County legislature
Appears in 7 stories · Last updated Nov 5, 2026
Will evaluate funding options with county administration and sheriff
Kent County voters rejected a 20-year jail tax renewal and increase on Nov. 3, with about 60% voting no. The sheriff's office says daily operations will not change immediately, but the county still faces a gap for an aging jail whose medical unit sits in a wing built in 1972.
Updated 6 days ago
Approved ballot language; voters rejected the measure Nov. 3.
Kent County voters rejected a 20-year jail millage renewal and increase on Nov. 3, WOOD TV projected. The measure would have raised the levy to 0.98 mills from 0.7332 mills, or about $24.68 more a year per $100,000 in taxable value.
Updated 7 days ago
Placed the renewal on the November ballot; voters approved it.
Kent County voters approved a 10-year renewal of the property tax that funds John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Unofficial results from the Kent County Clerk's Office show 198,946 votes for and 98,364 against, a 67% to 33% split, FOX 17 reported.
Approved the $18.5M purchase Oct. 22; its Finance and Infrastructure Committee approved $18.5M and $3.5M in funding Nov. 2, and the full board was scheduled to vote Nov. 5; outcome not yet reported.
Kent County will pay $18.5 million for the 138,000-square-foot office building at 300 Ottawa Ave NW in downtown Grand Rapids, buying it from DP Fox Ventures, a DeVos family real estate company. Commissioners approved the purchase Oct. 22, and the county says the money comes from its Strategic Capital Fund.
Updated Oct 23
As of September 2026: Approved the 14-measure childcare plan on Sept. 24, 2026
Kent County has licensed space for about 31,863 young children in childcare. It has roughly 52,323 kids under five. That leaves a shortage of more than 20,000 slots, with infant care waitlists running 12 to 18 months.
Updated Sep 24
As of September 2026: Appoints airport authority board members
Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford International Airport received $6 million in federal money to rebuild Concourse B, the terminal section used by four airlines and eight gates. The Federal Aviation Administration recorded the award September 4, and the airport authority will reconstruct 37,100 square feet of concourse that has reached the end of its useful life.
Updated Sep 22
As of September 2026: Approved FY 2027 budget
Kent County's board approved a $696.6 million balanced budget for fiscal year 2027, lifting the General Fund 4.2 percent to $265.53 million without raising the property tax rate. Public safety gets the largest share, $143.5 million, including 42 new Sheriff's Office vehicles.
Updated Sep 3
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