The city of Bridgman may be out of about $112,000 in state funding following a rare legislative move by Michigan House Republicans to claw back previously approved funding statewide last week.
The $644 million in cuts were made through a procedural move allowing appropriated funds to lapse without Senate approval. The decision sparked backlash from Democrats and some Republicans, who say the broad cuts paused important projects statewide.
Among the funding affected is a state earmark of $150,000 for Bridgman to do renovations at its city hall. Interim City Manager Debbie Lambrix tells us the city had already received about $37,000 of that earmark for the work, but the rest is now on that preliminary list of allocations that have been cancelled. She said the city has been in contact with the office of state Representative Joey Andrews, who’s working on sorting the situation out.
Lambrix says the work at city hall is actually almost done already, so if the state funding isn’t restored, the city will be on the hook for that extra $112,000. She says this leaves the city in a bit of a bind and could affect its ability to complete other projects.
The total cost of the city hall work was about $330,000. It included the addition of siding to the exterior of the building, new lighting, and new doors for the fire department.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Senate voted this week to restore the funding cut by House Republicans while House Speaker Matt Hall continued defending the cuts.
