KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The city of Kalamazoo’s 203-million dollar budget is now approved for 2020.
At Tuesday night’s city commission meeting, which was postponed one day due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, commissioners gave final approval to this year’s budget totaling $203,138,331. The budget was first proposed at $201,682,501 but adding in the Foundation For Excellence Fund and Water Fund bumped up the final numbers.
Mayor David Anderson says spending is up nearly 10% this year because of grants obtained by the city’s water and wastewater systems to make upgrades and replace lead service lines around the county. Parchment’s water system is now also a part of the operation.
He adds that the general governmental budget is “virtually the same number” as last year at an estimated $112,500.
The additional spending is coming from the state or customers outside the city.
The city might have had $8-million dollars less to spend on aspirational programs in the city this year if the Stryker-Johnston Foundation had not come through with a big grant.
Foundation for Excellence Coordinator Steve Brown says the money has been spent fighting poverty and funding youth programs and other community building efforts.
“Everything that’s happening under this is a continuation of the positive relationship and positive work that we’ve been building for several years that we hope to continue into the future,” said Brown.
The money from the 28.2 million dollar grant will be spent over the next three years.
The full proposed city budget document can be found here. A final budget will soon be posted on the city’s website.
Some of the new projects in the 2020 budget include repairs to the city’s water system, repaving streets, additions to the Farmer’s Market, and a new public safety station in Kalamazoo as well as three new city positions: a diversity officer, transportation planner and public information officer.
(John McNeill contributed to this report)
