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Township

Sparta Township

Kent County

Sparta Township is a township in Kent County, Michigan. In 2025, primary homes here pay a total of 28.83–40.83 mills in property tax, depending on the school district; rentals, second homes and businesses pay 46.83–58.83 mills. It levied property tax in 3 tax areas in 2025. In fiscal year 2025 it reported $1.9 million in spending across all its funds. It has 7 boards and sub-entities.

Total property tax rate, primary homes

28.83–40.83

mills in 2025 · 3 tax areas · about $4,690–$6,642 a year on a median home (estimate)

Total property tax rate, rentals, second homes and businesses

46.83–58.83

mills in 2025 · includes the school operating tax

Levies, 2025

2

in 3 tax areas

Boards and sub-entities

7

Total property tax rates here, 2025

What property pays to every taxing body (the State, county, schools, local government and others), by tax area. A mill is $1 of tax per $1,000 of taxable value.

Compare with every tax area in Kent County →

School district Primary homes mills Median home est. yearly tax Rentals, second homes and businesses mills
Sparta Area Schools, in the Village of Sparta 40.8259 $6,642 58.8259
Kent City Community Schools 29.8893 $4,863 47.6151
Sparta Area Schools 28.8259 $4,690 46.8259

Rates differ within Sparta Township because parts of it are in different school districts (Kent City Community Schools and Sparta Area Schools), and part of it is in the Village of Sparta, which levies its own tax.

Kent County's certified rates split each area's total between a summer and a winter tax bill; open an area below to see its split.

Primary homes, which their owners live in, pay the homestead rate; so do qualified farmland and a few other kinds of property exempt from the school operating tax. Rentals, second homes and most businesses pay the non-homestead rate, which includes it. What these terms mean

Median home, estimated: the yearly tax a new buyer would pay on a primary home at Kent County's median value, $325,400 (Census Bureau, 2024): half the value times the mills, divided by 1,000. An estimate, not a bill. How the estimate works

Every levy, by tax area

Sparta Area Schools, in the Village of Sparta · 40.8259 primary homes, 58.8259 other

Billed in 2 parts, in mills: primary homes summer 33.1663, winter 7.6596; rentals, second homes and businesses summer 42.1663, winter 16.6596.

Levy Levied by Primary homes mills Median home est. yearly tax Rentals, second homes and businesses mills
Allocated or Charter Operating Village of Sparta 12.0000 $1,952 12.0000
School Debt Sparta Area Schools 7.0000 $1,139 7.0000
State Education Tax State of Michigan 6.0000 $976 6.0000
ISD Voted Special Education Kent ISD 4.3364 $706 4.3364
County Allocated Operating Kent County 4.0605 $661 4.0605
Community College Grand Rapids Community College 1.6793 $273 1.6793
Building and Site Sparta Area Schools 1.1500 $187 1.1500
Allocated or Charter Operating Sparta Township 0.9376 $153 0.9376
ISD Voted Vocational Education Kent ISD 0.9310 $151 0.9310
Jail Kent County 0.7417 $121 0.7417
Voted Operating Sparta Township 0.7038 $115 0.7038
Senior Citizens Kent County 0.4914 $80 0.4914
Zoo and Museum Kent County 0.4134 $67 0.4134
Ready by Five Kent County 0.2476 $40 0.2476
ISD Allocated Operating Kent ISD 0.0841 $14 0.0841
Veterans Kent County 0.0491 $8 0.0491
School Operating (Non-Homestead) Sparta Area Schools 0.0000 $0 18.0000
Kent City Community Schools · 29.8893 primary homes, 47.6151 other

Billed in 2 parts, in mills: primary homes summer 21.6980, winter 8.1913; rentals, second homes and businesses summer 30.5609, winter 17.0542.

