Tagged: city budget

The Lansing City Council is taking more time to review next year’s budget plan.

Council has delayed its vote on the budget from May 14th to May 21st.

Councilwoman Carol Wood says there are “holes” in the mayor’s budget plan.

“Those holes have not been plugged. All we’re being told is they might be filled," says Wood,  "And I can’t pass in good conscience for the taxpayers of the city of Lansing. I can’t pass a budget that way.”

The Flint City Council will hear this afternoon how the city’s emergency manager plans to spend the city’s money next year.

Emergency Manager Michael Brown has been poring over Flint’s finances since he was appointed by Governor Snyder in December to deal with the city’s “financial crisis.”

Brown’s budget plan for next year is expected to reflect the need for further financial belt tightening for a city that has already felt the pinch of past cuts.

Flint’s finance director has said the budget will probably show the city will have to do “less with less.”      That may include layoffs and furlough days for city employees.

Several city unions agreed to contract concessions this month.

The emergency manager’s budget plan may also include selling bonds to address Flint’s long-term debt problem.

Lansing mayor Virg Bernero plans to tell the city council tonight how he plans to cut nearly five million dollars to balance the capital city’s budget.

That fact that Lansing is only facing about a five million dollar budget gap next year is actually good news.   Last fall, the mayor’s office was predicting the city might be facing up to a 15 million dollar shortfall.

But Mayor Bernero says voter approval of a special public safety millage, lower health care costs and more state revenue sharing money than expected has improved Lansing’s revenue picture.