carol wood

Showdown brewing over Lansing's city budget for next year

Steve Carmody — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:00:25 +0000

The Lansing city council has rejected a plan to increase fees on city utility customers.

Today the city council approved a budget plan that axes the 46-dollar utility fee and several million dollars in spending in the mayor’s proposed budget for next year. Final council approval is expected Monday night.

“I think many of us had heard the concerns that people wanted to make sure we were making the cuts that needed to be made,” says Carol Wood, Lansing city council president.

Time is running short for Lansing city council to make changes to proposed FY2014 budget

Steve Carmody — Tue, 07 May 2013 03:55:15 +0000

Time is running out for the Lansing city council to come up with changes to the mayor’s budget proposal for next year.

The city council must approve a budget plan in two weeks. Council members have been poring over the mayor’s 112 million dollar budget proposal for the past month.

Carol Wood is the Lansing city council president. She says there are some items that could be cut from the budget.

Lansing's mayor wants city utility customers to help close the city's projected budget deficit

Steve Carmody — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:59:22 +0000

Lansing’s mayor is proposing its municipal utility customers pay more to balance the city’s budget next year.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero outlined his budget plan to the city council last night. Bernero says the city’s budget problems are not quite as serious as expected. The mayor says better than expected property tax collections and lower than expected city employee health care costs had cut the project budget deficit in half.

Still, Bernero says the city needs to close about a five million dollar budget gap.

Lansing city council irked by mayor's trip to Italy

Steve Carmody — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:43:53 +0000

Lansing city council members are upset that the city’s mayor left last week on a trip to Europe and didn’t bother to tell them.

Mayor Virg Bernero is on a week-long ‘economic mission’ in Italy. But city council members first heard the mayor was gone from news reports.

The mayor’s spokesman says Bernero remains in contact with the city by phone and email.

Councilwoman Carol Wood says that's not good enough if there is a sudden crisis.

Lansing City Council delays budget vote

Steve Carmody — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:38:57 +0000

The Lansing City Council is taking more time to review next year’s budget plan.

Council has delayed its vote on the budget from May 14th to May 21st.

Councilwoman Carol Wood says there are “holes” in the mayor’s budget plan.

“Those holes have not been plugged. All we’re being told is they might be filled," says Wood, "And I can’t pass in good conscience for the taxpayers of the city of Lansing. I can’t pass a budget that way.”

Lansing city council delves into casino deal

Steve Carmody — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:51:03 +0000

The Lansing city council has plenty of questions about a plan that could bring a quarter billion dollar casino project to downtown. The council was briefed on the legal agreement Monday.

An Upper Peninsula tribe and a developer have already signed off on a deal that outlines revenue sharing, property transfers and other economic development issues.

Mayor says Oliver Towers saga is turning into a 'debacle'

Steve Carmody — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:01:10 +0000

Lansing mayor Virg Bernero calls it a ‘debacle’.

The battle between two local colleges over an empty apartment building is in a holding pattern.