The Michigan City Common Council Finance Committee on Sept. 2 approved $388,480.10 in claims and recorded a $250,000 transfer into the Bridal Street Fund, finance committee staff said.
The committee voted to approve claims totaling $388,480.10, including $138,480.10 tied to Aretha Riley Construction Co., Inc. and Schneider Geometrics, and a $250,000 entry from the riverboat fund to the Bridal Street Fund. The motion to approve was made by Dr. Cora Kaur and seconded by Mr. Beatry; the committee approved the claims by voice vote.
Why it matters: the transfers change internal fund balances available for future work and reflect prior ordinances and budgeting decisions even when physical work has not yet occurred.
At the meeting, Tamiko Smith, deputy controller, said the $250,000 “represents the transfer of the 250,000 by ordinance into the Bridal Street Fund.” Smith added, “we just we didn’t buy we haven’t fixed any streets,” indicating the money was moved into the fund but no construction or repairs had been completed as of the meeting.
Committee chair Tracy Tillman read fund balances for the riverboat and rainy-day accounts. The riverboat fund (type 2235) showed an ending balance of $4,798,819.44 year to date; the rainy-day fund (type 2236) showed $1,167,490.42, with a reported grand total of $5,009,309.86.
Discussion versus decision: the committee’s approval was a formal vote on claims presented for payment and accounting transfers. Staff clarified that the $250,000 transfer reflected a previously passed ordinance moving money into the Bridal Street Fund; the committee did not authorize street repairs at this meeting.
The meeting included a public comment from City Councilman Don Presbylinski asking whether work had been performed on the streets referenced by the transfer; Smith provided the clarification that the transfer alone did not indicate completed work.
The committee did not schedule additional action on the Bridal Street Fund during the meeting. The claims approval updates internal balances and allows staff to process the listed payments.