Mount Pleasant fall funding requests assembled for tribal council
The sun sets on City Hall August 25 in downtown Mount Pleasant.
Mount Pleasant City Commissioners will prioritize the city’s fall 2019 Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal Council 2 percent funding requests at the Sept. 23 meeting before sending requests to the tribal council for review.
“Everyone needs money, and everyone wants a piece of the pie,” Vice Mayor Lori Gillis said. “(The Saginaw Chippewas Indian Tribal Council) has always been good to Mount Pleasant. They always fund a majority of our requests, especially those having to do with safety and collaboration.”
Twice per year the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe requests local governmental entities’ applications for project funding, City Manager Nancy Ridley said. In the past couple months, city departments have prepared requests for project funding to be submitted to the council. Requests were presented Sept. 9 to city commissioners.
Instead of paying taxes, Gillis said the tribe uses 2 percent of their profits to give back to the communities their businesses affect.
“The intervening period (between Sept. 9 and 23) provides time for commissioners to review the applications to set priority levels and indicate the highest priorities before submittal to the Tribal Council,” Ridley said.
The city’s 21 requests have a total value of $1,088,017.
Requests deemed of critical priority by the city include the following:
- Partners Empowering All Kids (PEAK) program ($95,730)
PEAK is a partnership between Mount Pleasant, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and United Way of Gratiot and Isabella Counties. PEAK provides quality after-school and summer programming for children who may not have places conducive to educational, physical and social growth, according to the Mount Pleasant website.
The requested funds cover staffing costs, scholarships and supplies.
- Department of Public Safety (DPS) Exterior Finish Insulation System (EFIS) repair ($36,350)
Limited maintenance to the DPS building’s EFIS has caused multiple water leaks and deterioration to the building, fire chief Rick Beltinck said in his application. Funds cover costs of repair.
- Mid-Michigan Investigative Narcotics Team ($46,405)
The Mid Michigan Investigative Narcotics Team (MINT) is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force serving Clare and Isabella counties. The team is comprised of local, federal and state law enforcement agencies.
Matt Rice of MINT said the primary goal of the team is to reduce threats to community safety, deaths and serious injury caused by methamphetamine, heroin and prescription opiates.
The requested funds cover training, a GPS tracker unit and investigative funds.
- Airport Operational Funding ($60,000)
The requested funds support basic operations of the Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport.
- Septage Receiving Station ($175,000)
The requested funds support the construction of a septage receiving station that will remove debris from septage delivered by haulers to the waste treatment plant, Mount Pleasant employee Tammy Bow said in her application.
