zoning, parks, and recycling — directly comparable to Cooper's service mix and sharing the same Michigan charter township governance framework.
• Kalamazoo Township: Kalamazoo Township is a neighboring Michigan charter township that delivers a similar portfolio of municipal services — tax collection, assessing, fire, parks, elections, and zoning — to an adjacent population. Same governance structure and statutory framework as Cooper Charter Township, making it the closest comparable peer.
• Texas Charter Township: Texas Charter Township is a Kalamazoo County charter township that mirrors Cooper's structure with elected Supervisor/Clerk/Treasurer, property tax collection, fire services, parks, and planning/zoning functions. Highly comparable in scope and resident-facing service delivery.

Regional players

• Charter Township of Meridian: The Charter Township of Meridian is a larger Michigan charter township in Ingham County offering property tax collection, fire, parks, planning/zoning, and elections under the same statutory framework as Cooper. Comparable in governance structure though operating in a different regional market (greater Lansing).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooper-charter-township

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooper Charter Township