This dedicated Public Safety millage is essential to ensure the continued health, safety, and readiness of our emergency services while reducing strain on the City’s General Fund.

Grand Haven Department of Public Safety

The Grand Haven Department of Public Safety (GHDPS) currently accounts for approximately 44% of the City’s General Fund Budget. While this figure may seem significant, comprehensive research shows that GHDPS operates at average or below-average costs compared to similarly sized municipalities—particularly those operating separate police and fire departments. The City of Grand Haven continues to benefit from the efficiencies of a combined public safety model, which reduces administrative overlap, streamlines operations, and allows for a more flexible deployment of personnel and resources.

Despite these efficiencies, long-term cost pressures are mounting. Pension obligations have steadily increased following the closure of the legacy retirement plan. While this has created unavoidable fiscal strain, GHDPS has continued to demonstrate strong financial stewardship, maintaining lean staffing levels and carefully prioritizing capital investments to maximize operational value.

However, the department is now approaching a critical fiscal and operational juncture. The current budget does not sufficiently account for growing population demands, evolving emergency response protocols, and the escalating need to replace and modernize aging infrastructure and equipment. These unmet needs, if not addressed through thoughtful and proactive investment, will continue to strain operations, reduce service effectiveness, and ultimately increase long-term costs.

In short, while GHDPS has effectively contained costs and delivered high-value public safety services under tight fiscal constraints, the City must now confront the real and growing cost of inaction. Strategic reinvestment is essential to ensure that the department remains capable, compliant, and ready to meet the increasingly complex challenges of modern public safety.

Grand Haven’s Fiscal Constraints

The Ask…

The City of Grand Haven has demonstrated fiscal discipline, consistently working to minimize expenditures while creatively staffing and funding its operations. In recent years, the City has taken significant measures to strengthen its financial position, including:

  • Reducing staff positions

  • Reviewing and renegotiating fees and contracts

  • Adjusting service levels

  • Selling surplus City-owned property

  • Operating with staff at or near full capacity

Despite these proactive efforts, the City continues to face substantial long-term financial obligations that constrain its ability to support day-to-day operations.

These obligations—costing the City millions annually—include, but are not limited to:

  • Ongoing debt service payments; totaling over $2.5 million annually over the next four years

  • Over $34 million in unfunded pension liabilities

  • An estimated $40 to $80 million in future costs related to the environmental remediation of Harbor Island

These financial pressures create significant limitations on operational flexibility and investment in essential services. Addressing these challenges will require continued strategic planning and responsible fiscal management.

Fiscal Year 2025-2026

The City is proposing a dedicated 2-mill tax levy to support Public Safety operations. By law, all revenue generated from this millage would be restricted to Public Safety purposes and could not be used for any other function.

Projected Revenue and Duration

In the first year, the proposed millage is expected to generate approximately $1.588 million. However, due to expected Tax Increment Financing (TIF) capture and Headlee Amendment rollback provisions, the annual revenue may decline gradually over the 10-year term.

Planned Allocation of Funds:

  1. Essential Facility Upgrades – Approximately 65%

    • Construction of a dedicated decontamination area to improve firefighter health and safety.

    • Repairs to the apparatus bay to ensure continued operational readiness.

    • Remediation of environmental hazards, such as mold and asbestos.

    • Renovations to interior workspaces to address functionality and space limitations.

  2. Support for Operating Budget – Approximately 25%

    • Reduce dependency on the General Fund, allowing those resources to be redirected to other critical community needs and services.

  3. Modernization of Equipment – Approximately 10%

    • Replacement of outdated or non-compliant firefighting gear to meet current safety standards.

    • Acquisition of a new fire engine to ensure effective and reliable emergency response.

Why This Matters

As illustrated in the accompanying graphic, the City’s operating millage rate has remained largely unchanged for over 15 years—despite increased operational costs and growing service demands. Establishing a dedicated Public Safety Millage would provide a sustainable funding source to maintain and improve the quality of emergency services our community depends on, now and into the future..