[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6565426,"mediaKeyId","3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3","parentId",3219681,"title","Kalamazoo County staff present updated housing study and recommend targeted 2025 millage funding","audioSeconds",1229,"startMs",761000,"endMs",1990000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3&start=761&end=1990","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3/thumbnail_761000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6565426/Kalamazoo-County/Michigan/Kalamazoo-County-staff-present-updated-housing-study-and-recommend-targeted-2025-millage-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6565426-e74524472d5205edc2db6a0dd76cdf76/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135515&Signature=IkHjHbY8s3GmTzsgZI8iX~N-gGzgC5Ali3FJo3u6CXsi5XBenue2KXwVeVS1bXq0zZtQ7~TSv20DMTkFO7fJJboPaPRg1lrs-pM8TDQ38aZ9qechTaLTe2peGcOP~PJy8m~MgJo6xRMCNQyTUENoFesXv-gewmXCKQJhFRuAVMJoBphGkg4RWi9~PW2uNgUq-8mxTfvJZyOhLiOPEXWdQ8gIV66JAHqGVV7~r2QFZtHUXfS9cJjGViVzYez84omjb-xQleumCd5xTNPBFNoP4lTk3WOjbngNPtwj49ij-60kk-aTwDC1DBRK6m7hCcrTUkxmk6aCBoi32-s~FVf6JQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kalamazoo County Government","date","2025-05-08T00:43:51Z","article","Kalamazoo County officials on May 7 heard an update to the county's 2022 housing plan and a set of funding recommendations for the 2025 housing millage that would focus limited county millage dollars on multifamily housing and supportive services while reserving funds for The Landing Place project.

Emily Petz, an analyst with the Upjohn Institute's regional practice, summarized an update that covered two chapters of the original plan: the housing assessment/community profile and projected market demand. Petz said housing prices in the county continue to rise faster than wages and that housing cost burdens are concentrated among households earning $50,000 or less. She said the county's earlier estimate that 7,750 new units would be needed by 2030 has risen to 8,000 units, in part because of expected population and employment growth tied to the Blue Oval Battery Park project in nearby Marshall.

\"Our price index is still increasing as our weekly wage is almost leveling out. That gap is getting wider and making it more challenging for people to afford what they need,\" Petz said. She told commissioners the updated demand projection includes a continued preference for single-family housing but an increasing share of demand for \"missing middle\" housing types — duplexes, triplexes, accessory dwelling units and low- to mid-rise apartments.

Kalamazoo County deputy housing director Willa D'Tarantino reviewed three rounds of allocations from the housing millage and the department's recommended approach for 2025. She reported the millage has funded roughly 1,492 units across categories to date, with multifamily projects receiving the largest share of dollars and single-family projects the second-largest. D'Tarantino said the county has allocated more than half of the locally permitted housing units since 2022 through millage-supported projects.

For the 2025 round D'Tarantino proposed narrowing the application categories to multifamily and supportive services because the remaining available balance in the millage pool is modest. She recommended holding $2 million from the 2025 millage funds as a reserve for potential capital or programming needs at The Landing Place and reallocating existing award funds to create a down-payment assistance pool. She explained a reprogramming proposal for Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services (KNHS): reallocate $200,000 of KNHS's previously awarded funds to down-payment assistance and move other previously earmarked KNHS dollars back into the application pool to create more available grant dollars for the 2025 round.

D'Tarantino said the county's current unallocated millage balance was about $4.8 million before the KNHS reprogramming. After the staff recommendations (including the $2 million reserve), D'Tarantino said the staff-proposed funding pot for the 2025 competitive round would be about $2.8 million and recommended splitting that largely between multifamily and supportive services with some creative housing/\"missing middle\" funding targeted if commissioners directed it.

Commissioners pressed staff for more detail on project readiness, the sizes of remaining award balances from prior rounds, and how the land bank and Brownfield authority might accelerate single-family or attached-single-family production. Several commissioners asked for written reports showing which award recipients have billed and spent allocations and suggested shifting supportive-services funding toward attached single-family or \"creative\" projects (triplexes/duplexes) that produce owner-occupied opportunities and could build generational wealth.

