FLINT, MI — Genesee County’s senior services director is recommending against funding for two city-operated senior centers in Flint, saying the applications for senior millage dollars were “incomplete and missing many of the needed documentations.”
Director Lynn M. Radzilowski delivered her recommendation to the county Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, March 26.
Commissioners took no immediate action on the requests for funding from a 0.68-mill countywide senior services property tax that helps pay for the operation of 16 other centers in the county, including two in Flint.
“We’ve never received an application like this with so many missing components in my 14 years,” Radzilowski told commissioners.
The director said one or more of the two applications were missing valid proof of professional liability and workers compensation insurance, health or building code inspections.
Applications also lacked required information about plans for meal, nutritional and legal programs, Radzilowski said, or plans to secure equipment that is used to track attendance in all other senior centers in the county.
City officials said in a statement to MLive-The Flint Journal on Thursday, March 27, that they were “deeply concerned” by the county’s response to its applications and said there had been no formal communication of the county’s concerns.
“This is nothing more than political gamesmanship at the expense of our seniors,” said Ed Taylor, chief of staff to Mayor Sheldon Neeley “This item did not appear on the board agenda and if the intent was to work in good faith to deliver services to seniors, the city should have been engaged directly about any missing materials — not blindsided during a public meeting.
“That’s not a partnership. That’s sabotage under the guise of process,” Taylor said.
Flint officials have said senior citizens in Flint have been underserved for the better part of a decade after state-appointed emergency managers shut down several centers before two ultimately restarted operations.
The Brennan Senior Center in Flint is owned by the city as is the newly renamed Mays Senior and Community Service Center.
The Mays center was previously named the Hasselbring Senior Center, but after the city evicted a nonprofit group that operated it under the same name, the group moved to the James E. Kennedy Christian Life Center on West Pierson Road, taking its senior millage funds with it.
Radzilowski recommended that the city’s senior center applications not be considered for approval by commissioners because so much required information was not included in the applications.
Commissioners could ultimately decide to allow the city to correct errors in its applications, depending on the response from the city, officials said.
County board Chair Delrico Loyd, D-Flint, said he requested Radzilowski’s presentation on Wednesday because of broad interest in the future of senior services in the city.
“There’s a lot of interest as to what next steps we take as a commission,” Loyd said. “I thought it important that the applications be brought to us so that there’s clarity for us and the public …”
Loyd worked to help accommodate the Hasselbring Senior Center’s relocation after the city pushed to evict the nonprofit group.
That put the commissioner at odds with the Neeley administration, which claimed the nonprofit put it in legal jeopardy by hosting events that allowed alcohol on city property.
The nonprofit has said it did nothing to violate the terms of its lease with the city and suggested it was the victim of an attempted shakedown when the city offered it a new lease with its rent raised from $1 per year to $500 per month.
Loyd said on a podcast earlier this month that he’s been approached about running for mayor in 2026, calling the suggestions “something I’d definitely consider.”
Neeley told the Journal on March 10 that he is running for a third term.
“The city of Flint stands ready to make the necessary updates to the application and (is committed) to delivering quality services to older residents at both the Mays Center and soon the McKinley Center,” the city’s statement says.
“These facilities will serve as essential hubs for wellness checks, hot meals, social engagement, fitness, digital access, and community-building. These are not optional luxuries — they are basic services that every senior deserves.”
Radzilowski said the city estimated that each center it applied for funding for would serve more than 14,000 seniors annually — an estimate she called unrealistic and on par with the number of visitors all other centers in the county attract combined.
She said fire code violations at the Mays center have been lingering since late 2022 and are the responsibility of the city.
“There was much discussion … on trying to get that building up to code,” the director said. “It was the responsibility of the city to make these corrections.”
Her written report to commissioners was not immediately available to the Journal on Thursday.
