The Flint City Council failed to pass a budget for next year by Monday’s city charter deadline.
A special meeting held Monday at noon was beset by councilmember absences and bickering.
Only six of the nine councilmembers were in attendance at the start of the meeting. One was ejected after arguing with the council president. The meeting ended, with little accomplished, when another member left, leaving the council without a quorum.
Several council members criticized the $60.9 million spending plan. They contend the budget’s numbers don’t add up.
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley insists the budget plan is balanced. He said the council’s failure to pass the budget could cost the city.
“Right now, we cannot prepare the tax bills to go out,” Neeley told reporters after the council meeting ended, “Therefore revenue that’s going to be coming in to support the initiatives and obligations that we have as a community is going to be delayed.”
The council still has nearly four weeks to get a new budget in place by the state’s deadline.
But in the meantime, the mayor’s office will have to start making plans for cuts in city services and layoffs. Neeley said that’s just in case the Flint city council cannot agree on a new budget by July 1.
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