Council sets May 18 public hearing for city tax-and-debt dashboard ordinance

The Lansing City Council read for the first time an ordinance to amend chapter 218 of the city code to require creation and semiannual updates of a public tax-and-debt dashboard.

Councilmember Carter told the council the dashboard will break down every millage the city levies — property tax millage, dedicated millage, debt millage and special assessments — and disclose each city debt instrument, including principal, interest rates and payment schedules. "This will go live Aug. 1 and will be updated twice a year, by Aug. 1 and Feb. 1," Carter said.

The ordinance was referred to the Ways and Means Committee and a public hearing was set for May 18. Councilmembers said the change is one of several code updates mandated by a newly adopted charter.

If adopted after the public process, the dashboard will be posted to the city's public website and maintained on the semiannual schedule described in the ordinance text.