Commissioners press for transparency as Benton Harbor faces large unpaid bills; accounts payable approved

Multiple commissioners used their time to press for more transparency on city spending and to highlight what they described as a backlog of unpaid, budgeted bills. Speakers listed a range of large, budgeted line items that commissioners said had not been paid, including water-filtration work and water-treatment related projects; one speaker cited more than $1 million in unpaid, budgeted items during the discussion.

Commissioner Warren, urging prudence, said voting to approve expenses without known costs is unreasonable: "To approve something and not have a cost is unreasonable," she said, arguing the commission should have cost estimates for major spending decisions.

Several commissioners said staff should provide line-item detail and documentation in advance so the commission can vet large disbursements. Commissioner Henry and others said they regularly vote 'no' on accounts payable when they lack satisfactory explanations.

Despite the debate, the commission ultimately approved the accounts-payable list in a roll-call vote. Commissioners emphasized they wanted better financial reporting and line-item documentation before approving large transfers or adding new obligations in the future.

Next steps: commissioners directed staff to provide clearer documentation and line-item breakdowns for future votes; several members asked the city manager to answer outstanding emails from commissioners by a specified deadline.