LANSING, Mich. — Mayor Andy Schor’s $241 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2023 allocates over $750,000 to the City Council, nearly $100,000 more than the Council is getting this year.
Council Vice President Carol Wood said being resourceful and responsible are always put at the forefront when council decides how they’ll spend the money allocated to them out of the city’s budget.
But $764,000 would be the highest number allocated to the city council in a while.
The Council is getting over $664,000 this year. It got around $715,000 last year, just shy of $727,000 in 2020 and $714,000 in 2019.
If Schor’s proposal is approved, how would council spend the additional money next year?
Some of he increase will go towards salary increases for council employees, council healthcare and retiree benefits and IT fees.
“We have 3 staff members,” said Council President Adam Hussain. “We have an office manager, we have an administrative assistant and we have an internal auditor, so there are increases for those salaries.”
It would also pay for a portion of Schor’s 311 Program.
“That program is where a resident call 311 and it will be directed the department that can properly handle the residents complaint, and the cost for that program is being allocated over various departments,” Wood said.
But most of the new money, $55,000, isn't earmarked for anything specific. It will add to the council's miscellaneous funds.
“We had a flood last year and there were a number of charges that were charged to council that in previous years have been handled through building maintenance, but we were charged for it. So we added those dollars so if thee were other major issues that needed to be dealt with, we had the dollars,” Wood said.
Council has until the end of next month to approve a budget.
