Disagreement between the mayor’s office and Flint City Council could lead to a very bad outcome for some city employees.
The city’s current budget expires on June 30, 2021, and the city’s spending authority ends after that date. Without a budget, Flint would be forced to go into a city government shutdown, according to a news release recently sent from the city.
A letter sent to city employees June 11 read: “the Human Resource Department is reviewing all union agreements and personnel rules, and we are working with union leadership to prepare for any potential city shutdown. In keeping with the language contained in several union agreements, we are required to communicate possible layoffs with as much notice as possible.”
The letter said it was not an official notice.
“However it is a notice that a potential shutdown would require layoffs in many units,” it continued.
During the more than 20 meetings in which the council had the opportunity to consider the proposed budget, more than 10 amendments to the proposed budget have been made.
Some city council members have said they cannot vote to adopt the proposed budget because the mayor did not provide them with some information. They also said Neeley did not send them a resolution accepting the first $47 million in COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government, creating an issue for them.
“This unprecedented failure to pass a budget is putting hundreds of city of Flint employees’ livelihoods in jeopardy,” Neeley said. “Our team, their families and our community deserve better than the ongoing petty politics and continuous dysfunction that is being portrayed by some City Council members. We hope and pray that a budget is passed, but, at this point, the city must begin preparing for a potential shutdown in case a majority of the Council continues to fail to uphold their oaths of office and to fail to do their jobs.”
Mayor Sheldon Neeley presented his proposed budget to the city council on March 1. Per city charter, the city council was required to adopt a budget no later than Monday, June 7. Instead, on that day, the council voted 4-4 on the proposed budget with one amendment to the city’s master fee schedule.
Per the requirements of several union contracts, the city’s Department of Human Resources recently notified all city employees that a potential government shutdown would require mass layoffs, the release read. It continued: the city is working to ensure that essential services such as public safety would continue to operate even during a shutdown.