After discussion commissioners directed staff to place a reprogramming item on a future agenda to reallocate $400,000 toward down-payment assistance (the staff presentation described this as money moved from KNHS allocations into a down-payment pool) and to return a more detailed proposal for the 2025 funding round that includes exact fund balances, proposed category splits, and the status of outstanding awards.

Why it matters: county staff and outside consultants told commissioners the pace of housing construction has not kept up with demand, leaving thousands of households cost-burdened. The commissioners' direction to prioritize multifamily and supportive services while pairing some funds to owner-occupant assistance reflects a choice to balance near-term production with programs that help lower-income households stabilize housing and build wealth.

What's next: county staff will return with a more detailed memorandum and a reprogramming item for the board to consider at a future meeting. Commissioners also invited Upjohn Institute staff and county housing staff to brief municipal partners at upcoming intergovernmental meetings.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Commissioners Meeting | May 7, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Kalamazoo County officials on May 7 heard an update to the county's 2022 housing plan and a staff proposal to concentrate the 2025 millage funding round on multifamily housing and supportive services while reserving $2 million for potential needs at The Landing Place.","taxTitle","Kalamazoo County, Michigan","taxId",2836,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6565413,"Board to form ad hoc committee to recommend site for voter-approved indoor youth sports facility",243,3567000,3810000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3&start=3567&end=3810","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3/thumbnail_3567000.jpg","/articles/6565413/Kalamazoo-County/Michigan/Board-to-form-ad-hoc-committee-to-recommend-site-for-voter-approved-indoor-youth-sports-facility","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6565413-b529111d031474f9f8b7347962756ce7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135515&Signature=mmi7pZbl0PE5M~wmAYYGjWVN5vG3hADWycEecHm5HMzMXwO4IP9BFOLNbmOUwZCCkM2skRMuNbOxeavTAx57JwFxoirKfAr2e7OQvzMkh0lpjWpZaqnlFqEXMBwE3DkyImwyk975bF0Hm4k2VUS11rjProgREi6oi6r9VZpI0YAyM7xZGdK6jNXLAeaJY3URkGtAkyrb6Dy9YGHvk56Nv52i4AvlCXb5oau5GdPBCC2O~jN9bDobRTU1dFnntAX7iKGtFEk-bsr1JWnBOu3j7gZT3yjRgd5tHE8ySVWTnJFQJyf-0Zw4-crZipJaxQ7bYb8j0mcdyARdDGtoQlIRsg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kalamazoo County staff recommended on May 7 that the Board of Commissioners form an ad hoc committee to review candidate sites for an indoor youth sports facility and to recommend a municipal partner to form an authority under the Municipal Partnership Act.

Jane Ghosh, presenting for administration, said the recent hotelier referendum had met quorum and approval thresholds: county staff reported a 75% quorum of eligible rooms and 82% of ballots cast were in favor of the referendum. The referendum language contemplates the facility will be owned and operated by an authority created under state law, typically formed by the county together with a municipality where the site is located.

Ghosh told commissioners that the ad hoc committee would perform site review and then recommend the site municipality to the board; once the municipality and county agreed, the authority would be formally formed and would name the full authority board following the criteria in the referendum. Staff asked the board to consider representation on the ad hoc committee — including at least two hoteliers (the referendum requires hotel representation on the authority), people with tourism and sports-experience, development and finance expertise, geographic diversity across the county, and racial and age diversity. The plan calls for staggered initial terms, with 1-, 2- and 3-year terms and an early replacement of one short term seat with a youth board member as the project transitions from development to operations.

Commissioners thanked staff and discussed possible nominees; one commissioner indicated an intent to nominate a staffer who had worked on the referendum effort. The county will return nominations for the ad hoc committee to the board for approval at a future meeting.

Why it matters: the referendum result gives the county authorization to move forward with a funding and governance plan for an indoor youth sports facility. Formation of an authority and site selection will guide construction, operations and eventual impacts on tourism, recreation and local economic activity.

