Grand Traverse County commissioners Wednesday approved the county’s 2026 budget, which includes an additional detective position at the Sheriff’s Office, a new planning/community development department with two employees, an upcoming county operations audit, planning contracts for the future of the Governmental Center and new county jail, and a down payment for Project Alpha. Commissioners also approved awarding $500,000 in marijuana funds to 13 local organizations in awards ranging from $20,000 to $80,000.

Budget
Commissioners have unanimously approved the county’s 2026 budget, which came to $110.7 million with all funds included and nearly $56 million for the general fund.

County Administrator Nate Alger reviewed highlights Wednesday from the balanced budget, which includes several allocations for planning work in 2026. That includes $400,000 to audit county operations, which Alger said in a memo will help determine if the county is “adequately providing services to our community, if there are better ways to provide services, and if there are efficiencies that we could recognize.”

The budget also covers two separate contracts recently approved by the board to plan for the future of the Governmental Center in partnership with the City of Traverse City and to work with community groups on planning a new jail and justice facility. Because determining where different county services will be located is part of that process, and because the justice center is a priority, Alger said the operations audit could begin with the “offices and departments that will be housed within the justice facility.”

The county will also be adding a new planning/community development and coordination department in 2026 with two new employees. Those employees would help build on the work led now by Community Development Coordinator Maxwell Cameron. Commissioners felt the county needs to take a stronger leadership role in coordinating regional planning efforts, which some felt has been lacking since the county disbanded its planning department and commission in 2018. With Grand Traverse County one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, Cameron said such a department could play an “important role” in addressing issues ranging from housing to transportation to economic development.

Commissioners also added a detective position to the Sheriff’s Office, an adjustment made to correct the fact that the number of employees in that department has been over the staffing plan since 2022. Vice Chair TJ Andrews questioned why the budgets for some departments – including the Sheriff’s Office patrol division, register of deeds office, and treasurer’s office – were significantly higher in 2026 than in 2025, often by several hundred thousand dollars. Finance Director Dean Bott explained that the “bulk of that increase” for the Sheriff’s Office is due to rising personnel costs, including cost-of-living adjustments and benefit expenses. Meanwhile, the treasurer’s office was down a position that’s expected to come back in 2026, while both that department and the register of deeds have software/technology cost increases in the coming year, according to Bott.

The county’s current millage rate is 4.6065 mills, Bott said, though that could change in the coming year based on Headlee rollbacks. The 2026 budget covers roughly $2.5 million in capital improvement projects (paid for with leftover/carryover funds, requiring no new funds next year), over $5.6 million in various payments toward the county’s retirement debt, and a $3 million general fund allocation toward Project Alpha. That project will expand the county’s LaFranier Road campus and could break ground next spring. Commissioners previously voted at their December 10 meeting to suspend their fund balance policy and apply nearly $5.6 million in surplus funds toward Project Alpha, which is expected to be a $26.2-$27.6 million project. A large down payment will reduce the amount the county has to bond and save interest costs over time.

Marijuana Awards
Commissioners Wednesday also unanimously approved awarding $500,000 to 13 local organizations from the county’s marijuana revenues. It’s the first time awards are being distributed under the county’s new policy for spending its annual marijuana dollars, which are unrestricted. The policy divides revenues each year between internal county and external community needs, using an application process for the latter. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, religious organizations, schools and school districts, colleges and universities, and economic development organizations and corporations.

The county received 81 applications totaling $4.8 million in requests. Administrative staff scored the requests based on published criteria – including alignment with the county’s strategic goals, among other metrics – with 26 applications scoring 90 or more points out of a maximum 100 points. A work group that included Commissioners Ashlea Walter, Darryl Nelson, and Lauren Flynn then narrowed down the applications to 13 recommended to receive funding. Commissioners approved those recommendations Wednesday. Awards are as follows:

> Conservation Resource Alliance: Restoring Mitchell Creek, $80,000
> Friends of Grand Traverse Conservation District: Ottaway Crossing Footbridge, $50,000
> Habitat for Humanity Grand Traverse Region: Habitat Housing at Carriage Commons, $50,000
> Homestretch Nonprofit Housing: Fern Street Duplexes, $50,000
> Norte Youth Cycling: The Norte Hub & Headquarters, $50,000
> Women's Resource Center Helen's House: A Community Investment in Safe Housing for Survivors of Domestic Violence, $50,000
> Housing North - Northwest Michigan Rural Housing Partnership: Grand Traverse Home Share Network-Start Up Support, $25,000
> Peace Ranch: Peace Ranch Rustic Retreat Therapy Center, $25,000
> Salvation Army Traverse City Corps: Salvation Army Hope on Wheels: Emergency Disaster Support Program, $25,000
> ROCK of Kingsley Youth Center: YOU Matter After-School Holistic Programming, $25,000
> SEEDS Ecology and Education Centers: SEEDS EcoCorps Serving County Parks: Creating Jobs through County Asset Enhancement, $25,000
> TART Trails: Trailblazing Tomorrow $25,000
> Grand Traverse County Economic Development Corporation: Land Use and Community Planning Project, $20,000

Grand Traverse County is slated to receive a total of $931,658 in marijuana revenues this year, according to Alger. The remaining $431,658 not distributed to community groups has been allocated to county facilities renovations, remodeling, and/or new construction projects.