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WNEM TV5 News starts right now with breaking news. That breaking news out of Flint. This is a live look over the city whose leaders approved his budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Tonight's approval coming on a 5 to4 vote on the city council on the deadline imposed by the city's charter. Getting the work done by deadline has been a challenge in several previous years, but as TV Shre Harris reports, questions about transparency came up about where some of the money is going. It's June 1st, 2026, and we have a budget that has been passed. After weeks of delays, mis meetings, and questions about whether council could meet its deadline, Flint City Council got the job done Monday night. Approving a new city budget before the charter
required deadline. starting earlier in April gave us all ample opportunity to uh study the budget, to ask questions concerning the budget, and to be prepared to pass the budget in a timely manner. The nearly $74 million spending plan funds city operations for the next fiscal year. It keeps water rates flat, increases road repair funding, and maintains police and fire staffing levels. Attending those budget hearings really does help when it comes down to the passage of the budget. The vote also helps the city avoid another late budget approval and the uncertainty that comes with it. Last year, city leaders warned
delays could eventually lead to layoffs or discussions of a partial government shutdown. Getting the budget approved was the big hurdle tonight. But it wasn't the only vote on the table. Council still spent part of the evening digging into where taxpayer dollars are going and whether enough information was being provided before asking for more. Council considered six budget related resolutions during Monday's meeting. Five passed, one did not. A resolution tied to an operating millillage for the Flint Downtown Development Authority failed after some council members raised
concerns about transparency and accountability. We don't know what was going on with the DDA. We had no one here to answer questions. We haven't received the check registry for over a year. Despite that disagreement, the broader budget package moved forward, giving the city a spending plan before the July 1 start of the new fiscal year. that we were putting the residents and our charter first and that everyone did show up to the meeting regardless of how they felt about the budget. Everyone showed up in Flint. Trey Harris, TV5.
