Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley Presents His FY22 Proposed Budget

Press release from the City of Flint:

FLINT, Michigan — Mayor Sheldon Neeley today presented his FY2021-22 budget proposal to the Flint City Council. The balanced budget makes investments in blight cleanup, the City Clerk’s office and the Ombudsperson’s office while keeping staffing levels and expenses stable.

“In this budget we are keeping costs down while also fulfilling our responsibilities to serve residents, care for our retirees and fulfill Charter requirements,” Mayor Neeley said.

Mayor Neeley also outlined large increases to the city’s pension system that are draining the General Fund. Last year’s budget projected a $12-million deficit for the FY22 budget. Through the City’s operational audit, that $12 million gap was closed and the mayor presented a balanced budget.

“This is a blessed budget, but it is a fragile budget,” Mayor Neeley said.

Emergency managers failed to truly fix the City’s finances because they never addressed these known legacy costs — and at the same time they created a false sense of security by raiding the Water & Sewer funds and taking out loans that the city still is paying back.

Mayor Neeley said he is committed to fixing these long-standing issues for good and will be working with partners in the coming months to create solutions.

A video of Mayor Neeley’s budget presentation and the fully $71-million proposed budget are available online and posted below.

This press release was produced by the City of Flint. The views expressed here are the author’s own.