Kent County finance committee approves FY2026 budget, multiple grant appropriations and program allocations

The Kent County Board of Commissioners finance committee on Thursday approved the county's FY2026 General Appropriations Act and a slate of grant acceptances and supplemental appropriations that county staff said will fund services including a diaper bank, community development projects, adult mental health court operations and senior services.

The finance committee approved the FY2026 budget as the county's official budget for the year and accepted proposed totals of $254,805,056 for the General Fund and $250,425,054 for special revenue funds, for combined appropriations of $505,230,110. The committee also approved asking the full board in September 2025 to authorize 1.9432 mills for voter-approved dedicated millages and to request a general property tax levy in May 2026 to support county operations. The budget request includes the addition of 16 positions (15.7 full-time equivalents) as recommended by the operations and policy committee.

Why this matters: The General Appropriations Act sets county operating and capital spending levels and frames tax and staffing decisions for the coming year.

In the meeting the committee also approved these grant- and program-level actions:

- Diaper bank (Kent County Community Action): The committee accepted and appropriated an additional $40,366 from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, bringing the total award to $80,732 for the Diaper Bank Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. County staff said the grant will support direct delivery of diapers and diapering supplies to…