Van Buren Conservation District Millage Renewal Aug 4, 2026

Ten years ago, the VBCD was at a crossroads. Although it was the most important environmental organization in the county providing conservation and environmental services to farmers, property owners, and the general population, its traditional sources of funding were drying up. Rather than stop providing the services so desperately needed by county residents, the District made the bold decision to seek millage funding. That original ballot request by the VBCD ten years ago was for a tenth of a mill to fund their operations and to expand their environmental programs throughout the county. An average home valued at $100,000 (SEV of $50,000) would pay about $5.00 per year. The battle cry for the millage proponents was that for the price of a McDonald’s Big Mac or Starbucks Double Latte, county residents had an unusual opportunity to do something positive for the local environment that we all live, work, and recreate in.

Well, the millage request passed ten years ago and since then, the VBCD received a tenth of a mill (approximately $300,000 the first year) of annual funding. It's time to analyze what has been accomplished the last ten years and whether passing that millage produced the environmental benefits predicted and at a reasonable cost.

By having a stable source of funding, VBCD was able to compete more successfully for state and federal grant funds, most of which require some percentage of local match. Over the last ten years, VBCD has received over 70 grants bringing in additional revenues of over 5.5 million dollars. This allowed the District to add more permanent staff, and consequently, to expand existing and add new conservation programs on the ground in the county. In fact, for every $1.00 of millage funding, the District is able to leverage an additional $2.33 of state, federal, and other funding.

What does this mean for Van Buren County residents? Well, for example, recycling in the county has been vigorously expanded by the District with over 66 countywide recycling events being held in the past decade. VBCD has helped 7 transfer stations improve their facilities and expand services, including scrap tire, battery, and foam recycling. In 2025 alone, over 13,000 tires and 83,000 pounds of electronics were recycled, while over 33,000 pounds of hazardous waste were safely disposed of.

Agriculture has benefitted over the past decade, with VBCD delivering over $650,000 to farmers for soil and water protection, including over 19,000 acres of cover crops being planted. Also, over $5.5 million has been delivered to landowners for conservation practices on farms. VBCD has helped farmers implement over one thousand best practices to reduce environmental risk while supporting farmers on over 70,000 acres in the county. It cannot be overemphasized that the unique assistance the District supplies to farmers is non-regulatory and completely voluntary.

We all care about water quality and the District has conducted 109 habitat surveys to protect lake and stream health, held numerous clean-up events to remove trash from county lakes and streams, and delivered hundreds of free well-water nitrate/nitrite screenings. The District’s planting of trees and shrubs along riparian areas are calculated to prevent over 54,000 gallons of run-off each year and other measures have prevented thousands of tons of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus from entering our waterways.

VBCD has also helped to protect, enhance, and restore natural resources in the county over the last decade. Over $300,000 has been delivered to landowners for wildlife habitat and reforestation projects. The District has distributed over 145,000 native seedlings which help with air and water quality, and wildlife habitat.

Importantly, VBCD has been a leader in promoting intra-regional cooperation in the fight against invasive species. A Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area covering the three counties in SW Michigan was formed, including creation of a Strike Team to detect and eradicate the invasive species most detrimental to our local eco-systems. Since its formation, the Strike Team has surveyed over 2200 acres for invasives and treated or removed tons of plants. In partnership with the VB Road Commission, the Strike Team has treated Japanese Knotweed and Phragmites occurrences on over 650 miles of county roads.

There can be no doubt that Van Buren County residents have received great environmental bang-for-the-buck since passing the original millage request by VBCD ten years ago. Now, the District is seeking a renewal of the millage which, because of the mandatory Headlee rollback, is actually less than the original tenth of a mill. VBCD seeks renewal of a 0.0989 millage expected to raise approximately $442,463.54 annually. The estimated cost to a household owning a $100,000 home (SEV $50,000), would be $4.95 per year. The Friends of Van Buren Conservation District strongly believe it is essential that we pass this modest millage renewal request to enable VBCD to continue its work conserving and protecting the land, water, and natural resources of Van Buren County.

Friends of Van Buren Conservation District is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group of volunteers partnering with VBCD to help the District’s mission of protecting and conserving the natural resources of Van Buren County.

Kevin Haight

Chair, Friends of Van Buren Conservation District

Past President of Two Rivers Coalition

Past President of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy