Finance and Taxes

A newly-obtained financial analysis shows that consolidation of the District Courts of East Lansing, Lansing, and Ingham County wouldn't save as much money as had originally been hoped. What's at stake for East Lansing, and what is negotiable?

Will East Lansing’s DDA vote to keep working with developers Royal Vlahakis? Or will they decide to move on now, and let other developers propose projects for the area just north of Peoples Church? ELi's Alice Dreger explains the big decision coming this week.

The Meals on Wheels program that serves East Lansing's seniors is still hoping to obtain $3,200 from the City in next year's round of HUD-related funding. City Council and staff are looking instead to focus entirely on infrastructure improvements with the federal funding. ELi's Noa Kuszai reports.

The City of East Lansing's new income tax could net $1-2 million less annually than pre-vote estimates. But as budget talks continue, what is certain to help the City's bottom line?

After four years, East Lansing High School will be ending a college preparedness program aimed at underrepresented students. ELi's Karessa Wheeler reports.

Developers Royal Vlahakis are hoping to change their proposal to satisfy decision-makers. But will the DDA now open up bidding on the publicly-owned properties to see what other developers might offer? ELi's Alice Dreger takes a look at what we know.

Changes to site plans of both the Graduate Hotel and Center City. Talk of the demise of the Royal Vlahakis proposal. Questions dodged (again) about that million-dollar eBay land sale. ELi's Alice Dreger brings you news from Tuesday night's Council meeting.

The City of East Lansing is being hit with a wrongful termination suit by whistleblower Troy Williams, who says he was fired in retaliation for calling outside agencies about violations at the plant.

What's a poop digester, and why are people in the know excited about East Lansing getting one? ELi's Jessy Gregg explains.

The City has released one list showing who staff notified about an eBay auction of a major public asset. Former Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero didn't make the list, but showed up on the scene a day before the auction closed. What else have we now learned about this controversial million-dollar deal?

Should East Lansing continue paying about $150,000 per year for a local company to record audio and video of City Council and Planning Commission meetings? The City Manager believes the service is critical to government transparency. ELi's Brad Minor reports.

New investigation by ELi shows City staff kept awfully quiet on that million-dollar eBay auction. So, who really knew in time to bid? City leaders still won't say.

In the hopes of solving a major public debt, East Lansing's Downtown Development Authority gave a no-bid exclusive deal to developers Royal Vlahakis. But investigation by ELi shows the developers still haven't submitted key components of the $190 million proposal. Meanwhile, the required public debt payments are about to ramp up.