KENTWOOD, Mich. — Kentwood residents can vote on a permanent police and fire millage increase when they head to the polls on May 7.
If approved, the increase of 1.95 mills would provide support for police and fire services for the city.
A spokesperson for Kentwood said the demand for these services continues to grow as the population does.
Since 2010, Kentwood's population has grown by 11.5%. The population increased from 48,707 residents in 2010 to 54,303 residents in 2020, the spokesperson said.
“Our community has grown exponentially over the past 10-plus years, and with that growth comes a need for continued investment in our police and fire services,” said Mayor Stephen Kepley. “As our teams respond to more calls for service and support more residents, additional funding for our Police and Fire departments will ensure they have the necessary resources to protect and serve our community.”
If the dedicated millage is approved, Kentwood's police and fire departments would be able to hire more people and maintain response times for those needing emergency services.
The last police and fire millage was passed in 2010 and was two mills. When passed, the millage was expected to maintain police and fire operations through 2020.
“We have been good stewards of the 2010 police and fire millage, leveraging dollars for four additional years than originally projected,” Kepley said. “We will be as effective and intentional with funds from this millage increase if approved.”
The City Commission approved the proposed millage increase on Jan. 9. If approved by voters in May, the millage would be levied starting on July 1. It's expected to generate more than $5.1 million in its first year.
According to the City of Kentwood, the millage is projected to support many police and fire initiatives over seven years, including:
- Addressing critical personnel needs, enabling police to add, train and support vital additions to the team, raising their minimum staffing level from three officers and a sergeant to five officers and a sergeant.
- Adding another EMS unit for the Fire Department in the future when the demand for emergency services exceeds current staffing.
- Funding the replacement of necessary police and fire vehicles and other equipment, which have seen significant cost increases in the past few years.
- Creating a basic outdoor training facility for police and fire that will eliminate the need for travel expenses and overtime for training purposes, ensuring cost-effective and up-to-date training practices.
- Supporting increased simulation-based training for police and fire personnel, helping team members build essential skills so they can make informed decisions in real-time that protect community members, property and fellow emergency personnel.
- Updating technology and equipment to protect police and fire team members and community members.
- Enabling both police and fire to focus resources on prevention and education and be more proactive in addressing community issues.
“We made a promise to our community to keep our average response time at or below 5 minutes and 20 seconds,” Fire Chief Brent Looman said. “To continue to meet this standard as we respond to 36% more calls than we did a decade ago, we need additional resources. Our ability to meet this response standard can mean the difference between life and death.”
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