Flint, MI — Flint City Council voted to greenlight the construction of a secondary water source pipeline Monday.
The council voted 5-4 to award a contract L. D’Agostini & Sons, Inc., after several postponements. The project was originally slated to be completed in December of 2019.
The vote was 5-4, with Vice President Maurice Davis, Eva Worthing, Santino Guerra, Kate
Fields, and Herbert Winfrey voting in favor, and President Monica Galloway, Allan Griggs, Eric Mays, and Jerri Winfrey-Carter dissenting.
“At the moment, the city of Flint is totally reliant on (Great Lakes Water Authority) treated water. If GLWA’s pipeline goes down, that means we have no water. The longer we delay this, the longer the chances are the pipeline will go down and we will have no water. The vote is simply all about having access to treated water for our citizens,” Councilwoman Kate Fields said.
Preceding the vote, councilman Santino Guerra encouraged his colleagues to vote yes, saying that many residents have contacted him asking why the council hasn’t approved the pipeline.
“For me, it’s not a political issue, it’s about a human rights issue, what’s the best thing to do for our community and our city and, honestly, for our families,” he said.
Some council members, while supportive of the city’s eagerness to start the project, expressed a need for more information and clarification regarding the logistics of the project.
Council President Monica Galloway said it’s difficult to retrieve much-needed information when referrals are made in committee meetings, which they haven’t been holding. The last communication she received, by an EGLE representative, stated that they haven’t received all necessary documentation, she said.