September 28th, 2026 Committee of the Whole Meeting

The City of Lansing Committee of the Whole met September 28, 2026, to review budget priorities for FY 2027–28. Members were advised to expect roughly 2–3% revenue growth (about $5 million for the General Fund), alongside approximately $4 million or more in workforce-contract costs and about $1 million in fuel increases, leaving the outlook near flat or slightly negative. The committee considered a $300,000 one-time allocation for a comprehensive planning process, including professional planning services and community engagement; members cited comparison costs of about $54,000 for a narrow East Lansing plan update and about $800,000 for Ann Arbor’s more extensive process. A proposal to combine sidewalk-related requests into a $2.5 million priority passed, and the committee retained a request for $2 million in additional local street repair funding and $400,000 for forestry staff/equipment. It also retained a one-FTE eviction-diversion specialist priority and removed a proposed sustainability staff request and a tiered-fines item; two additional forestry FTEs were removed while the $400,000 request remained.

Members also approved adding a call for an independent study and substantial public engagement on the city’s trash-hauling system. A two-person catch-basin cleaning crew and a clam-shell truck were discussed as a proposed priority to improve maintenance of the city’s roughly 13,000 basins and address flooding and Clean Water Act compliance concerns; the transcript does not capture a clear vote on that proposal. The committee then voted on the budget priorities as amended. These were budget recommendations, not final appropriations or contract awards.