Committee approves budget‑process reforms, endorses employee premium contributions and capital review

The East Lansing advisory committee on May 14 advanced several budget and finance recommendations to be included in the draft report, directing staff to refine language and supply additional reconciliations and analyses.

Key approvals and directions included: approval of staff language supporting employees’ resumption of health‑insurance premium contributions beginning in fiscal year 2027 and recommending the city offer additional plan options (for example, a high‑deductible plan paired with a health savings account); a recommendation that the capital improvement program be reviewed and approved by the city’s planning commission as part of the annual budget process; and a request that the budget document adopt Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) best practices for clearer narratives and three‑year histories.

Members repeatedly raised the presentation gap between the annual comprehensive financial report (audited financial statements) and the budget document. Staff explained the apparent difference in totals is driven largely by separate accounting treatment for the income‑tax fund (an $8.8 million restricted balance cited in discussion) and similar special‑revenue items that roll into the financial‑statement totals. Committee members asked staff to include the reconciliation pages from the financial statements in the budget packet (pages identified during the meeting) so citizens can trace the numbers across documents.

The committee also reviewed revenue recommendations, including a prior decision by council to absorb an estimated annual loss of about $1.6 million in franchise‑fee revenue without raising property tax rates; members supported including that guidance in the report. They asked staff to (1) include dollar‑change context in budget narratives (not just percentages), (2) add personnel‑cost comparisons showing vacancy savings in quarterly reports, and (3) study simplifying the city’s indirect cost‑allocation presentation so fees and department costs more clearly reflect true program costs.

On public‑safety funding, members noted that the Downtown Development Authority has offered funds to support two downtown officers and instructed staff to clarify assignment expectations with the police chief; the committee agreed it is reasonable to recommend that DDA‑funded positions be assigned to downtown duties but left detailed shift/assignment decisions to the police department.

The committee voted to move the package forward and asked staff for specific follow‑up materials: a reconciliation showing how the budget document maps to the audited financial statements, a proposed personnel‑cost supplemental schedule for quarterly reporting, and an analysis of indirect‑cost allocation options.