What happened: Council approved Resolution #2026-06 setting the FY27 millage rate at 17 mills, which City Manager Guile stated was the same as it had been for the past several years. Council then approved the FY2027 budget by roll call: Fabbro, Mecham, Armstrong, and Mayor Damm yes; none no; McTaggart absent. A companion General Appropriations Resolution setting revenues, expenses, special assessments, and utility rates for FY2027 was also approved.
Why it matters: The millage rate is the city's main property-tax lever, and holding it flat means no rate increase in the FY27 budget as approved — though individual tax bills still depend on taxable values, which the minutes do not break down.
The same meeting approved a contract making Interim Manager Ben Guile the City Manager, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029, and a Fleis & Vandenbrink construction engineering proposal not to exceed $65,000 for the Cass Avenue and Oak Street improvements, with Shaw Contracting already awarded the project. Council also authorized a FEMA grant application for a Moore Drain flood-mitigation engineering study, in conjunction with the Tuscola County EDC, with the hope of a new retention pond and a reconsideration of FEMA flood maps if the project is completed.
What happens next: Guile said he intended to post the open police chief position by the end of that week. No further budget dates are stated in these minutes.
Corrections: none yet.