Government

Staffing cuts have left the City’s emergency response levels well below national standards. As more cuts are coming, East Lansing's Fire and Police Chiefs are working to figure out the least worst choices. ELi's Jessy Gregg reports.

What has the City of East Lansing done and what it can do in the future to reduce pension obligations and liabilities related to retirement benefits for City employees? ELi's Chris Root has spent weeks digging in to bring you the answer.

ELi wants to know more about what East Lansing citizens mean when they say the city is on the right track or wrong track, including in terms of financial management. So we've opened a survey.

About 125 people came to the Hannah Community Center last night for a two-and-a-half hour discussion about racism in our community. It got real. ELi's Alice Dreger reports.

East Lansing’s City Council looks likely to follow City staff’s recommendation to cut funding to local social service organizations in order to put funds towards infrastructure repairs and City debt associated with prior development. ELi's Alice Dreger reports.

A new poll of East Lansing voters suggests citizens are generally satisfied with the services the City provides but unhappy with financial management. The poll also shows which way voters are leaning on an income tax versus property tax increase. ELi's Alice Dreger reports.

Following up on the request of ELHS student Alex Hosey, the City of East Lansing and the Human Relations Commission will be hosting an inaugural “community conversation about race” next Wednesday evening.

At Tuesday's work session, a majority of City Council were cautious, but willing to work medical marijuana provisioning centers into the city's retail landscape. One councilmember believes the risks outweigh the benefits for East Lansing. Ann Nichols reports.

The City of East Lansing has been trying to help businesses downtown weather the stresses of the Center City District construction. ELi's Alice Dreger summarizes the efforts and talks to business owners about what's helping, what's not, and what might work better.

Harrison Road will be reconfigured between Grand River and Michigan Avenues, with lane reductions and added bike lanes to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. ELi's Jessy Gregg reports.

City Council has approved an application to waive the “underfunded status” of the City's pension system. Will the State Treasurer grant the waiver, or become more involved in overseeing East Lansing's pension systems? ELi's Chris Root reports.

In a rare instance of deregulation in East Lansing, City Council has voted to repeal the so-called 50/50 law. The hope is for more diversified dining and drinking options downtown. ELi's Alice Dreger reports.

Council Member Ruth Beier said at Tuesday evening’s meeting that East Lansing is headed for bankruptcy if new sources of revenue are not secured soon. ELi's Chris Root reports.

Even if East Lansing officials approve the new site plan coming for the Park District, the project could still hit the same vein of fatal problems it did last time around. ELi's Alice Dreger explains.

As it faces a financial crisis, East Lansing's government is paying consultants almost $20,000 to gather citizens’ ideas about where the City might cut its budget and obtain new revenues. ELi's Alice Dreger reports.