Flint, mayor failed to meet lead pipe replacement settlement deadlines, motion says

By Best Plumbers On May 27, 2023

FLINT, MI – The Concerned Pastors for Social Action have filed a dispassion motion against the city of Flint and Mayor Sheldon Neeley for violating a court order requiring the city to meet milestones in the lead pipe replacement program.

Plaintiffs allege that the city violated a federal court order dated February 15, 2023.

According to a news release from the National Resources Defense Council on Friday, May 26, plaintiffs allege the city began violating the order — including breaching a May 1 deadline to complete the order — just weeks after it was issued Closing gaps in the tracking of restorations.

Because the restoration of location is ongoing, the city doesn’t know how many addresses need property repairs, the disregard petition said.

“Just three months ago, Flint agreed to new deadlines that the city has already failed to meet,” said Pastor Allen C. Overton of Concerned Pastors for Social Action, one of the plaintiffs in the federal drinking water case. “While this news is disturbing, Flint residents refuse to make these mistakes about the status quo and will continue to hold the city and mayor accountable until every lead pipe is replaced.”

The motion was filed in the courtroom by Federal Judge David M. Lawson, asking the court to find Neeley and the city in violation of the order.

The motion asks the court to impose a daily fine of $500 until the violations are remedied, as well as attorneys’ fees.

“The City of Flint’s continued failure to fulfill its 2017 commitment is causing new damage to the Flint community. Thousands of residents have been waiting — some for years — for the city to fix their torn lawns or broken sidewalks. We will continue to hold the city accountable until every Flint resident receives the benefits they are promised,” said Sarah Tallman, a senior attorney at NRDC.

The City of Flint said in a statement that it is on the verge of replacing the last two percent of main utility lines, with just 1,084 addresses left from 31,000 homes.

According to a city press release, 275 of those households have agreed to the service, 93 have declined the service, and the remaining households have not responded to the city’s attempts to schedule the replacement of the main utility lines.

“It is unfortunate that NRDC continues to divert time and resources from Flint residents whose community services would be adversely affected by this financial impact,” said Mayor Sheldon Neeley. “As a resident of Flint myself, I am fully committed to completing the main utility replacement project to protect the health and well-being of our families, our neighbors and our community. When I took office in November 2019, I made a commitment to correct a mismanaged project. As we near the completion of the main utility replacement, we are focused on involving all residents in the process. We have overcome many obstacles to get to this point and we will continue to persevere until the project is completed thoroughly and to the highest quality level.”

Residents may call 810-410-1133 or visit CityOfFlint.com/LeadOut to agree to the main utility line replacement.