Mount Clemens City Commission votes on budget amendments, art center lease

MOUNT CLEMENS — The Mount Clemens City Commission approved a slate of amendments to the 2025-26 budget at its Jan. 20 meeting.

Held on the Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, city commissioners approved millions of dollars in changes to reflect the city’s financial standing over the course of the fiscal year. The amendments affect the general, major streets and local streets funds.

“The city was awarded multiple grants for projects that began during fiscal year 2025 and were expected to extend into fiscal year 2026,” City Manager Gregg Shipman said. “In order to prevent budget overruns, the entire expected revenue and expenditure for those projects was budgeted in fiscal year 2025, with an expected ‘rollover amendment’ in fiscal year 2026. Included in this amendment are the rollover amendments for the riverfront revitalization project state grant allocation in the amount of $2 million, as well as federal and ice arena proceeds revenue to fund the downtown revitalization project in the amount of $4,194,808.”

Along with the nearly $6.2 million added to the general fund in grants and ice arena proceeds, $180,000 was added to collected property tax revenues, and $100,000 was added to building permit and rental inspection revenues. However, the nearly $6.2 million was then added to the expenditures for the associated projects along with $55,200 added for Mount Clemens Fire Department wages and salaries in light of the recently approved collective bargaining agreement. The amendments change the general fund’s budget surplus to $156,600.

Just under $1.4 million was added to the major streets fund’s expenditures, while the local streets fund added $535,328 from the ice arena bond fund along with an additional $1 million in expenditures for summer concrete patching projects.

Along with the $535,328 sent to the local streets fund, over $1.3 million from the ice arena bond fund was allocated to the general fund to help with grant matches for the downtown revitalization project.

Commissioners voted 6-1 to approve the amendments with Commissioner Roxanne Brown being the lone vote against. While Brown said she was fine with many of the amendments, she said she was uncertain about the $2 million being used for the riverfront project.

Brown said by email after the meeting that as a new commissioner, she is still looking at documents and reviewing past meetings to get herself up to speed.

“I see a lot of mention of Mount Clemens ‘Riverfront Revitalization’ but no specific plan is available,” Brown said. “The relocation of city hall and the fire department are just that, ‘relocation,’ and do not constitute ‘revitalization.’ I am concerned that $2 million dollars in the budget amendments was earmarked for an initiative for which I have not seen any real plans. I could not in good conscience say yes to that particular amendment.”

 

Anton Art Center lease
Trustees voted unanimously to amend the city’s lease agreement with the Anton Art Center at the former library at 125 Macomb Place — and with a rather steep increase.

The Art Center’s $1 per year lease remains intact from its original 2008 lease. But with the city stepping up to pay to replace the Art Center’s broken elevator, the gallery and art instruction nonprofit now has to pay the city back $156,600 within the next 24 months. The cost covers the elevator repair along with an additional 2% fee to the city.

“If you’ve ever gone into the Anton from the Roskop parking lot, you know that you can’t get to any floor without going up or down stairs,” City Commissioner Laura Fournier said.

Fournier also serves as the Anton Art Center’s accountant and sits on the center’s board of trustees.

“Especially to get to the galleries, it’s a climb, folks, It’s difficult. We’ve been nursing this elevator along and it just makes sense at this point not to put any more money into it, but to replace it,” Fournier said.

Despite her ties to the center, Fourier was allowed to vote on the lease because she does not have a direct financial stake in the decision.

Anton Art Center Executive Director Matt Mathews said he expects the new elevator to be installed around May or June.

 

CDBG public hearing
Representatives from local nonprofits addressed the City Commission in an attempt to secure part of the city’s annual allocation of Community Development Block Grant funding. The city was allocated $12,800 with seven external organizations requesting funds, along with the city’s Recreation Department, which requested the full allocation for its senior programming.

Care House requested $6,000 for its child abuse intervention services and had a representative at the meeting. Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan requested $1,200 for its custom wig-making services and intended to have a representative present. Turning Point requested $3,000 for its domestic abuse shelter services and had a representative at the meeting. Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers requested $1,800 for its ‘Safe at Home’ senior assistance program and had a representative at the meeting.

Other groups that requested CDBG grant funds are Hearts 4 Homes ($2,000), Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team ($3,740) and Single Family Living ($3,000).