Public criticizes invitation-only police millage dinner, questions use of community engagement grant

A member of the public accused the administration of using a community engagement grant to pay for a private, invitation-only dinner hosted by the mayor and police chief to promote the August 4 public safety millage.

"Community engagement grants are funded with public dollars and are intended to support transparent, accessible outreach that benefits the entire community," the speaker said, adding that "turning those funds into a catering budget for a closed-door, invitation-only event is a complete end run around taxpayer accountability."

The speaker said the dinner was attended by participants and graduates of the Livonia Citizens Police Academy and argued that selective invitations convert outreach into a curated public relations effort that screens out critics.

At later audience comments, Jim Bega warned that state and federal grants often exclude alcohol expenditures and urged city staff to ensure grant rules are followed. He told the council that if alcohol were paid for with a law enforcement grant, that could violate state or federal grant rules and expose the city to audit risk.

The council did not announce any immediate investigative action during the meeting. Speakers in the audience urged transparency and said they would monitor how community engagement funds are used in advance of the millage campaign.

What happens next: The remarks put a spotlight on grant use tied to millage outreach. Members of the public were advised to follow up with the appropriate departments and state grant administrators; no council vote or formal staff directive was recorded at the meeting.