Tag: Ladel Lewis
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Flint Council approves $8.6 million from ARPA funds to provide a $300 credit to every Flint water customer
By Tom Travis This article has been updated to include new developments in a press release from the Mayor’s office on Friday afternoon, 9/30/22 – EVM Editors City council has passed an $8.6 million resolution, funded out of the $94 million ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds that aims to bring relief to Flint water…
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City Council Beat: Lead line replacements and restorations to begin as council approves $17.8-million contract
By Tom Travis City of Flint residents can expect remaining lead line replacements and restorations to sidewalks, curbs and yards to begin in the coming weeks. At its Monday meeting, the city council approved a $17.8 million contract with LGC Global, based in Detroit, to take on the mammoth task of completing more than 400…
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Commentary: Good governing betrayed by “knuckleheads”– the public urgently needs better
By Tom Travis This is not the usual city council article. No “news” here, just observations and commentary from a local city government beat community journalist. As editor, and supported by the board of East Village Magazine, this entire issue is dedicated to governance. Specifically, this entire issue of East Village Magazine (EVM) is dedicated…
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“Blight elimination” top priority in Mayor’s plan to allocate $94 million ARPA funds
By Tom Travis Mayor Sheldon Neeley and his administration outlined a proposal to allocate the $94 million American Rescue Plan funds awarded to Flint in April 2021 at a special city council meeting Monday. The proposal calls for $69.5 million of the funds to be used for housing and blight elimination ($33.6 million); economic development…
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City Council tosses out months’ long investigative hearing on botched waste collection bid
By Tom Travis A botched bid for the city’s waste collection contract in 2021, revealed in a June 2021 city council meeting, launched an investigative hearing that lasted nearly a year and over two different city councils. One year later, in Wednesday’s Finance Committee meeting, city council voted 5-2 “to end all legal services and…
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Flint City Council passes $64 million “balanced” budget after Winfrey-Carter’s dramatic pause during rollcall vote
By Tom Travis In a dramatic and unprecedented vote, the city council passed a $64 million budget in its Monday meeting. According to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Robert Widigan, the budget allocates $64 million for the city’s expenditures and is based on $50.7 million in revenue. Widigan explains the budget will be balanced with a…
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Flint honors “Heroines and Humanitarians” in sculptures at City Hall
By Paul Rozycki It’s been a long and winding road, but the sculptured busts of the six women honored as “Heroines and Humanitarians” have now found their way to a permanent home in the Flint City Hall. In a well-attended ceremony at Flint City Hall April 28, the statues of Claressa Shields, Edith Prunty Spencer,…
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Fire Chief Ray Barton and Flint Fire Department grieve the loss of fellow firefighter John Stenger
By Tom Travis This story has been updated to include John Stenger’s obituary. – Editor In a somber and poignant moment during last week’s city council meeting, Flint Fire Chief Ray Barton shared, at the request of council, news of a recent untimely death of one of Flint’s long-time firefighters, John Stenger. In a hushed…
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EAB sends a letter accusing city council of “violating responsibilities”, demands response by April 11
By Tom Travis [This article has been updated to reflect that the council did take action on 15 out of the 19 resolutions. EVM Editorial Staff.] The Flint City council met for an eight-hour meeting Monday night, with two hours spent discussing the council’s behavior and two resolutions. The sum of the 19 resolutions and…
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11-hour city council session disintegrates into a lecture from the public and EAB president
By Tom Travis Beleaguered for 11 hours, the city council verbally wrestled with each other in Monday night’s meeting discussing the topics: “respect, decorum, and censure.” Members of the public, council members and the chair of the Ethics and Accountability Board (EAB) lectured the officials on their behavior and lack of completing “city business.” “Repeated…
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