Flint council reviews Business & Consumer Services budget; staff outline grants, development tools and housing projects

Flint City Council held a budget hearing for the Business and Consumer Services division on a special meeting called after quorum issues, during which department leaders outlined grant-backed programs, proposed technology spending and housing-rehab initiatives.

Department leaders told council members the division oversees planning, zoning, economic development, parks and building inspections and is managing roughly 30 active grants and about 160 open requisitions and purchase orders. Carissa Dodson, who described herself as working in operations and finance for the department, said grants overseen by the division total about $110,000,000 and come with varied federal and state compliance requirements.

The presentation emphasized two near-term housing projects: an ARPA-funded roof repair program with 55 homes selected for repairs and a scattered-site rehabilitation plan that staff said would identify about 40 single-family homes for rehabilitation. Ashley (Community Services) said the roof program is live, contractors have been selected and council should see the contract in the next two months; she said the scattered-site work is being planned in the current year with construction to begin next spring and a target completion of 2028.

Tyler, who described his role overseeing zoning and development work, reviewed process improvements and a technology request. He said the zoning and development team has reduced average site-plan review from about 260 days two years ago to roughly 35 days now and supports five boards and commissions. Tyler asked for a $500,000 professional-services line-item for Quali (a CRM/digital permitting platform) that he said would digitize the development and licensing workflow to speed business openings and improve transparency. He also said a $45,000 line that had funded outside zoning support (Rowe Professional Services) would be reallocated because the city’s zoning capacity has increased.

Council members pressed staff on the degree to which the budget depends on grants and what contingency plans exist if grant revenue is delayed or clawed back. Dodson said the budget reflects a conservative approach: expense lines for expected grants are included only where payments are not yet officially confirmed, and the revenue side is not booked until formal award notices arrive. She and Tyler said some grant-funded staff are already supported by ARPA and other awards and that, where necessary, general-fund dollars have been planned to cover personnel if a grant expires (staff cited ARPA-funded positions through Dec. 2026 as an example).

Multiple council members asked about workforce and equity outcomes. Tyler and Ashley described programs intended to recruit and train local contractors and small businesses, including a procurement/connectivity initiative (referred to as BuyFlint or ByFlint) to link local suppliers with major purchasers and a LISC-led emerging-developer program that staff estimated could begin onboarding in mid-2025 if outside partners proceed on schedule.

Licensing and enforcement also drew sustained attention. Council members and staff discussed moving business licensing responsibilities into Business Services pending an opinion from the city attorney; Tyler said that consolidation would let the department track businesses year over year in parcel-level detail using the new CRM. Building-inspection and rental-enforcement staff described litigation and enforcement steps they are taking against unlicensed rentals, and Mike (building inspection) said the department will pursue warrants and court actions to gain access to properties that resist inspections.

Councilmembers repeatedly raised blight and fire-damaged properties. Staff said the city holds fire-escrow funds when insurers report withheld payments; those funds are earmarked for the affected property and can be used for demolition if owners do not repair. Staff and council discussed limitations in practice — including slow insurer reporting, legal and abatement costs, and the difficulty of seizing or remediating property owned out of state — and described ongoing efforts to reconcile accounts and use interdepartmental legal processes to accelerate action on problematic properties.

On timelines, staff provided these planning notes: the ARPA roof program has 55 homes selected and staff expect to complete work within a year once contracts are executed; scattered-site planning will continue through the current year with construction next spring; the HOME-ARP project is part of housing-for-homeless initiatives and staff said awards and reimbursements affect scheduling. For workforce programs, Tyler said the emerging-developer training and procurement supports could begin outreach and initial cohorts in mid-2025 if partner timelines hold.

No formal votes or ordinance adoptions were taken at the hearing; council members requested follow-up materials, legal opinions and contract documents to be returned to committee or council for later action. Staff said they would bring vendor contracts (for the roof program and the Quali CRM request) and the attorney opinion on the licensing transfer when available.

Council President Judy Priestley (presiding) and several other council members thanked staff for the presentations; the hearing concluded after roughly two hours and the meeting was adjourned.

The department’s detailed budget lines — including the $500,000 Quali request and the $45,000 reallocation previously used for Rowe Professional Services — remain before council for formal appropriation and contract approvals.