Romulus council presses court for accounting of $200,000 fringe‑benefits request; staff to present two appropriation options

At a May 11 special public hearing on the proposed 2026–27 budget, several Romulus City Council members said they had not received documentation from the court to support a requested $200,000 increase for fringe benefits and asked administration to present alternative appropriation options.

A council member pressed the point directly: "So they're just expecting us to pass $200,000 without documenting what it's for?" The comment followed an exchange in which staff said they had requested supporting material from Chief Judge Brian Oakley but had not received the requested information.

Council members noted that the court's spreadsheet did not reflect an earlier $455,213 figure that Maria, the city finance presenter, said had been recorded by the city as part of accounts‑payable reimbursements. Maria told the council that, as of June 30, 2023, the city had provided roughly $697,000 to the court, of which about $455,000 was accounts‑payable and that the auditors had reflected city‑subsidized health‑care payments the city recorded on behalf of the court.

Faced with the lack of documentation, several council members said they would prefer to present the city budget to the council without that unexplained $200,000. Maria agreed to prepare two appropriations for the May 26 meeting: one reflecting the court's requested amount and one "less the $200,000," and to work with the administration and city attorney to document the presentation.

No appropriation or formal vote to adopt the budget occurred at the May 11 hearing. The council will receive the appropriation documents on May 26; if adopted later, the budget becomes effective July 1.

Direct quotes used in this article are drawn from the hearing transcript and attributed to speakers on the record.