Governor Rick Snyder wants to spend nearly $200 million to help Flint, but it was difficult for him to get that message across in his budget presentation on Wednesday thanks to a loud group of protesters.
Dozens of protesters waited outside the House Appropriations room while the Governor was speaking. Many were Flint residents chanting things like, "Snyder's got to go" and "fix the pipes."
The Governor couldn't help but hear those messages inside the committee room, with the protesters audible chants.
For Flint resident Desiree Duell, getting more funding is only part of the solution.
"What would really satisfy me is if Governor Snyder resigned," Duell said. "He needs to be gone so we can rebuild trust with our government."
Governor Snyder said he's doing his best to make Flint a priority. In his presentation the Governor asked lawmakers to approve $195.4 million in one-time funding for Flint.
"What we tried to be was responsive to the areas we're hearing from flint residents, concerns about the water, concerns about the kids, concerns about the long term of the community," Snyder said.
That funding would come from the state's surplus and would pay for things like replacing pipes and nutritional programs. Snyder is also banking on more funding from Washington.
"I hope the federal government is rolling up its sleeves and diving into this like we are," Snyder said. "We need to stand up for the people of Flint and get them better results."
Duell says that doesn't cut it for her, and she wants to see more of a focus on what the state will be doing for Flint in the future.
"We need a very specific plan on how this money is going to be used and long term needs for the residents of Flint," she said. "We don't need some one time gimmick."
A decision Duell doesn't think the governor will make.
