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Grand Rapids City Commission unanimously adopts budget amendment covering 12 items, including Butterworth solar array
Summary
The Grand Rapids City Commission voted unanimously to approve Amendment No. 7 to the 2024–23 budget ordinance, a package of 12 items ranging from grant awards and equipment purchases to a requested allocation for a Butterworth landfill solar array; commissioners also approved immediate effect for the ordinance.
The Grand Rapids City Commission voted unanimously to approve an ordinance amending Section 1 of the budget ordinance 2024-23 for fiscal year 2025 (Amendment No. 7), a package of 12 separate budget and contract items presented at the commission’s meeting.
City Commissioner Robbins, who introduced the measure, said the amendment bundles a range of departmental requests that came before the commission’s fiscal committee. "There are 12 different items that came as part of this amendment," Robbins said, reading the list for commissioners.
The amendment includes a Nature Everywhere Sea Grant for Parks and Recreation; a forensics data-extraction license renewal for the Police Department; a Right Place Wrap 2 grant allocation for Canal Park and a Grand Rapids Children’s Fund item for Parks and Recreation; a National Criminal History Improvement Program grant for the 61st District Court; an asset-management request for the Public Library; facilities and equipment funding for the Fire Training Center; refrigeration improvements for Belknap Park’s Griff’s Ice House; additional state street funding for engineering; extension of a cloud-services contract with CGI Inc. for fiscal services; police equipment purchased with federal forfeiture funds; and an allocation for a Butterworth landfill solar array for the engineering department. Robbins also noted that the city’s contingency balance remained at the full $1.5 million appropriated.
Commissioners answered a roll-call vote called by the city clerk. Votes recorded on the amendment were: Commissioner Esauce — yes; Commissioner Robbins — yes; Commissioner Perdue — yes; Commissioner Knight — yes; Commissioner Belcek — yes; Commissioner Kilgore — yes; Mayor LeGrand — yes. The commission voted 7–0 to adopt the amendment. After passage, commissioners approved a motion to make the ordinance take immediate effect by voice vote.
Why it matters: the amendment moves funding and contract authority across multiple departments, enabling planned purchases, grants and a renewable-energy project at the Butterworth landfill. The city clerk recorded the ordinance as taking immediate effect following the commission’s unanimous voice vote.
Details of items in the amendment were supplied in committee materials and summarized at the meeting; specific line-item amounts beyond the comptroller’s warrant summary were not read into the record during the vote. The comptroller’s warrant report for the period Jan. 28–Feb. 10, 2025 was filed earlier in the meeting and listed $30,895,595.94 for that period.
