EAST LANSING, Mich — East Lansing residents had the opportunity to provide feedback on the city's proposed $174 million fiscal year 2026 budget during a town hall meeting at the Hannah Community Center on Wednesday.
- Neighbors came to Wednesday's town hall to learn more about the budget
- City leaders say they're thinking about potential cuts as part of its budget deficit plan
- Watch the video to see neighbors and the city manager talk about the proposed budget
WATCH: EAST LANSING RESIDENTS DEBATE $174M BUDGET PROPOSAL WITH PROPERTY TAX INCREASE
The budget proposal includes a proposed 2.4% increase on property taxes that would generate $17 million in revenue.
"I'm skeptical of pieces of this," one resident said during the meeting.
"And I'm also concerned about the budget in general given what's happening in our country right now," resident Barbara Cowley-Durst said.
City officials also acknowledged the impact of asking residents for more money.
"It's always a concern when we ask residents to pay for something," said City Manager Robert Belleman
The city currently has an estimated $19.6 million in its general fund. Belleman explained that the proposed budget would require using $3.1 million from those savings.
"So if we do the full use of that in [FY26] and [FY27] we will have depleted the available fund balance and then we'd have to make other cuts," Belleman said.
During the meeting, Belleman provided details on a budget deficit plan outlining cuts in the proposed budget.
Resident Adam DeLay expressed concerns about a proposed millage increase for parks and recreation, questioning voter turnout in a non-election year.
"Millages and police and fire bond requests, school millages fail at a rate across the state that we haven't really seen before," DeLay said.
When I asked if people would support something that would increase property taxes, Cowley-Durst responded positively.
"I would," Cowley-Durst said.
Cowley-Durst hopes to learn more before city leaders vote to approve the budget on May 27. The city will discuss the budget at its next council meeting on May 13.
"I don't have a problem with property taxes going up if they're used properly," Cowley-Durst said.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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