East Grand Rapids adopts FY 2026–27 budget; approves DPW tentative agreement and wage changes with one abstention

The East Grand Rapids City Commission adopted the city’s FY 2026–27 general fund budget and property tax levy at a special meeting following an executive session on collective bargaining.

City Manager Charles told the commission the resolution lays out aggregate amounts for the operating millage, street millage and three debt millages and represents the recommended budget that will be published as the adopted budget after tonight’s action. Miss Baxter moved to adopt the budget and the motion carried on a voice vote.

The commission also approved a tentative agreement with the Department of Public Works (DPW) union and a parallel adjustment to the nonunion wage scale that staff presented after the executive session. Commissioners discussed procedural concerns because the full contract text was not available in open session. One commissioner, identified in the transcript as Abby, said she had not had an opportunity to review the proposed changes and attempted to abstain from the votes, saying she wanted to review the documents before taking a position. The chair and other commissioners said they had the votes to proceed; the motions passed with one recorded abstention on at least one action.

Manager Charles said the tentative agreement had been ratified by the union’s voting process and staff reported that personnel and finance subcommittees had reviewed the proposal in executive session. The commission recorded the roll-call votes to enter the executive session under section 8C of the Open Meetings Act, then returned to chambers to adopt the budget and the personnel actions.

The commission did not schedule additional public hearings on the adopted budget; staff said the adopted budget document will be published on the city website. There was no substantive public comment during the budget hearing prior to adoption.