Genesee County voters weigh three tax renewals worth about $22.9 million, led by a health care millage two Republicans voted against

FLINT, Mich. — Every voter in Genesee County will decide three property tax renewals on Nov. 3: a health care millage for uninsured low-income residents, a tax for the county’s Animal Care shelter and an operating millage for Mott Community College. Together, the county and the college estimate the three would raise about $22.9 million in their first years. None would raise the current rate, but the health care tax only made the ballot after months of debate, and two Republican commissioners voted against sending it to voters.

The health care tax. The first county question would let commissioners levy 0.8 mill, or 80 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, for five years, 2027 through 2031, to provide “a health care services delivery system, such as the Genesee Health Plan, for uninsured low-income residents,” according to the ballot language in the county’s resolution. The county estimates it would collect $11,280,355 in the first year, with an estimated $425,953 of that captured by downtown development and other tax increment authorities in Clio, Davison, Fenton, Grand Blanc, Flint Township and elsewhere. Voters first approved a 1-mill health care tax in 2006 and renewed it in 2012 and again in 2018, when the rate had been rolled back to 0.9980 mill, the resolution says. The current authorization expires after this year’s levy.

A 7-2 vote, and a lower rate. Commissioners voted 7-2 on June 26 to put the renewal on the ballot, county records show, after amending the request from 0.9680 mill to 0.8 mill for five years following “extended debate about fund balance, oversight and process,” Citizen Portal reported. Some commissioners contended the tax “has failed to improve residents’ health outcomes,” MLive reported. Commissioners Shaun Shumaker, R-Fenton Township, and Brian Flewelling, R-Davison, voted no. Shumaker has said structural changes are needed to make the money go farther, including more effort to collect health insurance for jail inmates who receive medical care, according to MLive. The millage pays for the Genesee Health Plan, jail inmate health care and other programs; the health plan was expected to receive about $7.7 million of the roughly $12 million the tax generates this fiscal year, MLive reported.

The case for it. The Genesee Health Plan, a nonprofit, says it covers county residents 19 and older who don’t qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford private insurance, including workers without job-based coverage, people between jobs and workers in their 50s and early 60s who lose a job before they qualify for Medicare, plus dental care for seniors and veterans. It says one in four county residents has been covered over its 25 years, that an outside accounting firm reviews its spending every year, and that the renewal “will not increase your taxes.” Jim Milanowski, the plan’s president and CEO, has warned that changes in Medicaid coverage and the loss of Affordable Care Act subsidies could leave many more residents in need of help, MLive reported.

The animal shelter tax. The second county question would renew 0.1922 mill for seven years, 2028 through 2034, to “supplement and support operations and modernization” of the Genesee County Animal Care shelter. The county estimates first-year revenue at $2,710,105, with about $102,335 captured by tax increment authorities, and the current levy runs through 2027, according to the ballot language. Commissioners approved putting it on the ballot July 22, according to 1836 Place. “We’re not asking for an increase, just for it to stay as it is,” shelter Director Jay Parker told the Genesee County View, putting the cost for the average county resident at $12.52 a year. The shelter has 23 employees and a $2.6 million budget and cared for about 3,900 lost or abandoned animals last year, Parker said. It operates on West Pasadena Avenue in Flint Township in a building the county renovated and expanded for $8.2 million in 2019, MLive reported. Voters first approved the shelter tax in 2015 and renewed it in 2020 with more than 64% voting yes, according to MLive. If the renewal fails, Parker told WNEM, services such as the shelter’s full-time veterinarian and vet staff “would be hard to offer.”

Mott Community College. The college’s question would renew 0.6152 mill for 10 years, 2028 through 2037, for college purposes. Voters originally approved 0.6410 mill, which the Headlee Amendment has rolled back to 0.6152, and the college estimates it would collect about $8.9 million in the first year, the ballot language says.

