Volunteers in Kent County are making a last minute push to get out the vote Tuesday. They’ll be knocking on doors and making phone calls running up to Tuesday’s election.
Voters will decide on a county-wide millage increase to renovate outdated buildings at Grand Rapids Community College.
The millage would pay for basic improvements to almost every building on campus.
David Doyle is with the yes campaign. He says the college is so important to students graduating high school and adults who are changing careers.
“Many people have lost their jobs and they’ve lost their retirement. And the college is retraining people in various programs that are part of where jobs are headed,” Doyle said.
Grand Rapids Community College is working with more than 600 businesses to retrain workers for jobs they need to fill.
If passed, it would raise nearly one hundred million dollars over the next twenty years. The millage would cost the owner of a home valued at $150,000 a little less than thirty dollars a year.
This time last year voters passed a millage to improve bus transportation in Kent County. Over the last couple years, they’ve also passed a higher income city income tax for and voted to raise property taxes to support building improvements at Grand Rapids Public Schools.
David Doyle worked on all of those yes campaigns too.
“I do see that and hear that from people; that we’re taxed out. How I operate is that you get out of your home what you put into it,” Doyle said.
He points out many republicans, business owners, and city and school officials from the suburbs are backing the millage increase.
