Officials push for Eaton County public safety millage

EATON COUNTY, Mich. (WLNS) – People in Eaton County will see a new millage proposal on the November ballot and officials held a discussion Thursday to emphasize the importance of people voting “yes”.

“Voting yes on this proposal is the difference between having deputies available to keep when called or not,” said Sheriff Tom Reich.

Reich says non-mandated services like road patrol will be on the chopping block without financial help from the proposal.

The courts, prosecutor’s office, and sheriff’s office make up 65% of the Eaton County budget, meaning they will see the biggest cuts if the proposal doesn’t pass.

“We want to provide safety services to the county and we want to provide jobs for the community,” said County Commission Chairman Jim Mott.

Mott says without the revenue from this millage, people’s jobs are at risk.

“If this fails we are going to lose roughly over 100 people, employees that we have at the county,” continued Mott.

That’s about a quarter of their workforce.

“This leaves our communities vulnerable,” said Sheriff Reich.

Prosecutor Doug Lloyd says with budget cuts he would have to start picking and choosing which crimes are prosecuted.

“That’s not a position that, as your Eaton County Prosecutor, I want to be placed in,” said Lloyd. “I want to treat everyone equally. I want to treat every crime equally.”

The County says the budget will be short $21.5 million for the 2026/27 fiscal year if the proposal doesn’t pass—especially without the state and federal grants that have kept the budget balanced during the last few years.

The County has also made pension and benefit reductions, but officials say this cannot continue.

“I am asking the voters of Eaton County to vote yes on this proposal to keep our county safe,” said Reich.

County officials say the property tax increase will cost the average property owner about $18 a month or $216 a year. They say people can use a Mill Rate Calculator to see how much this proposal will cost them. You simply put in your name and address to see the amount for your property.

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