Kent County — Millage Renewal: Zoo and Museum Millage

What it does

For the purpose of renewing dedicated funding for the care of animals and artifacts, repair and improvement of exhibits, and providing enhanced educational programs, shall the total limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all taxable property in Kent County be renewed at 0.4086 mill ($0.4086 on each $1,000 of taxable value) on all Real and Personal Property subject to taxation for the period 2026 through 2035, inclusive, which would be allocated to the John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum? The amount raised by the levy in the first year is estimated at $15,562,948.00. To the extent permitted by law, a portion of the revenues from this millage will be captured by local authorities for authorized purposes. The total amount of captured tax increment revenues from such millage in the first calendar year of the levy is estimated at $399,110.86. The tax increment authorities in Kent County, capturing a portion of this tax levy, include the following: the Downtown Development Authorities for the Cities of Cedar Springs, Grandville, Lowell, Rockford, and Walker, the Charter Township of Cascade, the Townships of Bowne, Sparta, and Tyrone; the Brownfield Redevelopment Authorities of Cascade Township, Cedar Springs, Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kent County, Kentwood, Plainfield Charter Township, Rockford, Walker, and Wyoming; the Monroe North Tax increment Financing Authority; and Corridor Improvement Authority of the City of Grand Rapids.

A YES vote means

Kent County would renew a 0.4086 mill tax from 2026 through 2035 for the John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum, raising about $15,562,948.00 the first year.

A NO vote means

Kent County's zoo and museum millage would not be renewed.

What it would cost

0.4086 mills (estimated): $40.86 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value (a mill is $1 per $1,000). Taxable value is after exemptions such as homestead; your tax bill or property appraiser shows yours. It would continue a tax already in place rather than add a new one.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

Kent County voters first approved the zoo and museum millage in 2016 with 62% voting yes, and the current 10-year levy ends in 2026, according to a City of Grand Rapids briefing on the Grand Rapids Public Museum; the briefing says $7.5 million of the museum's $13.5 million annual budget comes from the millage.

This renewal would levy 0.4086 mill for 2026 through 2035 for the John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum, estimated at $15,562,948 in the first year, with about $399,111 captured by local tax increment authorities, according to the ballot language.

FOX 17 reported that the Kent County Board of Commissioners voted in May 2026 to place the renewal on the ballot after a subcommittee review that included an independent financial analysis, and that over ten years the millage would provide about $124.1 million to the zoo and $69.8 million to the museum.

Put on the ballot by Kent County Board of Commissioners (May 2026).

From official source.

In the news

• Kent County voters to decide renewal of zoo and museum millage this November · FOX 17

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on Kent County ballots

• Kent County — Millage Renewal and Increase: Corrections and Detention Facilities

All Kent County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Kent County mean?

Kent County would renew a 0.4086 mill tax from 2026 through 2035 for the John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum, raising about $15,562,948.00 the first year.

What does a NO vote on Kent County mean?

Kent County's zoo and museum millage would not be renewed.

How many votes does Kent County need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on Kent County?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.