KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo City Commissioners dove neck deep into the 2022 budget Monday night, hearing over three hours of presentations from city staff on their plans for the next year.
Spending is up as more city projects are planned, and it’s all being made possible by the Foundation for Excellence, rising property values, increases in state revenue sharing, and Federal COVID-19 relief dollars.
City Finance Director Steve Vincenzi says spending will increase about 15%.
Foundation for Excellence Director Steve Brown says they are pretty optimistic about the future now that homeowners are getting a big tax break and they are tackling the city’s toughest problems.
Commissioners had a few questions about specific spending items, but proposed no major alterations to City Manager Jim Ritsema’s proposed budget.
Ritsema says the plan is to hold a public hearing on the budget proposal at their January 3, 2022 commission meeting and ask for final approval at the meeting after that.
Some of the new money will be coming from a rate increase in water and sewer bills. That discussion won’t come until February, after the city budget is approved next month.
The next discussions on how to spend the city’s Federal COVID-19 relief dollars won’t come until this coming spring and summer.
