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Kalamazoo commission outlines 2026 priorities; home‑share feasibility, Imagine Kalamazoo 2035 advance
Summary
At a Committee of the Whole meeting April 21, Kalamazoo City officials reviewed outcomes from a recent commission retreat that will guide 2026 budget requests, discussed a city-led RFP and feasibility study for a home‑sharing program, and received an update on the Imagine Kalamazoo 2035 planning process.
Kalamazoo City Commission members on Monday reviewed retreat results that will shape department requests for the 2026 budget, discussed next steps for a city-run home‑share program feasibility study and request for proposals (RFP), and heard an update on the Imagine Kalamazoo 2035 planning process.
The retreat produced five priority outcomes — increasing affordable housing, improving community prosperity, decreasing violent crime among youth, supporting economic development, and increasing support for people experiencing homelessness — that staff will use to evaluate special requests coming into the 2026 budget process. Chief operating officer Laura Lam told commissioners that retreat priorities will be weighed alongside core, day‑to‑day budget items such as utilities and roads.
The home‑share agenda item combined a public comment in favor of flexible matching with staff details about the program’s status. Toby Hannah Davies, a city resident who said she has used home sharing in the past, urged the commission to allow flexibility in matching by age and needs. “It’s really important to have the people making the…
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