County budget discussion centers on staffing, court funding and a prosecutor's plea for wages and grants

Kalamazoo County administrators presented an updated FY2026 budget recommendation Sept. 16 that keeps most elements from an earlier draft but adds staffing capacity, boosts a court budget request and includes a small gun‑violence allocation tied to the county’s Blueprint for Peace.

Administrator Catlett told commissioners the revised recommendation increases marijuana tax revenue projections and property tax estimates slightly, freeing funds to add 15 positions countywide, increase the circuit court operating request by about $103,400 and include $90,000 aligned to interventions identified in the Blueprint for Peace. Catlett said position descriptions and job description questionnaires (JDQs) are at varying stages; about seven positions already have JDQs on file and could be posted as soon as Oct. 21, while others will require further review or collective‑bargaining negotiations.

Catlett said two sheriff’s office positions proposed are union positions that would require negotiation. She emphasized the hires are intended to restore capacity lost after cuts in 2008 and to reduce employee overload and burnout rather than add “bells and whistles.” The administrator said the county has published an online interactive budget book, and that fee schedule updates and supplemental information are now available for review.

In public comment and later during budget discussion, the county’s prosecuting attorney (identified in the meeting simply as “the prosecutor”) urged commissioners to “put employees first” and asked the board to consider a 4% cost‑of‑living adjustment for county employees. The prosecutor described several staffing updates in the prosecutor’s office: four assistant prosecuting attorney positions previously listed as open now include two hires started the prior week and two positions in active interviewing, plus a supervisory position conversion for a Gull Road facility. He also explained that roughly $1 million in state “high crime” appropriations for county prosecutors was delayed because of language and Department of Treasury interpretation but that House Bill 4381 aims to fix the hold‑up; he warned that cuts to county prosecutor budgets could jeopardize future state appropriations.

Commissioners raised several concerns and priorities: several members urged stronger support for the circuit court, questioned the timing and necessity of 15 new positions, requested line‑level budget spreadsheets and historical actuals, and asked for contingency planning if the state fails to adopt a budget or county revenue sharing is cut. Administrator Catlett said the recommendation uses cautious revenue estimates and that the county has a target 25% fund‑balance policy to weather shortfalls; she said the administration’s lobbyists and Michigan Association of Counties are tracking proposed state cuts that would otherwise reduce county revenue sharing by substantial percentages.

Why it matters: The recommended additions would increase operating and personnel costs if the board approves them; commissioners must weigh near‑term public safety and court needs against longer‑term structural costs and the county’s ability to absorb state budget uncertainty.

What’s next: Commissioners asked staff for more detailed line‑item actuals and said they will continue to review the administrator’s recommendation at upcoming meetings; Catlett said the board will discuss priorities and may fine‑tune the recommendation ahead of the October public hearing and subsequent adoption timeline.