Levy Levied by Primary homes mills Median home est. yearly tax Rentals, second homes and businesses mills
School Debt Kent City Community Schools 8.2500 $1,342 8.2500
State Education Tax State of Michigan 6.0000 $976 6.0000
ISD Voted Special Education Kent ISD 4.3364 $706 4.3364
County Allocated Operating Kent County 4.0605 $661 4.0605
Community College Grand Rapids Community College 1.6793 $273 1.6793
Building and Site Kent City Community Schools 0.9634 $157 0.9634
Allocated or Charter Operating Sparta Township 0.9376 $153 0.9376
ISD Voted Vocational Education Kent ISD 0.9310 $151 0.9310
Jail Kent County 0.7417 $121 0.7417
Voted Operating Sparta Township 0.7038 $115 0.7038
Senior Citizens Kent County 0.4914 $80 0.4914
Zoo and Museum Kent County 0.4134 $67 0.4134
Ready by Five Kent County 0.2476 $40 0.2476
ISD Allocated Operating Kent ISD 0.0841 $14 0.0841
Veterans Kent County 0.0491 $8 0.0491
School Operating (Non-Homestead) Kent City Community Schools 0.0000 $0 17.7258
Sparta Area Schools · 28.8259 primary homes, 46.8259 other

Billed in 2 parts, in mills: primary homes summer 21.1663, winter 7.6596; rentals, second homes and businesses summer 30.1663, winter 16.6596.

Levy Levied by Primary homes mills Median home est. yearly tax Rentals, second homes and businesses mills
School Debt Sparta Area Schools 7.0000 $1,139 7.0000
State Education Tax State of Michigan 6.0000 $976 6.0000
ISD Voted Special Education Kent ISD 4.3364 $706 4.3364
County Allocated Operating Kent County 4.0605 $661 4.0605
Community College Grand Rapids Community College 1.6793 $273 1.6793
Building and Site Sparta Area Schools 1.1500 $187 1.1500
Allocated or Charter Operating Sparta Township 0.9376 $153 0.9376
ISD Voted Vocational Education Kent ISD 0.9310 $151 0.9310
Jail Kent County 0.7417 $121 0.7417
Voted Operating Sparta Township 0.7038 $115 0.7038
Senior Citizens Kent County 0.4914 $80 0.4914
Zoo and Museum Kent County 0.4134 $67 0.4134
Ready by Five Kent County 0.2476 $40 0.2476
ISD Allocated Operating Kent ISD 0.0841 $14 0.0841
Veterans Kent County 0.0491 $8 0.0491
School Operating (Non-Homestead) Sparta Area Schools 0.0000 $0 18.0000

Where the property tax goes here

Each tax area's total for primary homes, split by who levies it.

Of the $4,690–$6,642 a year a new buyer of a median primary home here would pay (an estimate), about $267 goes to Sparta Township (4–6%). The rest goes to the other bodies that levy here: the State, the county, the schools and others.

Sparta Township's 3 tax areas rank 12th, 59th and 76th highest of Kent County's 94 for primary homes. See every area

  • State
  • County
  • ISD and college
  • School district
  • City, township or village
  • Library, transit and other
  • Village of Sparta Sparta Area Schools 40.8259 mills $6,642

    Village of Sparta with Sparta Area Schools: 40.8259 mills in total (State 6.0000, County 6.0037, ISD and college 7.0308, School district 8.1500, City, township or village 13.6414), estimated $6,642 a year for a new buyer

  • Sparta Township Kent City Community Schools 29.8893 mills $4,863

    Sparta Township with Kent City Community Schools: 29.8893 mills in total (State 6.0000, County 6.0037, ISD and college 7.0308, School district 9.2134, City, township or village 1.6414), estimated $4,863 a year for a new buyer

  • Sparta Township Sparta Area Schools 28.8259 mills $4,690

    Sparta Township with Sparta Area Schools: 28.8259 mills in total (State 6.0000, County 6.0037, ISD and college 7.0308, School district 8.1500, City, township or village 1.6414), estimated $4,690 a year for a new buyer

The figures as a table
Tax area State County ISD and college School district City, township or village Library, transit and other Total Estimated tax
Village of Sparta, Sparta Area Schools 6.0000 6.0037 7.0308 8.1500 13.6414 0.0000 40.8259 $6,642
Sparta Township, Kent City Community Schools 6.0000 6.0037 7.0308 9.2134 1.6414 0.0000 29.8893 $4,863
Sparta Township, Sparta Area Schools 6.0000 6.0037 7.0308 8.1500 1.6414 0.0000 28.8259 $4,690

Median home, estimated: the yearly tax a new buyer would pay on a primary home at Kent County's median value, $325,400 (Census Bureau, 2024): half the value times the mills, divided by 1,000. An estimate, not a bill. How the estimate works

What Sparta Township levies, 2025

Only its own millages, part of the totals above, and how many tax areas each is levied in.

