Kent County Commission adopts budget with the largest portion going to the Prison Industrial Complex

Last week, the Kent County Commission adopted a $668 million FY2026 Annual Budget, with a 16 – 4 vote in favor of that budget, with Commissioner Kallman absent from the vote.

The breakdown of the vote is instructive as well. All 9 of the Democratic members of the Kent County Commission voted for the $668 million FY2026 Annual Budget, while 7 Republican members of the County Commission also voted for the budget. Four Republican Kent County members voted no, but not because too much money was allocated towards the Prison Industrial Complex in Kent County. The four dissenting Republican members (Merchant, DeBoer, Burrill, and Bujak) voted no because they think the Kent County government is too big and their constituents are over taxed. 

Despite some GOP member opposition, the majority of the Kent County Commissioners voted for the massive amount of funds that go towards the Prison Industrial Complex in Kent County – the Sheriff’s Department, the jail, the court system and the prosecuting attorney’s office. Voting for the Prison Industrial Complex in Kent County means they voted for the arrest and jailing of a disproportionate number of BIPOC residents and residents who live in poverty. 

What was interesting to see from the Kent County Commission meeting last Thursday, was the fact that the Sheriff’s Department gave a big presentation prior to the vote, which also came with significant bipartisan praise for the so-called public safety people. Here is a link to the video of that meeting. 

There was some interesting comments made by commissioners prior to the vote. Commissioner Faber suggested that the commission should involve the public more in the process of deciding the budget, without offer any concrete suggestions. Commissioner Ponstein pretty much dismissed the suggestion of involving the public in the budget discussion and Commissioner Stek said, “it’s the county’s budget that is up for approval, not the voters or the public.” 

On the matter of voting for the Sheriff’s Department, the jail, the court system and the prosecuting attorney’s office, Commissioner Womack stated, “If we are not supporting public safety, public safety is not going to support us.” For someone who was involved in calling justice during the Schurr trial, Womack didn’t hesitate to vote for the arrest and incarceration of a large percentage of Black and Brown residents in Kent County. 

Democratic Commissioner Monica Sparks went out of her way to make comments on social media about the bipartisan nature of the passage of the vote, saying:

“As your Kent County Commissioner for District 12, I’m proud to share- Today we have officially passed the annual $563 million Kent County budget! Thank you to my colleagues for coming together and working in a nonpartisan way to make this possible. This is what true public service looks like leaders setting aside differences and focusing on what really matters: the people we serve. Today, we celebrate collaboration, teamwork, and the shared commitment to do what’s best for our community. Together, we are making progress for our constituents and ensuring resources are directed where they are needed most. When we put people over politics, everybody wins.”

Black, Latino, immigrant and people living in poverty certainly don’t win. 

The only Kent County Commissioner that questioned the disproportionately high amount of funding of the Prison Industrial Complex in Kent County was Commissioner McCloud, who stated, “43% of our budget is related to safety from courts to the sheriff’s office and these sorts of things and less than 1% s related to health and human services and mental health.” The vast gap between what the the authors of the book Beyond Courts refer to “administrative punishment” and basic human services from the County is glaring. 

Unfortunately, Commissioner McCloud ended up voting for the the very things that she was critically pointing out. And therein lies the problem with politics – you talk a good game and provide a useful narrative, but then you vote for systems of power and oppression. Since actions speak louder than words, the entire Kent County Commission voted to endorse the Prison Industrial Complex in this county, for administrative punishment, and for the criminalizing of a disproportionate number of Black and Latino residents.