The Genesee County Commission had its regular meeting this week on October 15, but the most noteworthy Commission-related item happened later in the week.
On October 17, Delrico Loyd, who represents District 1 (primarily city of Flint) and is chair of the County Commission, released a letter alerting the public that settlement payments for the Flint water crisis would begin going out to residents in November.
“For years, Flint residents have waited painfully for justice to be rendered through the release of long delayed water settlement funds,” Loyd wrote. “It is my understanding, through the tireless advocacy of our federal leaders, including U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin and Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet, along with the actions of countless state and local elected officials, grassroots water justice advocates, and activists throughout our community, that our collective and meaningful conversations with the Special Master and other federal officials, respectively, have led to a long-awaited breakthrough. As a result of your collective efforts, and pursuant to federal court orders, it is my understanding that the Flint Water Settlement Funds are scheduled for release beginning in November 2025.”
Really any update that provides a specific timeline is welcome news to residents, who have been waiting for years for any semblance of finality to the settlement process. But … not so fast. Just a short time later, city of Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley also released a statement. Flint. Daily. didn’t receive the news release, but Flint City Councilwoman Judy Priestley posted it on Facebook.
That statement reads, in part: “Despite recent public claims, neither the Special Master nor the U.S. District Court has provided any definitive release date for settlement payments to residents, other than referencing “late summer or early fall” in a letter sent to the city of Flint administration in response to a request for information. “Releasing speculative information only adds to residents’ pain and frustration,” said Mayor Sheldon Neeley. “The people of Flint have already endured enough. They deserve honesty, transparency, and leadership rooted in facts — not politics.””
So … rather than clarity, there’s some added and seemingly unnecessary confusion. Apropos of nothing, Neeley is up for re-election in 2026. And, although he hasn’t announced it himself, MLive’s Ron Fonger reported in March that Loyd might be considering a run for Mayor as well.
An Update on Genesee County’s First State Park
Here’s the full video of the October 15 County Commission Meeting
The County Commission approved a contract with Lurvey Construction to serve as the project manager for the development of Flint’s new state park. The contract runs through December of 2026. Patrick Linihan, the director of Genesee County Parks and Recreation, provided extensive updates on some of the project’s goals to the commission. In particular, a major component of the work will be restoring the famous fountains in Riverbank Park downtown Flint and some of the electrical work.
“Riverbank Park has been in a state of disrepair for quite a few years,” Linihan said to the County Commission. “One of the things that’s in disrepair is the electrical system within Riverbank Park. The DDA (Downtown Development Authority) did do a small upgrade a couple years ago and ran a special line out to the amphitheater to power that. The rest of the electrical in the park does not work.”
Linihan noted the first phase of the project will include upgrades to the electrical, especially near Saginaw Street, which will help with lighting in that portion of the park, which still hosts the yearly Flint Jazz Festival, Flint Pride Festival, and other events.
There will also be upgrades to safety rails and concrete, and eventually, the fountains along the Flint River near Saginaw Street. Linihan said that originally, both fountains pulled water from the river and used a recirculating system, but that system has since been removed. Because most of the infrastructure in that portion of the park project is under concrete, how the restoration will happen isn’t fully planned yet, but many of the supporters of the project have made it known that fountain restoration should be a component of the new park.
“We decided we needed to make that (restoring the fountains) a priority,” Linihan said to the County Commission. “We’re currently in engineering with that right now on the design of that.”
Other features of the park will include a custom playground at Chevy Commons, upgrades at Mott Park, improved Flint River access at Vietnam Veterans Park, and new public access at the Happy Hollow Nature Area off of Hammerberg Road.
Once completed, the park will be approximately 230 acres and will be the first state park in Genesee County. Several elements of the park have already been completed, including removing Hamilton Dam near the University of Michigan-Flint and adding riffles to the river to create different depths and rapids.
Some Debate Over Tether Monitoring Payments
The only agenda item that wasn’t passed via a consent agenda* on October 15 was an agreement with Sentinel Offender Services, LLC, for tethering and monitoring for up to $350,000 per year.
* NOTE: A consent agenda is a grouping of related, non-constroversial items that boards can approve with a single vote rather than voting on each item separately. Consent agendas typically help public meetings move faster.
Commissioner Shaun Shumaker requested that the item be separated from a consent agenda and discussed with the group. Previously, the state of Michigan had covered costs for tethering and monitoring services as a way for Genesee County to free up space in the overcrowded jail as people awaited trial. However, Shumaker noted that money to support that service will now have to be paid through the general fund as state funding for it has ended.
Shumaker expressed a continued need for the tethering contract, but also wants the county to have better long-term plans for evaluating grant-funded programs and whether to continue them or not when funds expire.
Ultimately, the contract passed unanimously, but Shumaker and other commissioners shared a desire to have a conversation with county courts and law enforcement to see what can be done to help people move through the jail and court system more efficiently and reduce the need for tether and monitoring services.
A second item related to tethers and monitoring was discussed early in the meeting. The County Commission approved an increase of $42,000 to an existing contract with Satellite Tracking of People, LLC, because of an increase in the county’s use of the service.
Renovated Circuit Court Space Unveiled
The newly renovated Legal Resource Center in the 7th Circuit Court in downtown Flint is now open. The center, located on the second floor of the building at 900 S. Saginaw Street in room 100 across from Jury Management, was created to respond to growing needs for legal services in the community. A full list of services they provide is available online.
Other Items
The full list of items the County Commission approved, along with links to information about each, is available online.
Public Comment
Only one person spoke during public comment. A Flint resident expressed her hope that the County Commission would support the renewal of the Genesee County Arts Education & Cultural Enrichment Millage.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to catch up on all of our headlines every Tuesday.
