City Council hears progress updates on strategic priorities including pensions, climate actions and housing goals

City Manager Robert Bellman presented the second progress report on five of the city council’s 2024–25 strategic priorities, covering Goal 6 through Goal 10: financial health, environmental stewardship, community inclusions, housing, and relocating utilities underground.

Bellman said the city will form a financial health review team and move forward now that Audrey Kinkade is chief financial officer; he reported the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (MERS) pension plan was 67% funded as of Dec. 31, 2023, up 4 percentage points from 2022, and the other post-employment benefits (primarily retiree health under GASB 75) showed a funding ratio of 64.51% as of Dec. 31, 2023, an 8.95-point increase from an interim prior report. "We are making sure that we're meeting the annual required contribution and looking at ways of making additional contributions to reduce the unfunded liabilities," Bellman said.

On economic development and housing, Bellman summarized pilot and partnership work: the council-backed pilot ordinance for PK Companies’ Emerald Point affordable housing project at 333 Valley Court; a city letter of support for PK’s reconsideration of a 9% low-income housing tax credit application; DDA work on housing/business support; a Kansas State University partnership to inventory brownfield properties; and LDFA SmartZone incubation planning. He said the city is moving a security-deposit/first-month assistance pilot funded by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars; that pilot was approved at a recent council meeting and will be reflected in the next progress report.

On environmental stewardship and climate resilience (Goal 7), staff reported work on a five-year parks, recreation, open-space and greenway plan; the installation of LED theater lighting and high-efficiency boilers; roof replacements to enable future rooftop solar at City Hall and Hannah Community Center; and evaluation of solar at the DPW compound and at the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WARF) energy-efficiency projects. The city has hired its first certified arborist and launched a block pruning program; the stewardship program logged 540 volunteer hours and 17 volunteer workdays for invasive-species removal. Staff noted the wet-weather resiliency plan (stormwater) is scheduled for completion in 2026 and that the city is reviewing Ann Arbor’s stormwater utility approach and planning legislative outreach to allow a similar utility in East Lansing.

Goal 8 reporting listed cultural- and equity-focused activities: increased attendance at cultural events (the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival rose to about 8,400 in 2024), expanded DEI outreach and work with the Human Rights Commission and Arts Commission grant priorities targeting BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists, and program changes at the Hannah Community Center to improve accessibility.

Under housing (Goal 9), staff reported a target of 1,100 housing units over five years. Action items included the new security-deposit pilot (25% complete in the reporting period but expected to register as complete after recent CDBG plan action) and ongoing conversations with MEDC, MSHDA, Capital Area Housing Partnership and HUD on homeownership programs. Council members urged staff to explore tax-increment financing options and partnerships with local credit unions.

On utilities and urban form (Goal 10), DPW reviewed relocation-cost estimates (with Lansing Board of Water & Light) and other utility providers; the city reported 80% completion on policy/pilot feasibility work. Several council members suggested gathering additional data on the feasibility of municipal utilities (electric or stormwater) as long-term funding mechanisms for priorities such as tree canopy and infrastructure.

Council members asked for clearer timelines and more-quantified milestones. Bellman and councilors directed staff to refine action items to be more measurable, capture ongoing work that currently falls outside the stated progress percentages, and bring follow-up material during the next reporting cycle and the FY 2026 budget process.

Ending: Bellman said staff will return with updates as the FY-26 budget is finalized and as the city develops recruitment timelines for the financial health review team and the stormwater resiliency plan schedule. The council moved on to a separate zoning ordinance discussion after the strategic-priorities update.