KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Kalamazoo City Commissioners have approved their 2017 budget which is a radical departure from previous city budgets and you could say from most municipal budgets in Michigan, or even the nation.
Not only will the property tax reduction make the city more affordable for homeowners, but it will also make it a more attractive place to do business, dropping the rate over 7 mils from last year’s rate of just over 19 mils.
City Manager Jim Ritsema says it’s because it will rely on a major one-time grant to provide funding for new staff, new projects and a massive property tax reduction.
He says they plan a special session next Monday to talk about how they plan to spend the few million extra they will have to directly tackle the community’s biggest issues.
