Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Westland council adopts 2026–27 budget, members press for clarity on firefighter talks and sanitation issues
Summary
The Westland City Council approved a balanced 2026–27 budget and seven-year capital improvement plan after debate over assumptions for unsettled firefighter contracts, police raises and limited unallocated reserves. Residents continued to press the city about ongoing Priority Waste service problems.
The Westland City Council voted to adopt the 2026–27 proposed budget, the 2026–2032 capital improvement plan and the 2026–27 millage at its June 1 meeting after a period of discussion about contract negotiations and service delivery.
Mayor Coleman urged the council to approve the budget, saying it "strengthens our public safety quite a bit" and pointed to investments in firefighters, emergency medical technicians, police and road projects. Council members asked finance staff how the budget accounts for unsettled labor contracts, especially the yearlong negotiations with the firefighters' union.
"We have put money in there as estimates," a finance staff member told the council, adding that if costs are higher the administration will return for a budget amendment. Councilwoman Sampy pressed the administration to ensure the estimates will be sufficient if the contracts conclude with higher pay demands.
Council discussion also touched on the police contract timeline, community emergency response team (CERT/SER) training and funding for new programming at Teton/Central City parks. Councilors repeatedly raised concerns about a relatively small unallocated fund balance the city expects at fiscal year-end (finance estimated a little over $100,000), saying that limited reserves reduce flexibility for unexpected costs.
Residents used the meeting's public-comment period to press the council on local service problems, particularly repeated delays in yard‑waste and solid‑waste pickup by Priority Waste. "We're giving them a little bit more time, but we are going to look at our options," Mayor Coleman said, acknowledging the administration's near‑daily contact with the vendor and promising continued pressure on service performance.
After deliberation the council adopted the budget in a roll call vote (six yes, one no). The mayor and administration said they will monitor contract negotiations and bring any necessary amendments back to council. The council set a June 15 study session for other matters and will continue budget oversight as the year progresses.
What happens next: The city will begin implementing the adopted budget and directors said they will return to council if labor negotiations require additional appropriations or a formal budget amendment.
