Treasurer Lisa Hicks Clayton told the council Oct. 28 that the city has earned about $1.5 million in investment interest from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 and is on pace to exceed $2 million by Dec. 31, after recent automation of reporting and accounts-payable processes.

The council accepted a Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) grant for fiscal year 2026 totaling $369,405.90 with a city match of $9,879.39. Supporters said the MIDC program helps provide representation for people who cannot afford counsel and may save jail costs by resolving cases more quickly.

Council also approved several budget amendments and fund transfers — including reclassifying prior-year appropriations for traffic/mobilization and federal forfeiture accounts to align with expenditures that occurred in the current fiscal year. The interim controller explained some purchases authorized in the prior budget year were executed this fiscal year and therefore require reallocation.

During claims and budget discussions staff and the chief of staff described challenges in documenting and justifying some earlier COVID public assistance grant expenditures; the city received only a portion of several expected awards when compliance documentation was incomplete. Public commenters had asked whether the $489,000 budget amendment represented the full grant amount; one resident pointed out the packet showed the city had received larger sums in earlier filings and asked for clarification. The administration said prior payroll tracking and documentation gaps reduced the amount the city ultimately received from those grant lines.

Other administrative items discussed included the court’s migration from Quadrain to the state JIS system (onboarding is in progress and could take roughly a year) and an outstanding invoice for traffic/crash analysis that was properly charged to local and major-street accounts rather than the police operating fund.

Why it matters: Investment revenue improves the city’s overall fiscal position; grant awards and budget amendments affect services and appropriations; unresolved documentation from prior COVID-era grants reduces the funds available for recovery projects.

Details: Treasurer Clayton said automation of BS&A reporting improved timeliness and accuracy of investment earnings reporting; staff said they are also working on automating accounts payable and tax refund processes. The MIDC grant acceptance and budget amendments were passed by roll-call vote. Staff committed to returning with additional documentation on grant accounting and to transfer or reallocate funds as needed during the audit process.

Outlook: Staff will continue automating finance operations and will provide the council with follow-up documentation on the COVID grant reconciliation and the Quadrain-to-JIS court data migration schedule.