Mayor Neeley urges city council to pass $8.6 million in water credits for residents at August 8 meeting

FLINT, Mich.— August 8, 2022

The Flint City Council has another opportunity pass a resolution allocating $8.6 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding toward water bill credits for Flint residents at today’s meeting, August 8, 2022. The resolution calls for a $300 credit to all active residential water accounts.

“I fully support this resolution, and I hope that the council will take action to provide immediate economic relief to Flint residents,” Mayor Sheldon Neeley said.

The water credit was initially introduced to the city council as part of the administration’s ARPA plan on June 14, 2022. The resolution was presented to city council at a July 20 meeting, and council chose to table it.

Following recent feedback from residents, Mayor Neeley said he is exploring an option for residents to gift their water credits to others in greater need.

“We’re hearing from some kind people who say they don’t need help with their water bills and would like to help others,” Mayor Neeley said. “Allowing folks to transfer their water credits to those in greater need would help to maximize the potential economic relief that this can provide for our city.”

If passed, the credit will be automatically applied to all residential accounts with active meters, regardless of payment status. This means that the credit can be applied to past due water bills.