Levy Primary homes mills Median home est. yearly tax Rentals, second homes and businesses mills Tax areas
Allocated or Charter Operating 0.9376 $153 0.9376 3
Voted Operating 0.7038 $115 0.7038 3

Median home, estimated: the yearly tax a new buyer would pay on a primary home at Kent County's median value, $325,400 (Census Bureau, 2024): half the value times the mills, divided by 1,000. An estimate, not a bill. How the estimate works

Money in and out, fiscal year 2025

From its annual financial report, as filed with the Michigan Department of Treasury. Its fiscal year ends in March.

Revenue

$2M

all funds

Spending

$1.9M

all funds

Spending per resident

$201

2024 population: 9,627

General fund spending

$1.4M

budget: $1.4M

Spending by purpose

All funds. Share of $1,937,864 in total.

  • General government $470,561 24%
    Legislative (Council, Board, Commission) $5,736
    Chief Executive $30,383
    Treasurer $62,060
    Clerk $84,989
    Assessing Equalization $66,427
    Elections $23,924
    Building and Grounds $78,597
    All Other General Government $118,445
  • Recreation and culture $453,361 23%
    Parks and Recreation $59,327
    Library $356,929
    Various Cultural Activities, Fine Arts, Historical Society, Museums, etc. $9,580
    All Other Recreation and Culture $27,525
  • Public safety $356,240 18%
    Fire $279,206
    Building Inspection & Regulation Activities $77,034
  • Capital outlay, debt service and other $210,536 11%
    Capital Outlay $210,536
  • Public works $174,392 9%
    Road Commission/Street Dept. (Act 51) $36,624
    Sanitation/Landfill/Solid Waste $2,318
    All Other Public Works $135,450
  • Community and economic development $56,774 3%
    Community Planning and Zoning $56,774
  • Transfers out and special items $216,000 11%
    Transfers (Out) $216,000

Revenue by source

All funds. Share of $1,978,967 in total.

  • Taxes $760,002 38%
    Trailer Taxes (Act 243 of 1959) $3,156
    Property Tax (includes, delinquent taxes, penalties, interest, fees, community wide special assessments) $756,846
  • State grants $662,167 33%
    State Revenue Sharing $556,145
    Streets and Highways (Non-Act 51) $17,182
    Culture and Recreation $9,896
    Other General/All Other State Aid Grants $78,944
  • Licenses and permits $99,895 5%
    Business Licenses and Permits $47,882
    Non-Business Licenses and Permits $52,013
  • Federal grants $76,385 4%
    All Other Federal Aid Grants $76,385
  • Charges for services $72,001 4%
    All Other Services Rendered Charges $46,451
    All Other Sales, Use, & Admission Fees $25,550
  • Interest and rents $63,935 3%
    Interest & Dividends $63,935
  • Fines and forfeits $15,070 1%
    All Fines, Penalties & Forfeits $15,070
  • Other revenue $13,512 1%
    Miscellaneous Other Revenue $13,512
  • Borrowing and transfers in $216,000 11%
    Transfers In $216,000

"All funds" is the report's total column: the general fund, other governmental funds, enterprise funds such as water and sewer, internal service funds and component units. Its totals include money moved between the government's own funds, and revenue includes money borrowed. Spending per resident is total spending divided by the population shown; the shares are each heading's part of its total. Open a heading to see the lines filed under it.

Population: DashBoard_Metrics (MI Community Financial Dashboard), Michigan Department of Treasury.

Source: FY2025 F65 Township Part 2, Michigan Department of Treasury, retrieved November 3, 2026.

