2026 Proposed Budget Available for Public Review
Published on December 02, 2025
The proposed 2026 Budget for the City of Kalamazoo is now available for public review. The proposal is presented in an interactive format on the City of Kalamazoo website at https://www.kalamazoocity.org/budgets and selecting the City Budgets tab drop down.
View the 2026 Proposed Budget
The total 2026 proposed Budget is $344 million and reflects a decrease of 11.4% from the 2025 Adopted Budget total expenditures of $388.7 million. The reduction in overall expenditure is primarily driven by year-to-year fluctuations in the City of Kalamazoo’s capital improvement plans, including $110 million received in 2025 from the State of Michigan’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). These funds supported extensive regionwide projects to ensure clean and safe drinking water, and much of the DWSRF funding will be carried forward to 2026 for continued work.
The 2026 proposed Budget reflects the community’s values and goals included in the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 Strategic Vision and encompasses direction provided by the Kalamazoo City Commission at their March 2025 Retreat. Imagine Kalamazoo is a community-driven planning process to create a new Strategic Vision and Master Plan for the city. These community values and goals are now continuing with Imagine Kalamazoo 2035. During the March 2025 Retreat, City Commissioners identified three goal areas to increase focus for the 2026 Budget: Safe Community, Shared Prosperity, and Economic Vitality. Specific projects were identified by the City Commission and then chosen for funding through the City of Kalamazoo’s peer review special request process.
Safe Community
The City of Kalamazoo maintains its commitment to creating a safe environment to live, work, and play through 2026 aspirational initiatives such as the HomeShare Program and Critical Code Repair Program. The HomeShare Program, pending confirmation of feasibility through a 2025 study, would launch in 2026 to match homeowners with unused space to individuals seeking affordable housing. Additionally, the Critical Code Repair Program continues to assist homeowners with essential safety-related repairs, helping to preserve the integrity and livability of Kalamazoo’s housing stock.
Shared Prosperity
Creatin abundant opportunities for all people to prosper remains a central focus of the 2026 Budget. Programs such as the Emergency Shelter Program and Bridges to Career Opportunities (BCO) exemplify this commitment. The Emergency Shelter Program collaborates with Kalamazoo County, the City of Portage, Southwest Michigan First, Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, United Way of South Central Michigan, Ministry with Community, and Integrated Services of Kalamazoo to provide financial and operational support for the Kalamazoo County Housing Department’s emergency shelter. The BCO initiative is implemented in partnership with the Northside Association for Community Development and supports economic mobility for residents in Kalamazoo’s core neighborhoods.
Economic Vitality
Promoting economic vitality remains a top priority in the 2026 Budget. The Capital Consortium Program helps entrepreneurs who face barriers to traditional banking access the capital needed to launch, grow, or acquire their businesses. Through collaboration with the Kalamazoo Entrepreneur Network (KZEN), and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the Capital Consortium expands access to capital while providing business owners with the tools and guidance to use those funds effectively.
The Kalamazoo City Commission adopted a resolution setting a public hearing to consider the proposed 2026 Budget during the City Commission Regular Business Meeting on Monday, Nov. 18. The hearing will take place during the City Commission Business Meeting on Monday, Dec. 15, inside the City Commission Chambers. A formal work session on the budget will take place at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, during the Committee of the Whole Meeting, also in the Chambers. The final budget actions by the City Commission are scheduled for Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
City Charter requires that a budget be approved by January 31 each year. All meetings will be streamed live on the City’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/KalamazooCity) and YouTube channel (https://www.kalamazoocity.org/youtube).