Finance committee forwards FY25 millage resolution, reviews quarter-two finances and grant changes

The Ottawa County Finance and Administration Committee voted to forward a resolution establishing millage rates for tax year 2025 to the full Board of Commissioners and received the county’s detailed second-quarter financial statements and a set of FY2025 budget adjustments.

The committee’s action on millage gives the board chair authority to sign the required L-429 form so local units can include the county millage on tax bills. Karen, finance staff, told the committee that equalization has finalized taxable values and that the county is “allowed to keep all the growth in the county,” while the allowable millage rollback is limited by Headley up to CPI.

Why it matters: setting millage rates is the final step in the county’s 2025 budget process and enables local units to print tax bills. Committee discussion also focused on how recent federal and state grant changes affect department budgets and what options the board has to reduce the county’s tax rate in future budget cycles.

Committee members unanimously passed the millage resolution on a roll call. Karen explained in the meeting packet that Ottawa County’s maximum allowable total millage moved from 5.7311 in 2024 to…