Flint, MI— Flint City Council voted to approve a tentative agreement for city employees, a four-year tax abatement for an apartment building, and numerous items through its consent agenda during a council meeting on Monday, April 8, 2024.
After going into closed session, council voted 7-0 to approve a tentative wage reopener agreement through June 30, 2025 between Flint and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 25, Local 1600.
AFSCME President Sam Muma said the agreement was an effort to retain employees and be competitive among other municipalities.
“Whatever we have to do in the future, if there is a deficit that comes around, we’ll have to deal with that by way of whatever it is, if we have to take reductions, anything like that, we’ve done it before and we’ll do it again,” Muma said. “But I really need a yes vote because I’m trying to keep (members) here so we don’t lose them and we can start moving forward and having positions filled.”
Flint City Council President Ladel Lewis, Vice President Candice Mushatt, and Councilpersons Quincy Murphy, Judy Priestley, Jerri Winfrey-Carter, Dennis Pfeiffer, and Eva Worthing all voted to move the resolution forward.
First ward Councilman Leon El-Alamin was not present at the meeting. Councilwoman Tonya Burns is currently serving a 30-day suspension.
City of Flint Human Resources and Labor Relations Director Eddie Smith told the council that there are currently 25 vacant positions in the Flint sewer and water department, all of which are budgeted. The increase in the agreement would cover eight classifications.
“The increase we’re talking about would come out of the total budgeted positions,” said Smith. “We’re looking at $395,000 … coming out of already budgeted positions.”
Council also voted 6-0 to approve an Obsolete Property Rehabilation Act (OPRA) Exemption certificate application for Waterfront Capital LLC’s apartment building at 2957 Carr St. The tax reduction would last for four years.
Mike Zhang, manager at Waterfront Capital, told council that the building in question is currently abandoned. He said the building will consist of 42-44 mostly one-bedroom units, with some two-bedrooms. There will also be a security gate, security cameras, and a local property manager.
He estimated that the total investment to make the property functional will be around $450,000, and it should be ready by October or November 2025.
Councilmembers expressed concern that it has not yet been determined whether the apartments will be market-rate or mixed-income.
Through its consent agenda, council voted to:
- Approve the appointment of Tom Hutchinson to the Building Code Board of Appeals to serve a three-year term commencing on March 2, 2024, and ending on March 1, 2027.
- Approve Ramie Yelle’s reappointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a three-year term commencing Sept. 1, 2024, and expiring Sept. 1, 2027, as recommended by Councilwoman Priestley.
- Enter into a contract with Genesee County Youth Corporation for a street outreach activity using $40,991.52 of 2023-2-24 Emergency Grant Funds.
- Accept $117,871.80 in program funding from the state of Michigan for the Police Department to use for Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy scholarships and salaries for employed recruits.
- Issue a purchase order of $138,534 to Angel Armor for fiscal year 2024 and future fiscal years as long as the funds are available. In March, council adopted a resolution authorizing entering into a grant agreement with Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, funded by the Department of Justice, with a local match required.
- Enter into a contract with DDC Construction, LLC to construct an ADA (Americans With Disabilities) accessible pathway and a kayak/canoe launch at McKinley Park, in an amount not to exceed $204,655. The city was awarded $225,000 in grant funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the project in 2014.
- Complete a change order for the park partnership agreement between the city and Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission to allocate a $620,000 grant to the commission. The city previously received the grant from the Mott Foundation for the purpose of maintaining and securing several Flint parks. The resolution will transfer the authority and responsibility to oversee the park reservation process for all city parks, and will also transfer project management and oversight of the Grand Traverse Greenway Trail Project to the commission.
- Reallocate $1.425 million in Community Block Grant coronavirus response funds to multiple agencies for proposed new activities to address COVID-19.
- Recognize April 2024 as Second Chance Month in Flint. The resolution also resolves that the city encourages and supports state legislation that would eliminate housing barriers for people with criminal records.
- Set a public hearing to consider the approval for the vacation of two easements located at 2201 Industrial Blvd. in support of Ashley Capital’s redevelopment of Buick City.
Council also voted to approve the reallocation of three American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending items, including:
- Reallocate $225,000 in ARPA funds previously obligated for revenue replacement to fund hiring an Economic Development Program Manager to oversee property disposition and other economic development administration.
- Reallocate $500,000 in ARPA funding previously obligated for revenue replacement to provide funding for a contract with Qwally for a customized customer resource management subscription. According to the resolution proposal, it will launch as part of a new business concierge initiative to track entrepreneur paths through city zoning, property acquisition, economic development incentives, permits/inspections, and licensing.
- Reallocate $75,000 in ARPA funds previously obligated for revenue replacement to Flint Odyssey House Inc. The funds will be used for recovery coach services for a person recovering from substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders.
At the Special Affairs Committee meeting, held before the council meeting, council members discussed whether to approve a resolution designating a videography area in the back of the council chambers for tripods and other camera stands to record the meetings.
The motion failed in a 4-3 vote to move forward to council. Pfeiffer, Murphy, and Winfrey-Carter voted against the motion.
Pfeiffer said the resolution is the “opposite of transparency.”
“Are we so worried about hiding the transparency and hiding what we do up here on council?” he asked. “We should actually be asking for a hundred cameras. I don’t understand why we want to hide what we’re doing.”
Lewis said the tripods create a “dangerous situation” because they block the aisleways and make it difficult for people to walk around the chambers.
Priestley said the tripods were also a concern because she’s seen people recording behind Flint City Attorney William Kim and said he’s concerned about the privacy of the legal documents he works on during meetings.
Mushatt requested the resolution and said the move would not be “unprecedented in American history.”
“There are plenty of governmental meetings that have dedicated media sections,” said Mushatt. “As stated before, we do have our own (YouTube) channel where people can watch. Nobody’s rights are being violated.”