Revenue and spending, fiscal years 2016–2025

All funds, as filed each year.

Revenue Spending
The figures as a table
Fiscal year Revenue Spending General fund spending Long-term debt
2025 $1,978,967 $1,937,864 $1,418,895 —
2024 $1,908,478 $1,964,697 $1,471,940 —
2023 $1,996,463 $1,862,831 $1,401,732 —
2022 $1,690,578 $1,555,630 $1,127,059 —
2021 $1,544,825 $1,433,385 $1,047,902 —
2020 — — — —
2019 $1,429,312 $1,328,818 $935,772 —
2018 $1,365,240 $1,374,328 $994,562 —
2017 $1,341,097 $1,291,466 $925,175 —
2016 $1,252,446 $1,196,241 $830,134 —

Each year links to the dataset it comes from. A year with dashes across has no report in the State's data.

Debt, pensions and staff, fiscal year 2025

As reported in the same filing.

Debt and fund balance

Long-term debt at year end
—
General fund balance at year end
$1,555,188
Of which unassigned
$1,429,738

Pensions and retiree health care

Unfunded pension liability
—
Pension funded, general employees
—
Pension funded, police and fire
—
Unfunded retiree health care (OPEB)
—

Staff

Police
—
Fire
—
Combined public safety
—
All other staff
33
Wages and salaries
$285,280

A dash means the State's data has no figure for that line. Its datasets leave out zero amounts in most years, so a dash can also be a zero that was filed. The unfunded pension liability is the filing's "aggregate pension liability" line.

Source: FY2025 F65 Township Part 2, Michigan Department of Treasury, retrieved November 3, 2026.

Boards and sub-entities

Authorities and special districts

Boards, commissions and committees

Transparency checks

What this body files with the State and posts online, checked against the law and good practice.

Grade pending

A grade appears once every check below has been read and the site has set its grading scale. Every check counts the same.

Required by law

4 found · 1 not found

  • Found: Audit filed with the State for the latest fiscal year

    Treasury's Document Search shows the audit for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 as received, sent July 18, 2025.

    Uniform Budgeting and Accounting Act, MCL 141.421 et seq.; MCL 141.921 · FY2025 · Read September 27, 2026 from State records · Evidence for Audit filed with the State for the latest fiscal year

  • Found: Audit filed on time

    Sent July 18, 2025, within six months of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 (due September 30, 2025; fiscal year end from its F-65).

    Due six months after fiscal year end; MCL 141.921 · FY2025 · Read September 27, 2026 from State records · Evidence for Audit filed on time

  • Found: Annual financial report (F-65) filed with the State

    Treasury's Document Search shows the annual financial report (F-65) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 as received, sent July 18, 2025.

    MCL 141.424(3) · FY2025 · Read September 27, 2026 from State records · Evidence for Annual financial report (F-65) filed with the State

  • Found: Annual financial report (F-65) filed on time

    Sent July 18, 2025, within six months of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 (due September 30, 2025; fiscal year end from its F-65).

    Due six months after fiscal year end; MCL 141.424(3) · FY2025 · Read September 27, 2026 from State records · Evidence for Annual financial report (F-65) filed on time

  • Not found: FOIA procedures and written public summary posted

    The Clerk's Office page and Permits and Applications link "Sparta Township FOIA Policy (PDF)". Opened 2026-09-27: it is the MTA 2015 model FOIA Procedures and Guidelines, which say a written public summary will be posted, but it does not contain one. No summary was found on either page; the site search returned only errors. Second reading 2026-09-27: the site's sitemap, which lists every document it posts, has only the FOIA policy and request forms; a web search found no summary.

    MCL 15.234(4) · Read September 27, 2026 on its website · Evidence for FOIA procedures and written public summary posted

Good practice

6 found · 5 not found

About

Type
Township

Codes

Census of Governments ID
128454
Census GEOID (county subdivision)
2608175440
Michigan Treasury unit code
411180

Sources

Where this page's facts come from.

Open Government Project · a nonpartisan, nonprofit project

Every figure comes from a public record, cited on its page.