The Kent County Board of Commissioners is the chief legislative and policy-making body of Kent County Government.Commissioners are elected to 2-year terms from districts that are roughly equal in population. A chair and vice-chair are elected at the first meeting of each new year by the Commissioners. The chair appoints each Commissioner to one of two standing committees: the Finance and Physical Resources Committee or the Legislative and Human Resources Committee. The… Show more The Kent County Board of Commissioners is the chief legislative and policy-making body of Kent County Government.Commissioners are elected to 2-year terms from districts that are roughly equal in population. A chair and vice-chair are elected at the first meeting of each new year by the Commissioners. The chair appoints each Commissioner to one of two standing committees: the Finance and Physical Resources Committee or the Legislative and Human Resources Committee. The Commissioners' duties include: -Approving a mission statement for the County. -Adopting the Annual County Budget. This includes approving the annual budgets of other, independently elected, County officials: the County Clerk, the Drain Commissioner, Judges of the 17th Circuit Court and 63rd District Court, the Prosecutor, and the Treasurer. -Raising the money to fund the County's operations by levying property taxes, setting fees, selling bonds or borrowing. -Appointing citizen members to County boards, commissions and committees, which provide oversight for significant County services. These include the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority Board, the Community Health Advisory Committee, the Community Mental Health Authority Board (Network180), the Road Commission, and the Veterans Services Committee. -Selecting a County Administrator/Controller to supervise the day-to-day operations of County departments. -Determining the sites of County buildings, and purchasing or disposing of County-owned property and facilities. -Representing the County, and managing its property and business by adopting rules, regulations, ordinances and policies. Show less

Policy and general oversight of GFIA are the responsibility of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority Board, a seven-member body comprised of Kent County commissioners, Kent County citizen members, and one citizen member from a county other than Kent in West Michigan combined statistical area, each serving staggered three-year terms.