Vicksburg Village Manager Jim Mallery offered a look back and a look ahead during a village council special meeting June 29.
During the course of a 32-minute presentation, Mallery shared a series of village highlights and accomplishments during the 2025-26 fiscal year which ended June 30. Then, Mallery shed light on the 2026-27 fiscal year, a 12-month period that started the next day.
The village finished the 2025-26 fiscal year with a number of achievements, including the just-completed $1.2 million reconstruction of the village’s main municipal parking lot downtown. Half of the cost was covered through a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
The village also completed Phase 2 of its lead-line-replacement program. It has replaced more than 215 of the approximate 675 residential water-line connections since 2018, Mallery said. He noted that the program ‘is an unfunded state mandate, placing those financial burdens on all communities within the state, and specifically smaller communities such as ours,” he said.
Also, within the 12-month period, the village developed and adopted a parks and recreation master plan, as well as a complete branding plan with outside consultants, which included activation of a new village website.
“An emphasis was placed on the village creating an economic impact on our core downtown businesses throughout the year. The highlight was the continuation of events held within our downtown throughout the calendar year,” Mallery said. “The foundational purpose of these events is to draw individuals to our downtown to be exposed to our unique local retail shops, restaurants, pubs and distilleries.
Events included Iceburg Fest in February, the village’s half birthday celebration in May, the Old Car Festival in June, Burg Days of Summer over a nine-week period starting in June, Senior Burg Day in September and Christmas in the Burg in December.
The estimated number of downtown visitors, collectively, to the events was 75,000, he noted.
He said the village added a part-time position to create a social-media presence. The village has more than 9,600 Facebook followers and an Instagram page with nearly 500 followers, Mallery said.
“Vicksburg continues to be one of the fastest-growing communities in Southwest Michigan,” he said. “There are over 40 new residential homes built in the village during the past year.”
The village also continued to manage a $500,000 housing-improvement program. Grants are awarded to owner-occupied homes which meet financial criteria. To date, Mallery said 28 residential properties have participated, with nearly $470,000 worth of investment made.
Mallery became choked up and paused for a moment to regain his composure as he reminded council members that 2026-27 will be a fiscal year of transition. Mallery had previously announced he plans to retire Dec. 31. The village is in the midst of securing candidates to replace him as the village’s highest, non-elected official.
“Don’t let emotions think I’m not looking forward to (retirement),” he quipped.
He then detailed the differences between the village’s two main budget components, its general fund and its non-general fund. Taxpayer dollars, state-shared revenue, franchise fees, business-license fees, interest income are earmarked to the general fund.
“There are fewer restrictions on how these resources may be allocated,” Mallery said. “General-fund dollars are used to support such village services as our Department of Public Works, Vicksburg Police Department, membership in the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority, Vicksburg Parks and Recreation, as well as planning, community-development and administrative-support services.”
He explained that the village has eight funds to which it allocates money: general fund, major-street fund, local-street fund, Department of Public Works, Downtown Development Authority, Brownfield Authority, Angel’s Crossing Golf Course, and sewer and water fund.
Mallery noted how the village’s smart budgeting allows it to typically pay for capital items with cash rather than seek a loan.
“It continues to be our philosophy to not incur any general-fund tax debt,” he said.
Looking closer at 2026-27 numbers, Mallery noted the projected general-fund revenue for the year is about $3 million. Anticipated expenditures over the same period total $2.4 million. Mallery said more than $305,000 is earmarked for street improvements and nearly $100,000 in investment to parks and recreation.
“We also plan on submitting a DNR foundation grant for the creation of a new park, designed for pickleball courts, walking track, restroom facilities, playground equipment and much more,” Mallery said. “We did submit for that grant in February but we haven’t heard back.”
Goals include the continued focus of beautification throughout the village, with a focus on parks, gateways into the community, the core downtown area and the Historic Village grounds. In addition, the village expects to complete its comprehensive downtown development master plan, hire a new village manager, and maintain transparency by live-streaming its twice-a-month council meetings and include relevant information on its website.
The village will also continue its partnership with Vicksburg Community Schools through the presence of a community-service officer. It will also continue its downtown events throughout the year, still offer its property-improvement grant program for businesses in the DDA district and continue lead-line replacement thanks to a $4.1 federal grant.
“It’s a project to replace the water mains and lead lines for over 170 residential properties” he said.
The municipality’s property-tax rate will remain 14.685 mills for 2026-27.
“As we look ahead to fiscal year 2026-27, it’s clear that Vicksburg is continuing its transformation into a model municipality of our size, which is committed to engaging in best practices,” he said. “Our collective efforts to balance immediate needs with long-term stability have positioned us to continue to be recognized as one of the most progressive small communities in Michigan.”
Highlights of the new budget include a balanced budget that maintains a healthy fund balance to ensure long-term sustainability, according to Mallery; continued investment in infrastructure improvements, including streets, water and sewer systems, sustained funding for public-safety services and community-development efforts; funding for parks and recreation, participation in the state’s Tri-Share Child Care for employees and their children; support for the “Burg” family events and other initiatives that enhance community identity and economic vitality, he said.
“This (budget) supports the village’s mission to provide high-quality municipal services while fostering an environment where residents, visitors and businesses can thrive,” Mallery said.
