Kalamazoo County commissioners twice declined a prosecutor’s office bonus request, then redirected $192,704.60 in leftover federal relief money to a state-mandated paternity program.
The Board of Commissioners’ Committee of the Whole considered the request Aug. 5 as part of a broader review of remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which must be spent by Dec. 31, 2026, or returned. County Administrator Dr. Kevin Catlin’s office identified $324,135.69 in ARPA money freed up from seven completed or underspent projects, including IT security upgrades, visiting-judge expenses for the 9th Circuit Court, and building repairs.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney (OPA) asked the board to use part of that balance for one-time retention bonuses — $1,000 to $4,000 per employee, including fringe, for OPA staff other than the elected Prosecuting Attorney — totaling $161,477.
Commissioner Dale DeLeeuw moved to approve the OPA’s request through ARPA reallocation, with the remaining balance going to capital needs. The motion, supported by Vice Chair Pro Tem Jeff Heppler, failed on a roll call vote. Several commissioners said they supported the retention payments in principle but objected to funding them through ARPA money that had been budgeted for other purposes. Commissioner Monteze Morales said departments should “find it in the budget” rather than redirect ARPA funds designated for something else.
Vice Chair John Taylor then moved to include the $162,000 retention request in the county’s 2027 budget instead, to be funded from the General Fund. That motion, supported by Commissioner Wendy Mazer, was withdrawn by Taylor after he said it did not have enough support to pass. Commissioner Tami Rey noted that approving the request outside the normal budget process could invite similar requests from other departments. Several commissioners, including Taylor and DeLeeuw, said on the record they intended to support the retention payments when the board takes up the 2027 budget.
With the OPA’s ARPA request declined, Commissioner Morales moved to follow Dr. Catlin’s recommendation: reallocate the resulting $192,704.60 to cover the county’s obligation for paternity establishment costs, with the remaining ARPA balance — $131,431.09 — going to capital needs. Vice Chair Taylor asked to split the motion into two separate votes; both passed without recorded opposition.
The paternity-establishment costs stem from a state agreement under which the county remains financially responsible for its share of the program even though the county itself no longer performs that casework, according to county counsel. The county’s obligation for the current program year (Oct. 1, 2025–Sept. 30, 2026) is $847,784.52, out of a total program cost of $6,437,908; the county covers about 34% of that total.
