The East Lansing City Council is continuing to consider whether to eliminate the city’s parks and recreation department from its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The city faces a deficit of more than $3 million in its upcoming budget.
One of the solutions proposed by City Manager Robert Belleman is funding the city’s Parks, Recreation and Arts Department through a millage that would be put to voters on the November ballot. But there’s still disagreement about whether this is the direction they should take.
At Tuesday's council meeting, Councilmember Erik Altmann said the city barely has enough money to cover its essential services, like police and EMS.
“I see the millage as an opportunity to let voters decide whether they want to pay for something we might otherwise have to cut,” Altmann said.
Altmann said the city could keep the department open until voters have a chance to weigh in and wind the department down over the course of a few months if the millage fails.
But Councilmember Mark Meadows said he’s concerned a millage proposal wouldn’t offer residents any benefits they don’t already expect.
“This seems more like a threat, like if you don’t vote for this then we’re going to start cutting parks,” Meadows said.
Meadows wants the city to form a joint recreational authority with the school district instead.
He said the city has already taken on several programs that used to be funded by the schools.
“We hire the middle school coaches for basketball, and we run the before and after program to watch kids before school and after school,” Meadows said. “That was all in the school district previously. So, I think they’re the right partner for us.”
He said the city could also partner with another locality to form a Joint Fire Authority to fund the Fire Department.
City Council indicated they plan to move forward with several of Belleman’s other recommendations, including plans to institute land leases on city-owned parking structures and establish a convenience fee for some credit card payments.
But Mayor George Brookover said the list is not exhaustive, and members may approve additional measures.
“I think we can do this in a measured pace,” Brookover said. “I think this gives some guidance to the city as to our intent to start chipping away at this and still leaves time to consider what I think should be considered.”
The council is set to vote on a proposed budget May 27.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.