Residents raise concerns about CAPER spending, road conditions and commissioner conduct at Battle Creek meeting

Several members of the public used the Sept. 16 Battle Creek City Commission public-comment period to raise concerns about federal program spending, local infrastructure and commission conduct.

During the meeting's public-comment period, a public commenter, John Kennethick of 234 South Avenue, addressed the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for program year 2024 and criticized how HUD-funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds were allocated in the report. Kennethick said the CAPER shows $321,761 allocated to the code department and $256,883 to city administration for the year and asserted that over approximately 25 years, the city has directed about $23 million to code and administration from these federal funds. He questioned funding for local projects and asked whether organizations such as Habitat for Humanity are receiving CAPER funds for specific addresses, noting two line items referenced as $143,000 for projects at 25 North Woodlawn and 273 West Spalding; he asked whether such work is being funded by federal dollars rather than wholly by the organizations themselves.

"Are we supporting CAPER? Are we…