Grand Rapids City Council Fiscal Committee Meeting - January 13, 2026

The Fiscal Committee convened on January 13, 2026, for the first meeting of the year to review and approve eleven agenda items, including tax write-offs, fire department infrastructure funding, ethics policy revisions, and bond sales reports. The committee unanimously approved resolutions for routine fiscal matters, strategic planning initiatives, and financial disclosures while receiving standard treasurer and comptroller reports.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1: Resolution to strike outstanding 2020 personal property taxes from the delinquent tax list, authorizing a write-off not exceeding $87,107.57 (including $24,058.84 related to city millages). Commissioner Golinsky noted that the amount is slightly higher than the previous year due to small business closures and asset removals, but collection efforts continue until June 30th.
• Item 2: Resolution authorizing a $285,000 budget substitution to fund an asset management plan for fire department facilities, replacing the anticipated $1.8 million in routine emergency repairs for one year to allow for strategic facility planning.
• Item 3: Resolution authorizing an $180,000 budget substitution for exterior facade repairs, noting that the Kalamazoo station discovery of water damage behind bricks exceeded original maintenance expectations.
• Item 4: Resolution allocating $14,016.67 of Grand Valley State University's (GVSU) voluntary payment funds from the Belknap property to the Neighbors of Belknap organization for community benefits.
• Item 5: Resolution approving a $75,000 payment to K-Connect for the development of a Grand Rapids and Kent County Arts and Culture Strategy, with Kent County contributing an identical amount.
• Item 6: Resolution adopting revisions to City Commission Policy 100-06 regarding conflicts of interest, ethics, and financial disclosure. The revisions address public comments from 2025 by removing personally identifying spousal references and expanding the "business partner" definition to include appointed members of other city committees. Commissioner Knight expressed support for transparency but raised concerns that some provisions might be too far-reaching regarding personal lives.
• Item 7: Resolution approving the weekly bid list, which includes nine items notably highlighting "Origami Risk" software to provide outward-facing functionality complementing the closed Oracle ERP system.
• Item 8: Report of bond sales for the water supply system ($41.22 million) and sanitary sewer system ($48.275 million). The water refunding bonds project annual interest savings of $295,000 (total present value ~$4.8 million), while the sewer refunding bonds project annual savings of $337,000 (total present value ~$4.7 million).
• Item 9: Receipt and filing of the Comptroller's Warrant Report for December 2–29, 2025, totaling over $56 million (including $12.6 million for payroll and 228,399 payments). The monthly travel report indicates a year-to-date spend of $941,000, representing 41% of the annual budget.
• Item 10: Receipt and filing of the Treasurer's Report for December 3–31, 2025, noting a Federal Reserve interest rate cut to 3.5–3.75%, inflation at 2.6–2.7%, and an unemployment rate drop from 4.5% to 4.4%.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments or testimony were recorded during the meeting transcript.

Discussion Items

• Fire Facility Infrastructure: Chief of Fire discussed the transition from reactive emergency repairs to a proactive asset management plan. He clarified that the $285,000 and $180,000 substitutions are funded from normal capital funds, not state allocations, and represent a strategic pause on high-volume repairs to assess long-term facility viability.
• Ethics Policy Revisions: Interim City Attorney provided historical context regarding the summer 2025 public conversations. Commissioners expressed a wide consensus supporting the revisions for enhanced transparency. Commissioner Knight reiterated that while accountability is paramount, the city must balance disclosure requirements with the personal lives of elected officials, though he remains supportive of the final measure.
• Economic Conditions: City Treasurer highlighted a discrepancy in job growth data, noting that while overall economic growth remains strong (4.3% GSP), job growth averages (49,000/month in 2025 vs. 168,000/month in 2024) were subject to downward revisions of 900,000 jobs. The Treasurer expressed full support for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his data-driven approach to maintaining long-term economic stability.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous Approval: All 11 items were approved via motion and second with no opposed votes. Key actions include:
  • Authorization of $87,107.57 in tax write-offs.
  • Approval of $465,000 in combined budget substitutions for fire department planning and repairs.
  • Adoption of revised ethics and conflict of interest policies.
  • Issuance of $89.495 million in refunding bonds for water and sewer systems.
• Next Steps: The Finance Committee will proceed with the bond issuances, the Law Department will finalize the new policy implementation, and the city will continue monitoring economic indicators and tax collection efforts through June 30.