After days of protests and clashes with police, the Flint city council approved a city budget late Wednesday night.
Ten days ago, a scuffle between Flint police and residents protesting the city budget proposal brought an abrupt end to a city council meeting.
On Wednesday night, a largely quiet meeting ended with a seven to zero vote to approve the fiscal year 2026 spending plan.
The council’s president and vice president issued a statement after the meeting, saying in part, "Tonight’s passage of the budget is a clear demonstration of what can be accomplished when this body comes together to serve the best interests of the residents of Flint.”
Approving the budget averts the need to lay off hundreds of city employees at the end of the month.
Layoff notices were sent to some 500 Flint city employees after the council failed to approve a budget by the city charter-mandated deadline last week.
The June 2 city council meeting came to a chaotic end as city residents protesting the budget scuffled with police. There were no arrests. But Police Chief Terence Green said investigators are still reviewing video to see if any individuals can be identified and potentially charged with misdemeanors or felonies.
There remain some concerns that the spending plan relies on $4.2 million from city financial reserves to cover a projected shortfall in revenues next year. City officials are optimistic that the city will receive higher than projected revenues in the coming year.
