Voters in Flint sent a mixed message on public safety on Tuesday.
Mayor Dayne Walling was glad to see voters renew a millage that pays for more than a dozen police officers.
“I’m very pleased to see the voters have overwhelmingly supported the renewal of our police force. The budget that was proposed to the city council…every dollar that we projected in that budget will now be able to be expected.”
But Flint voters narrowly rejected a millage request that would have reopened the city jail. Budget problems have meant the jail has only been used sporadically since the late 1980’s.
The city of Flint has struggled with a rising violent crime rate for the past few years. City police have investigated about 90 homicides in the last 16 months.
