Grand Rapids Fiscal Committee Meeting – September 9, 2025
Grand Rapids Fiscal Committee Meeting – September 9, 2025
The Fiscal Committee of the City of Grand Rapids met on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 8:30 AM to consider a series of resolutions, financial reports, and grant agreements. The committee unanimously approved all agenda items, including funding for gun violence prevention, cultural event promotion, ADA polling improvements, lead hazard remediation, stormwater and solar infrastructure, and an ERP contract change order. Financial reports and a city manager's contract report were received and filed.
Discussion Items
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Resolution 1: SAFE Task Force Pitch and Highlight Night – The committee approved $50,000 in funding to support the SAFE Task Force's annual event, which awards up to $10,000 each to five community organizations working to limit gun violence. Programs include recreational activities and mental health support. (Moved and supported; voice vote passed unanimously.)
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Resolution 2: Art Prize 2025 Cultural Promotions – The committee approved $15,000 to the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, West Michigan Asian Association, and African American Art and Music Celebration (each $5,000) to promote Art Prize 2025 and increase cultural representation. Commissioner King recused himself due to his role as city liaison. Other commissioners expressed support for engaging diverse groups. (Voice vote passed unanimously.)
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Resolution 3: ADA Infrastructure Grant for Polling Place – The committee accepted a $10,000 grant from the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks to fund ADA door upgrades at New Hope Baptist Church on Delaware Street. City Clerk Chris Hondorp explained the church will cover remaining project costs. (Voice vote passed unanimously.)
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Resolution 4: Lead Hazard Control Grant – The committee accepted a $720,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for the eighth year of the Medicaid/CHIP Lead Hazard Control Program. The program provides housing rehabilitation for children with elevated blood lead levels, with referrals from the health department. (Voice vote passed unanimously.)
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Resolution 5: Butterworth Street Stormwater Project Grant – The committee approved a $959,752 grant agreement with the U.S. EPA for the Butterworth Street Stormwater Project. City engineer Mike Stahl confirmed the total project cost is $3.3 million, including city funds, and will reconstruct the road and add stormwater features. Construction is expected to start in 2026. (Voice vote passed unanimously.)
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Resolution 6: Solar Array Infrastructure Grant – The committee approved a $3,000,000 grant agreement with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to build infrastructure connecting a proposed solar array at the Butterworth Landfill to the city's primary circuit line. The project includes running a circuit line and reconstructing Wealthy Street. Bidding is expected fall 2025, construction spring 2026. (Voice vote passed unanimously.)
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Resolution 7: High Street IT Solutions Change Order – The committee approved a $690,500 change order to the ERP post-go-live support contract with High Street IT Solutions. Finance staff explained the need for additional stabilization, report refinement, and budget module support due to higher-than-anticipated post-launch needs. The total contract value is now approximately $13.3 million (original $10.3 million plus $3 million in change orders). A future presentation on ERP go-live lessons learned and ongoing support strategy is planned. (Voice vote passed unanimously.)
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Resolution 8: Bid List Resolution for September 9, 2025 – The committee approved the routine bid list without specific discussion. (Voice vote passed unanimously.)
Financial Reports
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Comptroller's Report – For the period August 12–25, 2025, cash payments of $204,269,925.75 were released, including $5.6 million in payroll and $286,000 in income tax warrants. City Comptroller Max France noted that a paragraph was added to the report claiming compliance with all applicable rules, but he had not submitted that paragraph and requested a list of the referenced regulations, which had not yet been provided. The report was received and filed.
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Treasurer's Report – For the period August 12–27, 2025, the city's investment portfolio stood at $834 million earning 3.65%. The treasurer discussed a 92% probability of a 25-basis-point Federal Reserve rate cut in the upcoming meeting, but cautioned that inflation may worsen before improving in 2026. The portfolio is positioned with flexibility in short-term U.S. treasuries. The report was received and filed.
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City Manager's Report on Contract and Purchase Approvals – The committee received a summary of the city manager's use of purchasing authority (up to $100,000 for routine purchases, up to $500,000 for emergencies) from January 2024 through August 2025, provided for transparency. The report was received and filed.
Key Outcomes
All resolutions were approved unanimously by voice vote. All reports were received and filed. The committee adjourned at 9:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good morning, everybody. I think we got everyone ready. Uh it's 8 30. We'll go ahead and get our fiscal committee meeting here underway. Number one, we've got a resolution authorizing 50,000 in support of the recommendations. Uh the safe task force through a pitch and highlight night. So support. All right, move dance for we got Mr. King here to tell us about this thing. Thank you, Commissioners. You guys all look beautiful today. So I want to let you know that. Thank you. Uh so this is an annual event we've been doing for the last five or six years. It's uh an opportunity for uh community organizations that are helping us uh limit gun violence in our community. So this would be an opportunity for um five different organizations to get awarded up to ten thousand dollars to uh execute their programs. Uh we have had programs such as recreational activities, uh mental health training, mental health support for families and individuals. And I'm happy to say we've even done a movie with this uh with with this funding. Uh a very good movie that I hope to be able to show at the public safety meeting in the near future. Um so if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer. Awesome. I'll turn to my colleagues and see if they have any questions or comments. All right, hearing seeing none, your flattery will take you far by the way. All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed, it carries. I'm number two, we've got a resolution authorizing funding to the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the West Michigan Asian Association, uh, as well as the African American um art and music celebration in support of event promotion and cultural awareness with Art Prize 2025, and that's an amount of 15,000. Thank you. I we're trying to show excuse me. Sorry. So moved, and I need to recuse myself from this. Okay. Support. All right, we've got uh hold on a minute. Did you say you did you just say so move? I'll I'll make the motion. Okay, yes, take it away. Yep, we're good. Thank you, Commissioner. Appreciate it. All right, moved and supported. I'll hand it back to you, Mr. Kane. Thank you. Uh so this is uh something that we've done for probably five or six years also. Uh this is an opportunity to work with uh cultural organizations in our community to help promote our prize, uh, to make sure that um people are represented, they see themselves, and um they also feel like it's an event for them, also. So this would provide funding for the West Michigan Asian Association, the African American Art and Music Celebration, um, which I am the liaison to for the city, I should say that also on the liaison committee for the city. That's why I'm bringing this item. And then also for the um Hispanic uh Chamber of Commerce. Um so each of those organizations would um get five thousand dollars uh to help promote our prize in various ways, including um supporting artists directly.
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