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Kent County Sheriff's Office proposes jail millage renewal and increase for November ballot

Kent County Sheriff's Office proposes jail millage renewal and increase for November ballot

Money Moves Grand Rapids, MI local

Voters reject 0.98-mill request that would have funded medical and mental health upgrades at 1972 jail

November 3rd, 2026: Election Day

Overview

Updated 7 days ago

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.

The money was meant for medical and mental health upgrades at the 1972 jail, not new beds. Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said the medical unit was too small and forced transports to outside hospitals. The existing levy runs through the 2029 levy, leaving the county to replace about $28.7 million a year after that.

Why it matters

The rejection leaves Kent County to decide how to pay for jail medical upgrades and replace the levy after 2029.

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Key Indicators

0.98 mills
Proposed millage rate (rejected)
Voters rejected the 20-year renewal and increase on Nov. 3. The current rate is 0.7332 mills.
$24.68
Added annual cost that was proposed
A home with $100,000 in taxable value would have paid about $98 a year under the new rate.
$37.33 million
Estimated first-year levy (rejected)
County estimate before local tax-increment capture.
$28.7 million
Annual funding gap after 2029
The current millage runs through the 2029 levy; the county must replace or absorb the funding after that.
43.7%
Share of 2026 corrections budget funded by current millage
General fund and other sources pay the remaining 56.3%.
17,790
Arrests brought to KCCF in 2025
More than 30 law enforcement agencies use the centralized booking system.

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People Involved

Michelle LaJoye-Young
Michelle LaJoye-Young
Kent County Sheriff
Sought a 20-year renewal and increase; voters rejected it on Nov. 3.

Organizations Involved

Kent County Sheriff's Office (KCSO)
Kent County Sheriff's Office (KCSO)
County law enforcement agency
Sought a 20-year millage renewal and increase; voters rejected it Nov. 3.

Operates the Kent County Correctional Facility and juvenile detention center, and provides centralized booking for more than 30 law enforcement agencies.
Kent County Board of Commissioners
Kent County Board of Commissioners
County legislature
Approved ballot language; voters rejected the measure Nov. 3.

Elected county body that sets the county budget and approved placing the millage question on the ballot.
Kent County Correctional Facility
Kent County Correctional Facility
County jail
Millage for medical upgrades rejected; current funding runs through the 2029 levy.

Jail in Grand Rapids with capacity for 1,477 inmates and an average daily population just under 1,000.

Timeline

1972 November 2026

7 events Latest: November 3rd, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Election Day

    Latest Election

    Voters decide whether to approve the millage renewal and increase.

  2. Voters reject jail millage

    Election

    Kent County voters rejected the 20-year corrections and detention millage renewal and increase, WOOD TV projected. The current levy runs through the 2029 levy.

  3. Sheriff proposes millage

    Announcement

    Sheriff proposes 0.98-mill renewal and increase for Nov. 3 ballot.

  4. Arrests logged

    Data

    KCCF logs 17,790 arrests brought to the facility.

  5. Millage renewal approved

    Election

    Voters renew millage for 20 years, extending dedicated funding through 2029 levy.

  6. Original millage approved

    Election

    Voters approve 0.84-mill corrections millage for 20 years.

  7. Jail built

    Infrastructure

    Original section of Kent County Correctional Facility built.

Scenarios

1

Kent County Voters Approve Corrections Millage

Uncertain Resolves by Nov 17, 2026

Discussed by: WOOD TV and MLive election results

Did not happen. Voters rejected the 20-year renewal and increase on Nov. 3, 2026. The proposed rate would have run from 2026 through 2045.

2

Voters Reject Millage, County Faces Funding Gap

Uncertain Resolves by Nov 17, 2026

Discussed by: WOOD TV and MLive election results; county budget analysis

Voters rejected the renewal and increase on Nov. 3, 2026. The current millage continues through the 2029 levy, so there is no immediate change. Starting in 2030, the county would need to replace about $28.7 million a year in operating and debt-service support, according to the county budget analysis.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 1990

Kent County Corrections Millage Creation (1990)

Kent County voters approved a 0.84-mill, 20-year property tax to build and run a centralized county jail. Before that, cities like Grand Rapids operated their own pre-arraignment lockups and the county took custody only after arraignment.

Then

The millage funded the jail's round housing units and 24/7 central booking for Grand Rapids police; local lockups closed.

Now

It created a shared system now used by more than 30 law enforcement agencies, with the millage covering about 43% of corrections costs.

Why this matters now

The 2026 proposal is a renewal and increase of this same funding stream, not a new county function.

August 2008

Kent County Corrections Millage Renewal (2008)

Voters renewed the corrections millage for 20 years, extending it through the 2029 levy. At the time, it generated about $16 million a year and funded about 43% of the annual corrections operating budget.

Then

The renewal funded added bed space and video court infrastructure.

Now

It kept the centralized booking system running while the county general fund paid the remaining costs.

Why this matters now

The 2026 request follows the same renewal pattern but adds an increase to pay for medical and mental health facility upgrades.

March 2020

COVID-19 in Michigan Jails (2020)

Jails across Michigan reduced populations and suspended visitation to slow COVID-19 outbreaks. At Kent County, undersheriff Bryan Muir said the jail's 1970s HVAC system proved inadequate for controlling disease spread.

Then

Facilities adopted temporary quarantine and release measures.

Now

The pandemic exposed how aging jail infrastructure limits disease control, a problem the 2026 millage proposal explicitly addresses.

Why this matters now

The sheriff's office cites the HVAC failure as a reason to modernize the jail's medical spaces.

Sources

(7)
+1
WOODTV.com Yahoo News (via WOOD) Spectrum News 1 WWMT Kent County, Michigan MLive Grand Rapids WOODTV.com