Adding it up. By The Mitten Daily’s math, the three renewals at their ballot rates come to about $160.74 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value: $80 for the health care tax, $19.22 for the shelter and $61.52 for Mott. For a home with $50,000 in taxable value, about half of a $100,000 market value, that is roughly $80 a year. Voters who reject a renewal would see that levy drop off their bill once the current authorization ends: after 2026 for the health care tax and after 2027 for the shelter.

Also on Flint-area ballots. Flint voters decide renewals of the city’s police and fire, transit and parks taxes, and Flint Township voters weigh renaming the township Oak Hills. Statewide, voters decide the governor’s race, where Republican John James is pitching an income tax cut against Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the attorney general’s race, Proposal 1 on calling a constitutional convention and Proposal 2 on utility and contractor campaign donations.

How to vote. Monday, Oct. 19, was the last day to register to vote online or by mail. After that, residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Statewide early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1; check with your city or township clerk for early voting sites and hours. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30 by mail or online, or by 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in person at the clerk’s office. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. County canvasses must finish by Nov. 17, and the Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results by Nov. 23. Voters can check their registration and see their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Updated Oct. 20, 2026: The Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote online or by mail has passed, so the voting details now say so. Residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Sources:
Genesee County Board of Commissioners, Resolution RES-2026-0404, “Approval of a request to place a renewal question on the November 2026 ballot for the Health Services Millage” (ballot language, millage history, 6/26/2026 final action), https://geneseecountymi.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8142134&GUID=A7CA8BCC-4321-4E21-9F76-44D31B4B7997
The Gist, “Genesee County: health care services millage renewal” (from Michigan Department of State sample ballots), https://thegist.vote/question/2026-general-mi/genesee-genesee-county-genesee-county-health-care-services-millage-r
The Gist, “Genesee County: Animal Care Shelter millage renewal” (from Michigan Department of State sample ballots), https://thegist.vote/question/2026-general-mi/genesee-genesee-county-genesee-county-millage-renewal-proposal-for-t
The Gist, “Mott Community College: millage renewal” (from Michigan Department of State sample ballots), https://thegist.vote/question/2026-general-mi/genesee-community-college-mott-community-college-millage-renewal-pro
MLive, “Genesee County indigent health millage heads to November ballot,” June 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2026/06/genesee-county-indigent-health-millage-heads-to-november-ballot.html
Citizen Portal, “Genesee County commissioners vote 7-2 to place amended health services millage on November ballot,” July 2, 2026, https://citizenportal.ai/articles/8383929/michigan/genesee-county/genesee-county-commissioners-vote-7-2-to-place-amended-health-services-millage-on-november-ballot
Genesee Health Plan, “Health Care Services Millage Renewal,” https://geneseehealthplan.org/about-us/ghp-millage/
MLive, “Genesee County Animal Care millage renewal on course for November ballot,” July 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2026/07/genesee-county-animal-care-millage-renewal-on-course-for-november-ballot.html
1836 Place, Jared Field, “July 22: Board of Commissioners Meeting Recap,” July 24, 2026, https://1836-place.com/2026/07/24/july-22-board-of-commissioners-meeting-recap/
Genesee County View, Lania Rocha, “Genesee County Animal Care millage on November ballot,” https://geneseecountyview.com/articles/news/genesee-county-animal-care-millage-on-november-ballot/
WNEM, Zain Omair, “Genesee County Animal Care millage renewal heads to November ballot,” Sept. 30, 2026, https://www.wnem.com/2026/09/30/genesee-county-animal-care-millage-renewal-heads-november-ballot/
Michigan Department of State, “Absentee voting” and election calendar (registration, early voting and absentee deadlines), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
Photo: Kennethaw88, “Genesee County MI Courthouse.JPG,” July 19, 2014, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), cropped and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Genesee_County_MI_Courthouse.JPG

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Tags: Flint · Election 2026 · Millage · Taxes · Genesee County · Health Care