By K.D. Norris
Just in case you think Kent County’s budget planning process is not big news, consider that its approved 2018 budget of $417 million will be second highest in the area, behind only the City of Grand Rapids’ $528 million budget, and that the county funds the sheriff’s office and courts, social services, the county’s elections, and veterans services.
The Kent County Board of Commissioners voted this week to approve a plan for how the county government will spend more than $356 million in 2018 — with public safety programs gaining the lion’s share at nearly $87 million, followed closely by social services programs at just over $81 million.
The county total budget includes $61 million in “transfers out” funding, which is designated funds for programs such as the Friend of the Court program. And the county’s main discretionary fund for operating and capital expenditures, its general fund, will be about $172 million.
In comparison to the 2018 plan, the county’s actual 2016 total expenditures were about $339 million and its adopted (but not yet completed and actual) expenditures for 2017 were $371 million.
The 2018 General Appropriation Act is on the agenda for approval by the Board of Commissioners at its meeting scheduled for the Nov. 30 — and after a lengthy budgeting process and public hearings, it is expected to be approved.
“It was in some ways a bit easier than many of the budgets (from) previous years in that, especially from 2007, we went through years of declining revenue — property values (and the county’s tax base) were on the decline, thus our property tax revenues declined,” Commissioner Harold Voorhees said to WKTV. “This year that is not so. (But) did that make budget discussions easier? No.”
Voorhees represents county District 8, which is all within the City of Wyoming. This was his 14th year serving on the county’s Finance and Physical Resources Committee.
The other commissioners representing Wyoming and Kentwood include Harold Mast (District 12/Wyoming and Kentwood), Betsy Melton (District 13/Kentwood), Matt Kallman (District 9, mostly the Byron Township but also a small portion of the City of Wyoming) and Stan Ponstein (District 7, the City of Grandville but also a small portion of the City of Wyoming).
Tax millage rate down slightly this year; more coming?
While not successful in this year’s budgeting process, Voorhees also said he plans to continue his outspoken efforts to institute a reduction in next year’s county income from property taxes.
“I was out front in my support of the dedicated millage for the John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum,” he said. “This new revenue, and along with other savings and increases in revenues, caused me to seek a property tax reduction on Kent County families and all property owners. (But) I had to realize I had started my request for lowering taxes too late in the process for this budget year.”
The county tax millage rate, as proposed for the 2018 budget, is 6.0518 mills, which, according to the county, “is 0.0078 mills less than the millage rate levied for the 2017 budget due to the Headlee roll-back. As a result, Kent County’s total millage rate would be the 14th lowest in Michigan and the third lowest of the 13 counties in the West Michigan Region.”
Sheriff Department leads in increased expenditures
To break down the county’s general fund expenditures of about $172 million, which represents a 3.3 percent increase from the 2017 budget year, according to the county’s budget report. The budget includes operating expenditures of $134.0 million, including capital expenditures of $2.2 million, and $38.3 million to support the operations of other funded programs.
The Sheriff Department’s general fund budget will increase 5.2 percent, from $59.9 million in 2017 to $63.0 million in 2018. The personnel cost in the Sheriff’s budget is up $2.4 million, or 5.3 percent over the current year. This is attributed to general personnel increases and the addition of five correction positions, according to the county.
Some of the other highlights of the 2018 budget, according to the county, are: a Health Department appropriation of $29.2 million which represents a 3.6 percent increase over the 2017 budget; a total Child Care programs budget of $27.7 million that represents a 9.5 percent decrease; and a Circuit Court budget of $17.8 million that represents a 2.2 percent increase.
