untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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If the Flint residents vote to change the Charter and revert to a City Manager, the word is that Kincaid wants that position.
As Eric Mays pointed out the fact that Kincaid has mentioned that he was cheated out of being Mayor when the State stopped the first election. Although he claims not to be angry his body language and facial expressions tell another story.
And Kincaid keeps bringing up that Mayor Williamson financed the police Tahoes and Garbage Trucks through the Sewer Fund. What he doesn't tell is that money was a loan, approved by council and paid back with interest. Freeman answered that question in council nearly a year ago, but Kincaid makes it sound like the money was stolen from the sewer fund.
They started out as friends but that relationship quickly ended after the back pay debacle. Williamson alleges he did not realize the pay was retroactive, which the state ruled was illegal, but Kincaid says Williamson did know. Unless one was in the meetings, that issue is between them. The city held several hearings in attempts to remove Williamson, but they were unable to. I believe the hatred is still held by Kincaid and is reflected in the way he seems to sneer every time he mentions the Williamson administration.
Several problems the city faces were created by the animosity between Williamson and the council. After former Emergency Financial manager issued two resolutions to give large sums of HUD money to Greater Eastside and Flint West Village just days before he left, Williamson refused to honor those requests. Flint is a Home Rule City and cannot enter into a contract with any entity that owes financiancial obligations to the City. Both nonprofits owed taxes.
Council refused to allow the Williamson administration to reallocate the funding and went so far as to attempt to give the HUD funding to the county. This failure to allocate the resources cost the city their HOME funding for a year. Council demanded that the administration distribute the funds allocated by Kurtz and refused to accept that the agencies were not eligible.
When Greater Easyside was far behind in the land contract payments to the Genesee County Land Bank for their office on Franklin, the Director appealed twice to the Land Bank Board for leniency and twice was granted waivers. Sims, fifth ward council, sat on the Land Bank Board and in one council meeting attempted to order Nancy Jurkiewicz-Rich to "give some money to poor Kate Fields". Rich advised council Greater eastside had not applied for funding and was not eligible. They had not provided the city with their most recent audit or IRS 990, a HUD requirement, because they said they did not have the money for an audit. The city is not responsible for ensuring an agency maintaind=s the funds for an audit.
Flint West Village had lost over 100 properties to tax foreclosures and owned over a hundred more properties that had taxes owing. I was shown how this agency used inflated values on these properties to balance their budget. The nonprofit tried to fight the tax changes that required nonprofits to pay property taxes, but lost after a costly battle. The land Bank attempted to work with the agency to save some of the properties, but Flint West Village refused. The bankruptcy has left a few of the remaining parcels in a strange limbo.
The Director did not reveal, even to the Board of Directors, that the nonprofit had been sued by their Workman's Compensation insurer and that there was a default judgement aginst the agency.
Also when given a grant on behalf of carriage Town in order to remodel the Hardy House, the Director did not purchase insurance for the project, This is usually required in grants. When the building was struck by lightning and had the first fire, there was no insurance to cover the loss.
After the Director was laid off and it was obvious the nonprofit was going to be forced into bankruptcy, the remaining board members sold 3 parcels of land to a board member repesenting Kettering University. The bankruptcy Court almost initiated criminal charges and Kettering was required to pay additional money for the lots, which are now part of the new Fraternity on Third Avenue.
Greater Eastside had had three homes foreclosed and also owed taxes. Three raggedy and unkempt lots were designated as park land and grossly overvalued in their portfolio. MSHDA financed the construction of two new homes on Delaware. Whille MSHDA allowed a number of luxuries,including granite counter tops, they refused to allow new washers and dryers. MSHDA helped Greater Eastside by assuming more of the costs to extinquish a HUD grant and give the nonprofit some money. They also refused to build any more home with Greater Eastside.
MSHDA did however finance three rehabilitations on the eastside. GECA could not sell the properties and MSHDA once again bailed the agency out by selling the three properties to the Shelter of Flint. MSHDA delayed the funding as at one time Greater Eastside owed thousands in property taxes. |
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