Councilmembers Kathleen Boyle and Ruth Beier both voted in opposition of the consideration.

Boyle said she wouldn’t be voting in favor because she doesn’t believe the tax increment financing, or TIF, is appropriate for the city.

Beier, meanwhile, said she was against it primarily for the same reasons. She said the city has received multiple letters from citizens who voice the same concerns regarding the TIFs.

Furthermore, there were also a few East Lansing residents who urged the council to reconsider their votes during the communications portion of the meeting.

One resident in particular noted that East Lansing is nearly $200,000,000 in debt, and so to spend $2,000,000 on subsidized parking and apartments seemed, in her opinion, very foolish. She said the money would be better served going towards other projects in the city.

Mayor Nathan Triplett concluded the discussion by explaining why he was voting in favor of the consideration.

He started out by clarifying that TIFs do not equal abatements, or the reduction of debt, and that refusing to fund the project doesn’t give East Lansing $2,000,000 to spend.

He also noted most of the money that comes from TIF projects in downtown East Lansing is spent on public infrastructure, such as streets and sewer and water improvements.

“I’m voting in favor of this resolution this evening because its denial doesn’t give us a dime more, a dollar more, to spend on city services,” he said. “What it does do is help shape a project that will not only provide additional housing and provisional options downtown, but will do it in a way that’s good for the community.”