Mount Clemens approves MOU with CEDAM to host Community Development Fellow

The Mount Clemens City Commission voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with CEDAM to host a Community Development Fellow, authorizing the mayor and city clerk to sign the agreement.

Commissioners praised the fellowship as a low-cost way to advance local economic-development projects. Commissioner McMorris called the move “a great thing” and thanked Brian Tingley for bringing the opportunity to the city. Brian Tingley (who described the program) said the fellowship matches a fellow to community needs and that recruiting would occur from mid-April through mid-May with a hoped-for June start, though timing depends on the public-health situation.

City Manager Johnson said the fellowship grant covers up to $62,500 and that Mount Clemens’ share of the program would be $6,000; the fellowship term will be 15 months. The commission approved the memorandum by roll-call vote.

The fellowship is intended to provide dedicated capacity for economic-development work, including project recruitment and implementation. Commissioners highlighted the potential for the fellow to support ongoing local efforts and stressed that start dates and specific projects depend on pandemic-related constraints.

The commission did not identify specific projects to be assigned to the fellow at the meeting; staff and the fellow will follow up on recruitment and project matching. The motion passed on a roll-call vote.