Administration previews FY27 budget; says $510,000 Brownfield subsidy may end, reports preliminary FY24 surplus

The Inkster administration told council on June 3 that preliminary audit work is showing an improvement in the city’s finances and that a long-standing general-fund subsidy for Brownfield debt service may be ending.

"My analysis is that $510,000 will not be needed next fiscal year," the administration’s presenter, Mr. Carrington, said, adding he expected confirmation by Monday. Carrington later described preliminary FY24 figures that show about a $530,000 surplus, but he emphasized the numbers are preliminary and subject to audit adjustments.

Carrington also corrected a pension line in the fire budget: what the packet showed previously as $40,000 should be $640,000, which accounts for part of the variance between years. The administration said the larger pension figure is the reason some totals differ from last year’s numbers.

On the audit timeline, administration staff said they expect FY24 audit completion by late summer and FY25 shortly thereafter, noting the city is running audits on a dual track while staff and contractors clean up accounting entries going back multiple years.

Councilmembers asked whether the city remains under the deficit-elimination plan; Carrington said the city remains technically under the plan while the cleanup and reallocation work continues.

What happens next: Administration expects to confirm the Brownfield subsidy outcome early the following week and will provide updated numbers as the audit work progresses; council scheduled another budget session for June 8 to continue deliberations.