Kent County voters decide a 20-year jail tax increase and a 10-year renewal for John Ball Zoo and the Public Museum

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County voters have two countywide tax questions on the Nov. 3 ballot: a renewal and increase of the property tax that helps run the county jail, and a renewal of the levy that supports John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

Corrections and detention. The jail proposal asks for 0.98 mill for 20 years, 2026 through 2045. The county’s current authorization was approved at 0.84 mill and has been rolled back to a certified 0.7332 mill under the Headlee Amendment, so the request is 0.2468 mill above this year’s rate, according to the county’s millage page. That works out to $98 a year on a property with $100,000 in taxable value, $24.68 more than now. Taxable value is usually well below market value.

The county estimates the first-year levy at $37.33 million before local tax-increment capture. It says millage revenue covers about 43.7% of the 2026 corrections budget, with the general fund and other sources paying the rest. The money would go to daily custody, booking and intake used by more than 30 law enforcement agencies, court transport, medical and mental health care, substance use treatment and building work. A 2022 study identified about $38 million in needed work on the jail’s 1972 wing, the Grand Rapids Chamber reported.

The county says the proposal is a millage, not a bond, and would not decide a final building design, add dedicated federal or ICE beds or change arrest and release authority. The county has also proposed replacing the daily fee cities now pay for people they book into the jail with a $25 booking fee, which it estimates would save Grand Rapids about $547,000 a year.

The existing levy runs through 2029, so jail funding would not change right away if the proposal fails. County analysis says about $28.7 million a year would eventually need to be replaced, absorbed or cut. Voters first approved dedicated jail funding in 1990 and renewed it in 2008.

The county board put the question on the ballot in August on an 11-5 party-line vote, with Republican commissioners in favor and Democrats opposed, according to the Grand Rapids Chamber. Opponents argued the process moved too fast. The sheriff’s office had originally asked for 1.2 mills; a subcommittee and the county’s fiscal staff recommended the lower rate.

Zoo and museum. The second question would renew the John Ball Zoo and Grand Rapids Public Museum millage for 10 years at 0.4086 mill, about 41 cents per $1,000 of taxable value. Voters first approved it in 2016 at 0.44 mill. In fiscal 2025 it raised about $13.6 million, split equally between the zoo and the museum, and cost $41.34 a year on $100,000 of taxable value, the county said. Commissioners voted May 14 to place the renewal on the ballot.

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, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 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:
Kent County, “2026 Corrections and Detention Millage” (rate, term, cost example, first-year levy, uses, funding share, what approval would not decide, booking fee and city savings, history), https://www.kentcountymi.gov/2012/2026-Corrections-and-Detention-Millage
Grand Rapids Chamber, “Corrections Millage for November Ballot,” Aug. 12, 2026 (11-5 vote, original 1.2-mill request, subcommittee, 2022 facility study, opponents’ arguments), https://grandrapids.org/news/corrections-millage-for-november-ballot/
Kent County, “Zoo & Museum Millage” (2016 approval, rates, FY2025 revenue and cost, May 14 vote), https://www.kentcountymi.gov/1695/Zoo-Museum-Millage
John Ball Zoo, “2026 Zoo & Museum Millage” (0.4086-mill renewal rate and term), https://jbzoo.org/millage/
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: WMrapids, “John Ball Zoo entrance.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/), cropped, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Ball_Zoo_entrance.jpg

Grand Rapids · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Grand Rapids · Election 2026 · Kent County · Millage · Elections · Public Safety