Kalamazoo County Board: Early Childhood Millage & Housing Study Insights

Early Childhood Development Millage

• 💡 Kalamazoo County is a federally recognized child care desert, particularly for children aged zero to two.
• 💰 Families are spending a significant portion of their income, up to 38% on childcare, with annual costs ranging from $10,400 to $12,700.
• 📉 Childcare workers are among the lowest-paid workers, averaging just over $14 per hour, with some earning below minimum wage.
• ✅ A proposed 0.5 mil for 10 years could generate $4-5 million annually to support childcare initiatives.
• 📊 Proposed funding allocations include $1 million for teacher wages, $1 million for provider quality and sustainability, and $1.5 million to lower family costs through programs like TriShare and vouchers.

Kalamazoo County Housing Needs

• 🏠 The county needs an estimated 7,800 additional housing units in the next five years, with a projected need for 15,000 units by 2050.
• demographic shifts indicate that two-thirds of households are single adults or couples without children, yet much of the available housing is expensive, large-lot single-family homes.
• 🚶 Only 9% of current residents live in walkable neighborhoods, and only 3.6% of land is zoned for such development, despite strong market demand.
• 💸 Current land use patterns that promote sprawl into rural areas lead to significantly higher infrastructure costs, estimated at $120,000 per 78 feet of road frontage for new sewer and water.

Corridor Development Opportunities

• 🗺️ The study identified 56 corridors with existing infrastructure, suggesting that only 6% of this land needs to be activated to meet the county's housing needs for the next 25 years.
• 📈 More compact development in these corridors can lead to dramatically increased taxable value; for example, a 4-acre site could see taxable value rise from $619,000 to $14.7 million.
• 🏡 Proposed neighborhood typologies include town/village centers, missing middle housing, and small lot single-family homes to address diverse housing demands.
• 🤝 The goal is to create mixed-income neighborhoods that are walkable, amenity-rich, and offer residents more transportation choices, reducing reliance on cars.

ARPA Funds Reallocation

• 🔄 The county is reallocating over $400,000 in uncommitted ARPA funds from various projects due to remaining balances or shifted programmatic needs.
• 💻 Recommendations include a countywide technology enhancement initiative for boardrooms and conference rooms to improve communication and accessibility, including ADA accommodations.
• 🔫 Consideration is being given to funding a crime analyst position to support gun violence data collaboration with the Upjohn Institute and the city of Kalamazoo.
• ⚠️ The board emphasized the need for strict deadlines for spending remaining ARPA funds, which must be obligated by the end of the year.

Public Art Committee Formation

• 🎨 A Public Art Ad Hoc Committee is being established to oversee the selection of public art for the 440 North Church Street parking garage.
• 🏛️ The Arts Council and Public Arts Commission are assisting with the initial stages of the art selection process, narrowing down proposals to a final few for the committee's decision.