What's next: administration will return with proposed nominations for the ad hoc committee and a timeline for site review and authority formation. The board will consider those nominations at a subsequent meeting.","Following a hotelier referendum approving a dedicated funding mechanism, county staff recommended forming an ad hoc committee to review potential sites and nominate initial authority members; commissioners signaled support and noted desired representation from hoteliers, sports and development experts.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6565416,"Kalamazoo County adopts amendment to expand KL Landfill groundwater restriction zone; public hearing had no oral testimony",3797,6793000,10590000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3&start=6793&end=10590","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3/thumbnail_6793000.jpg","/articles/6565416/Kalamazoo-County/Michigan/Kalamazoo-County-adopts-amendment-to-expand-KL-Landfill-groundwater-restriction-zone-public-hearing-had-no-oral-testimony","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6565416-9fe2dd6127df275434cf35c6b5a87452/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135515&Signature=ah1lgwU1MxBiRL0apuLrzCo4dF9uLrgMjWtxI7Umbu4-fMVlY9ADGQGQI9Vh5rRtl9kRetQnJqf0gEGox~1NtGAMri1bZnsCcueYfJoRMaOKbIEPzqojDUKK8Qs-59fNZ0SWe7z4OTQVW~AT~bfVpdivH4jFzAuHTp~ZkKixZo-EE3AZ~4BJn5RQ8JwWGv4vmspdA4IF2JJB3yRA2Xqb2cYg-J~bYJqTFtqvWuJLk3rYnixijUQUBx-HNOiFwVLdosHcILTHfxaWJrY1WmbY-TNdLWxUGRtyhBWd1chNBhjlHbywRNxCy88YChVtEncMbrGoIq1IOAiNV-Mu8aH8rw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kalamazoo County commissioners on May 7 voted to amend the county sanitary code to expand the groundwater restriction zone around the KL Landfill.

The board opened and closed a public hearing on the proposed sanitary code amendment; no members of the public spoke during the hearing itself. After the hearing the board considered the resolution and approved it by roll call. The clerk recorded the roll as 8 yes, 0 no.

Later in the meeting during the general public comment period a resident, Michelle Vanderruest of Charleston Township, said she and neighbors had chosen not to connect to municipal water and expressed concern about losing that choice if their properties fall inside a restricted zone that would require hookup. She said restrictions and the application process to remain on wells for irrigation can be difficult and that some neighbors connected preemptively only because they feared retroactive hookup costs.

The public hearing packet and the resolution language were available in the meeting packet; county staff did not report oral testimony at the hearing and will implement the code amendment as adopted. The board did not discuss changes to exemptions or a mandatory connection timeline during the public meeting beyond standard code considerations.

Why it matters: groundwater restriction zones are used to protect public health by directing properties to municipal water systems when groundwater is affected by landfill contaminants. Expanding a restricted zone can create costs and permit requirements for property owners who must connect to a public water system, and residents in affected areas often raise affordability and choice concerns.

What's next: county staff will implement the sanitary code amendment. Residents with questions about whether their property is included or whether irrigation or other exemptions apply should contact the health department; public comment at the meeting indicated some residents will seek administrative guidance on exemption procedures.

","Board passed a resolution amending the county sanitary code to expand the KL Landfill groundwater restriction zone after a public hearing that drew no speakers; later in public comment a resident raised concerns about mandatory hookup for wells in the restricted area.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6565421,"After paternity contract ends, Kalamazoo County prosecutors reassign staff and commissioners approve position changes",392,7258000,7650000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3&start=7258&end=7650","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3219681-f0c65fff07dc2922b8e6cae11b9cd2c3/thumbnail_7258000.jpg","/articles/6565421/Kalamazoo-County/Michigan/After-paternity-contract-ends-Kalamazoo-County-prosecutors-reassign-staff-and-commissioners-approve-position-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6565421-54b7410a7afa80065871792f7b92cca3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135515&Signature=D-y62BMnhw6J0LWn~kInjVPoEkkavMMH5vEbCEQYZeZ1TBLSmhQqxd-cVpP1oleF2lqN565YPRBjvacz1yMqy65JfrJ4TuyCVn6RG8qCnc14T5YhQSgFQOWiq4GFb~LxNnzqjuDGl1j0js2y612mB9moHb8ubwr321brav3VgTfaA2lXw3R1w4gacK9lpVLP46QLMrLTxCT9ACuAaFHzn3F5udxrJNLNgIbLLAgi3GgYFXgZKXvCZsnhmwdhNS9JpeUHJjge4Ga225vkkTCVZ6aq5TjQDO1yI79qJA5jY-nHbU3H-YSBOALPag-97chwTuaKesUx8VCYPtioMOovYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kalamazoo County commissioners on May 7 approved a request from the prosecutor's office to eliminate and create certain positions after the county's contract with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) for paternity-establishment work ended.

