Flint senior center funding halts over council concerns. What’s next?

FLINT, Mich. — More than $50,000 in funding awarded to a Flint senior service center in 2024 is still awaiting city council approval.

City officials have called out the Flint City Council for being unwilling to move forward with the funding, while several council members blame a lack of transparency in how money is being spent at an administrative level.

A resolution calling on the council to accept $54,744 for programming and operations at the Mays Senior and Community Service Center failed in a 4-3 vote at a May 11 council meeting. Council members Leon El-Alamin, LaShawn Johnson, Judy Priestley and Candice Mushatt supported the resolution, while Jerri Winfrey-Carter, Tonya Burns and Jonathan Jarrett voted “no.” Dennis Pfeiffer and Ladel Lewis were absent for the meeting. 

A motion to leave the resolution at the council level to be voted on again at the next full council meeting on May 26 also failed in a 4-3 vote, requiring the resolution to return to the committee level for review before it can be reconsidered.

The center was awarded the funding after the Genesee County Board of Commissioners approved the Senior Millage in 2024.

A May 12 post to the City of Flint Facebook said city council “failed to accept the funding from the Genesee County Senior Millage to support food and services at the Mays Senior & Community Center.”

“The county board of commissioners voted to give money to the Mays Senior and Community Center to support our seniors,” the post reads. “The Flint City Council has not been willing to accept those funds.”

In a response posted on May 13, Councilwoman Winfrey-Carter accused Mayor Sheldon Neeley and his administration of failing to provide a comprehensive accounting of how the Mays senior center is being funded and where the money is coming from. 

“My “NO” vote was never against our seniors. I support our senior citizens and the services they deserve,” Winfrey-Carter wrote. “What I do not support is the mayor and his administration gaslighting this community into believing that council members who ask questions and demand accountability somehow do not care about seniors. That narrative is false, dishonest and intentionally misleading.”

Winfrey-Carter said she and other council members still have “serious questions” regarding expenditures, the possible use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and city officials spending under the $75,000 threshold without proper council oversight. 

“It’s a fair question to say, ‘Tell us about the budget and how we are getting this,’” Burns said. “Funds are being spent without council approval.”

First Ward Councilman Leon El-Alamin voiced his support for the resolution during a May 6 meeting of the council’s finance committee. 

“It is time to act in the best interest of our seniors and the broader community,” El-Alamin said. “Supporting this resolution is not just about financial figures, it is about ensuring that we uphold our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for our seniors. The needs of our seniors have been clearly defined, and are pressing.”

A discussion at the May 6 meeting got heated when City Chief of Staff Ed Taylor argued with council members about the funding. Disagreements arose after Taylor declined to answer questions from Burns regarding the total operating budget, specifically how much of the center’s funding came from the city’s ARPA dollars. 

The money is meant to cover operational costs between the period of Jan. 1, 2026, and Sept. 30, 2026.

Funding earmarked for buying supplies for the center and paying for professional services make up the largest portions of the disbursement, totaling $20,344 and $25,000, respectively. The remainder of the funding would be split between several other operational functions: 

• $2,000 would go to community promotional materials
• $400 to postage
• $1,500 to copying services
• $2,500 to education, training and conferences 
• $3,000 to utilities 

Councilman Pfeiffer expressed disappointment in what he sees as a lack of transparency among Flint’s administration, alleging that city representatives have “stormed off” on multiple occasions when asked clarifying questions, and have provided budget documents only minutes before meetings where the resolution would be discussed. 

“The buffoonery that we witnessed is appalling,” Pfeiffer said. “We’re not just accepting dollars, we’re also approving how to spend those dollars, and we can’t get any questions answered.”

The last committee meeting at which the resolution was brought up also spurred debate. Councilwoman Burns made a motion for a subpoena to be issued to Mayor Neeley during the April 22 meeting, calling for the mayor to appear before the council to answer questions regarding the city budget.

Burns made the motion after learning that about $25,000 of the center’s $135,000 operating costs was spent without prior council approval. 

In 2025, the city took over operations of the senior center after City Council failed to extend its lease, prompting a legal dispute.