Politics
Grand Rapids Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Sets Property Tax Millage at 12.85 Mills
Property owners in Grand Rapids will see the new rate applied to their December tax statements, which fund city operations including police patrols, road repairs on streets such as Wealthy and Division, and maintenance of parks in neighborhoods like Eastown and Creston.
How we reported this
The Grand Rapids City Commission adopted the fiscal year 2027 budget on June 30, setting the city operating millage at 12.85 mills, a change from the prior year that applies to all taxable property within city limits and determines the portion of local property tax bills directed to municipal services.
The annual budget cycle requires the commission to finalize revenue projections by the end of June each year, after the state provides updated taxable value estimates for Kent County properties and before the July 1 start of the new fiscal period.
Effects on Resident Bills and Services
Homeowners will receive tax statements calculated on the new rate beginning in December, with an average assessed home value of $250,000 facing an estimated $3,212 annual city tax portion before any credits or exemptions; the same funds support 24-hour emergency response staffing at fire stations on the west side and resurfacing projects scheduled for 18 miles of local streets in 2027.
City budget documents list property tax collections as providing $172 million of the $286 million general fund total for the coming year, a figure that covers 61 percent of day-to-day expenditures on public safety, code enforcement, and transit subsidies for The Rapid bus routes serving commuters to downtown employers.
Implementation Steps Ahead
Policy analysts at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce have noted that residents can review individual parcel estimates on the city assessor website starting in August, while local advocates at neighborhood associations have scheduled meetings to explain how the millage interacts with state homestead exemptions for qualifying primary residences.
The city treasurer will mail final tax bills by December 1, after which property owners have until February 14 to pay without penalty, and any appeals of assessed values must be filed with the March board of review.