Kentwood Parks

When the City of Kentwood decided to ask voters to consider a new parks millage on the August 2022 ballot, they sought Sabo PR’s communications support for the educational campaign.

Kentwood voters were asked to consider a permanent, dedicated millage of 1 mill that, if approved, would be used to improve all trails and parks in Kentwood, construct a new multigenerational community recreation center, transform the area around City Hall into a community gathering space and expand and enhance recreational programming for all ages. We got to work in January 2022 to develop a robust integrated communications campaign in partnership with City staff.

Our goal was to raise awareness of the millage proposal in the community, answer questions and address issues and inform Kentwood voters about the need over a seven-month campaign leading up to the election. We developed and implemented a plan intended to deliver a clear message on how the millage would benefit the community, if approved. Because of Kentwood’s diverse population, we also had summary documents available in the 10 most spoken languages in the community.

These efforts allowed us to effectively reach tens of thousands of residents through a variety of communications channels and in-person touch points. As a result, the proposal was approved by 63% of the vote and was the largest parks millage amount in Michigan to pass in perpetuity during that election cycle. We were also recognized as Best in Show at the 2023 West Michigan Public Relations Society of America annual PRoof Awards for the campaign.

Kentwood Parks, Trails and Recreation Millage - Aug. 2, 2022 from City of Kentwood on Vimeo.