Text graphic that says "Vote No on Detention" with the word "No" in red.

Vote No on the Kent County Corrections and Detention Facilities Millage this November 3, 2026

As a community, we say NO to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office:

No symbol with money crossed-out circle

NO to paying for their poor budgeting

No Symbol for no separation of families

NO to dividing our community

A drawing of a surveillance camera with a red prohibition sign over it, indicating no surveillance or recording.

NO to increased surveillance

Vote NO on the Kent County Millage Renewal and Increase for the Corrections and Detention Facilities

While we are already paying for higher gas prices, groceries, medical bills, and utility bills, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office is asking us to pay even more taxes for their lack of planning and poor handling of their obligations. 

Not only are they pushing this millage two years ahead of schedule (the current millage expires in 2029), they’re asking us to pay more for services that are already separating families and infringing on our freedoms. Despite years of incrementally increasing their share of the General Fund Pie, and over a decade of a stable source of income from the existing millage, they manage to overspend, overreach, and consistently perform over budget.

For you and I, that would lead to debt, financial stress, and going without. For them, it is “proof” that they need more and more and more money.

Illustrations of Flock camera, money, and separation of families

Where does it stop?

Our families and other county departments are asked to make do with limited budgets, but the Sheriff’s office seeks more than the $100 million it already receives from our hard-earned tax dollars.

Outline drawing of cuffs
No symbol with money inside

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Takes more money out of our pockets unnecessarily.

The Kent County Sheriff’s office wants to increase our taxes for 20 years to fund their office. For most property owners in Kent County that’ll be an additional $180 in taxes per year.

Over 20 years, $180 amounts to $3,600—that could be used for childcare, home repairs, medical bills, a vacation, etc.

The millage is estimated to raise $37,326,699 in the first year alone. How could we better serve our community if we had $37 million dollars we could?

The Kent County Sheriff’s office is asking us to fund them when they already receive:

  • Over $100 million from the Kent County General fund, which is funded by our tax dollars, was allocated to the Sheriff’s office in 2026 (1)

  • $1.5 million in reimbursements from the Michigan Department of Corrections (4)

No symbol with Separation of families

RACIAL INJUSTICE

Divides our community. Perpetuates Injustice.

The Kent County Sheriff’s office detains people for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as stated in their 2025 Policy and Procedures. (2)

In Kent County, Black people only make up 11.1% of the total population, but 47.5% of the incarcerated population. (3,4)

In 2025, 82% of charges at the time of booking at the Kent County Jail were for non-violent offenses; in other words, an overwhelming majority of people being held at the jail were being held for non-violent offenses. 53% of the charges at time of booking were for crimes of poverty (e.g., retail fraud).

98% of people detained in the Kent County jail don’t go to prison. (4)

Since 2023, the annual average daily population in the Kent County jail has declined/trended down. (4)

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OVER SURVEILLANCE

Infringes on our freedoms and constitutional rights.

In February 2026, $750,000 of our tax dollars were used to develop the Real Time Intelligence Center (RTIC). The RTIC, which is housed in the Sheriff’s office, processes videos and information from Flock cameras and other Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR). (5)

They are using our tax dollars to surveil us without our consent. We didn’t vote for this. According to the Sheriff’s office, 63% of people are detained at the jail for 47 hours or less, indicating that the Kent County Jail serves as a turnkey operation, detaining a majority of people for a short time frame when they could be back in the community.(4)

49% of people are detained before seeing a judge, which counters the “innocent until proven guilty” narrative.

Sources

1. Kent County. (2025, June 9). 2026 Adopted Budget. Kent County MI. https://www.kentcountymi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8053/2026-Budget-Summary-PDF
2. Kent County Sheriff’s Office. (2025). Kent County Sheriff’s Office Policy and Procedure. griid.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/kent-county-sheriff-ice-detainers.pdf
3. U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). QuickFacts Kent County, Michigan. United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/kentcountymichigan/PST045225
4. Kent County Sheriff’s Office. (2026, March). Measuring What Matters. Kent County MI. https://www.kentcountymi.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/350
5. Evans, A.J. (2026, February 19). Kent County Sheriff’s Office gets $750,000 for Real Time Intelligence Center. WOODTV. https://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/kent-county-sheriffs-office-gets-750000-for-real-time-intelligence-center/

As a community, we say:
NO to paying for their poor budgeting,
NO to dividing our community, and
NO to increased surveillance.

We say NO to the Sheriff’s office “GoFund Me” campaign.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Kent County Sheriff’s office wants to increase our taxes for 20 years to fund their office. For most property owners in Kent County the millage will cost $180 in taxes per year.

    Over 20 years, that amounts to $3,600 which could be used for childcare, home repairs, medical bills, a vacation, etc. If placed in a high yield savings account, the $3,600 could grow to more than $5,000.

  • While other county departments and all of us have to make due with our budgets, the Sheriff’s office is seeking for more of our hard earned tax dollars to continue surveiling us and dividing our community.

  • If you were to request a service from someone and they couldn’t tell you what your money would be used for, you’d probably decline to pay for their services. When it comes to this millage, the Kent County Sheriff’s office has talked about vague “potential” improvements. By failing to clearly explain how funds will be used, the Kent County Sheriff’s office continues to engage in poor planning. 

    Voting for the millage doesn’t guarantee that the funds will be used as the Sheriff’s office names.

  • The Kent County Commission and Sheriff’s office moved through a rushed process to get this millage on the ballot. By rushing the process they failed to give community members a meaningful opportunity to share their input. This millage is another example of some elected officials disregarding community members in order to push their own agenda.

  • By using broad language for what funds can be used for, accountability for the Sheriff’s office is essentially limited.

  • Detaining people in the Kent County Sheriff’s office costs us more than our tax dollars. Detention separates people from their families, takes them away from their jobs and valuable resources in our community.

  • This millage is estimated to raise $37,326,699 in the first year alone. Imagine how we could better serve our community if we had $37 million dollars. We could subsidize the cost of childcare for over 4,500 families in Kent County, create over 700 full-time jobs paying people $25/hour, and subsidize the cost of $250,000 homes for over 140 families.

    Ensuring people have a safe place to live, financial stability, and the resources to take care of their family are all proven contributors to more safe neighborhoods and communities.