Mayor Weaver Very Appreciative to Mott Foundation for Grant

FLINT, Mich. — Mayor Weaver is excited that the C.S. Mott Foundation has awarded the City of Flint a grant of more than $400,000. Flint’s Interim Chief Financial Officer, David Sabuda attended a City Council committee meeting Wednesday evening to provide members with additional information about the grant so they could move it forward to the full council for discussion and approval. However members decided to postpone the vote, they instead sent the resolution to another committee for further discussion.

“I was disappointed,” said Mayor Weaver. “Money is something this city doesn’t have a lot of right now, but more funding is needed to ensure a successful recovery. When I was campaigning for mayor I said the city needed a grant writer to help secure more resources. I think it’s wonderful that the Mott Foundation agrees the position is needed and is willing to provide the funds that will allow us to hire an experienced professional.”

The Mott Foundation has given the City of Flint a grant for $417,199. The grant will help the city fill a number of positions by providing funding to: hire a grant writer, hire an executive search company to fill the water plant supervisor position, increase the salary offered for the Director of Public Works position which has been turned down by highly qualified candidates because the city could not meet their pay requirements.  

Weaver said she will continue to reach out to local and national philanthropies in effort to secure additional funding to help the City of Flint move forward.

“It is my hope that the council will be supportive of the administration’s attempts to bring in resources to the city and help to move things along as quickly as possible,” said Weaver. “If people feel like working with the city will be difficult, or things will take longer than necessary, they won’t get involved or they’ll send the money elsewhere and we won’t have a say in how the funds are used.”

Council members are expected to discuss the Mott Foundation grant at another committee meeting Monday, January 9, which will be followed by a Council meeting. In the meantime, the administration will work to answer any remaining questions members have about the grant and hope the grant will be approved by the committee and the full board on Monday.

UPDATE:
Flint City Council members approved the Mott Foundation grant at their meeting January 9, 2017.