The item was contentious and produced extensive questioning from commissioners concerned about community impacts and staff notification. Before the vote, county leadership and the prosecutor described the statutory and operational context: the prosecutor's office had performed paternity-establishment work under a state reimbursement agreement; a change in staffing and the prosecutor's inability to reassign an experienced attorney led the office to notify MDHHS in early March that it would stop providing the service. MDHHS told the county it would assume responsibility for paternity-establishment work, but the transition raises questions about timing and local service continuity.

Prosecuting Attorney (unnamed in the public transcript) told the board the long-serving assistant prosecuting attorney who handled the unit left in early February and later took a state child-support position. The prosecutor said he lacked an attorney to assign to the paternity unit and that, under the reimbursement agreement, his office had historically staffed the function with multiple employees. He described heavy workloads in the criminal divisions and said the proposed personnel change uses money already budgeted to preserve service levels in prosecutors' core functions while retaining legal-assistant capacity in the office.

\"We are not doing this to hurt anyone. We are doing it because we can't do it anymore,\" the prosecutor said, explaining the office's staffing shortages and its discussions with the courts and the state. He said the county agreed with MDHHS to continue processing certain near-term cases so that 50 cases could be brought to conclusion and that the state had indicated it would consider those cases compliant while it stood up its program.

The prosecutor's request asked the board to reassign or retain a subset of the earlier-funded positions. Commissioners debated alternatives — whether the county could reassign staff to other departments, whether the friend of the court could assume the work, and whether the county should require better advance notice when a board-signatory contract is terminated. Several commissioners asked for reports on outstanding grant billing and the status of cases that need paternity orders.

After more than an hour of discussion, the commission voted to approve the prosecutor's elimination/creation request. The clerk recorded the final roll call as 6 yes, 2 no. Supporters said the change allowed the prosecutor to preserve critical legal-assistant capacity within the office and add one criminal investigator for case work. Opponents said the change was a midyear response to a problem they wished had been raised earlier and urged broader follow-up with the state, the friend of the court and county administration to secure a longer-term solution.

What the board noted: commissioners emphasized the statutory options in the paternity act of 1956 that allow the prosecutor to assign the authority to file paternity cases to another county entity (friend of the court), to a county-employed attorney, or to the state. Commissioners asked county staff and the prosecutor to return with more detailed information about which cases were pending, how many households would be affected, and whether additional county options — including hiring a county-employed attorney to run an establishment unit — might be feasible.

Why it matters: establishing paternity is a prerequisite for child-support orders in most cases and can affect families' eligibility for cash assistance and Medicaid. Commissioners said they were concerned about the pace of the state transition and about long-term local capacity to provide timely paternity and child-support legal services.

What's next: prosecutor and county staff will coordinate follow-up briefings for the board that detail pending cases, billing status, and alternative service models. Administration and corporate counsel were asked to explore policy changes so the board is notified earlier if the county is a signatory to a contract and that contract will be terminated.

","The county prosecutor ended a state contract for paternity establishment; staff said MDHHS will assume work and commissioners approved a midyear elimination/creation to reassign legal assistants and add a criminal investigator while raising questions about communications and service continuity.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Kalamazoo County staff present updated housing study and recommend targeted 2025 millage funding

Board to form ad hoc committee to recommend site for voter-approved indoor youth sports facility

Kalamazoo County adopts amendment to expand KL Landfill groundwater restriction zone; public hearing had no oral testimony

After paternity contract ends, Kalamazoo County prosecutors reassign staff and commissioners approve position changes