Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley is urging the city council to approve a resolution approving a $20 million payment to the $641 million water crisis settlement.
The council meets Monday evening to debate and potentially vote on a resolution approving the payment.
Neeley says people, including some on the city council, who think the overall settlement can be changed at this late date are wrong, so voting no on the insurance money just means the insurance money goes away.
"We can't afford to gamble with this," says Neeley. "We definitely don't want to miss the opportunity for residents to receive the benefit of the 20 million dollars - non-taxpayer dollars - to be added to the total sum. The state has made it clear that they will be moving forward without us, without the 20 million dollars, if the council does not give an affirmative vote. And that's the only issue before the city council."
City Council President Kate Fields says she plans to vote to approve the payment, but she holds out hope that U.S. District Judge Judith Levy will agree to make changes to the finalized settlement at a December 21 hearing.
Those changes should include asking the state of Michigan to add $50 million to the settlement amount, she says, despite all parties having already agreed to the terms.
