Resident urges caution on use of funds after Mount Clemens bond approval

During the public participation portion of Tuesday’s Mount Clemens City Commission meeting, resident Rick Block of Cambridge raised concerns about the prudence of spending tied to a recently passed charter amendment (ballot measure) and asked whether the city had replaced equipment and completed repairs funded after the vote.

“I remember hearing for several years we couldn't replace a vehicle in the maintenance fleet…so we put a ballot, quite a proposal on the ballot,” Rick Block said. He asked commissioners to ‘‘be prudent’’ and verify that equipment purchases and projects funded by the measure were completed rather than assuming ongoing fiscal health.

Block noted that the city distributed a flyer warning that if the amendment failed, service levels would be unsustainable and the city could run out of money in 2017, and he said the amendment passed and the city has collected funds for two years. He asked whether items such as pumps and vehicles had been replaced.

Chair thanked the speaker for his comment; no formal response or follow-up motion was recorded. The commission proceeded with its agenda.