City Council on a motion approved a one‑year extension of a state Department of Environmental Protection grant that preserves about $10 million in grant funding for the Cleveland Street Basin/Lower Peninsula stormwater project.

Council members, including Councilman Carlson and Chair Clendenin, pressed staff on the project’s overall cost and what approval of the extension would commit the city to. Brandon Campbell, mobility director, told the council the vote before them was limited: "Today, the approval being sought is for a one year extension ... a no cost time extension to that existing grant that was executed in 2024. No other new commitments are being made by today’s resolution if it’s adopted." Jean Duncan, administrator of infrastructure and mobility, said the true budget decision point will come with the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) vote anticipated in late summer or early fall when the contractor can establish a firm maximum price.

Council discussion focused on several points: the grant agreement executed in 2024 included a $10 million state award and referenced a $54 million city match in earlier paperwork, staff repeated that the total project cost is expected to exceed the $65 million figure in some documents and may approach $100 million, and any future vote on the GMP will be the council’s definitive go/no‑go. Dennis Rejero, the city’s chief financial officer, outlined potential local funding sources being evaluated—including reallocation of existing debt, community investment tax revenues and federal/state disaster recovery funding—but said many details remain to be finalized.

The council’s roll call recorded four yes votes to three no votes on the motion to extend the grant, allowing staff to return with more detailed GMP and financing information before the contract vote. The council directed staff to present further project specifics and additional public meetings in the coming weeks so members can reassess before the GMP decision.