A showdown between the Laurel mayor and City Council over funding for The Laurel Independent and a proposed housing program ended Monday evening with council members voting unanimously to restore funding and override mayoral vetoes.
Mayor Keith Sydnor and the City Council met at the Laurel Municipal Center on June 1 to discuss two vetoes issued by Sydnor last week that cut funding for The Laurel Independent and restored $1 million in funding for the City of Laurel Family Resilience and Housing Stability Program. The two issues were separate line items in the city’s $50 million fiscal year 2027 budget.
The council voted unanimously to override both vetoes, restoring funding for The Laurel Independent to $45,000 and again removing $1 million allocated to the housing program.
Under a contract with the city, The Laurel Independent provides coverage of local government, public meetings and community issues for Laurel residents.
Kit Slack, executive director of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, which publishes The Laurel Independent, said she was grateful for the council’s support after weeks of uncertainty surrounding the newspaper’s funding.
“We’re thankful for the City Council’s unanimous support,” Slack said. “They understand that The Laurel Independent is an affordable way for the city to reach all residents with news and information.”
But the two line items drew attention from advocates and community members who rallied to restore funding for The Laurel Independent, while council members questioned the process used to develop the housing program, calling it a “surprise $1 million spend.”
The housing program would provide $750 per month to 100 families earning between 60% and 80% of the area’s median income for one year to help them meet rising expenses and remain housed. To qualify, applicants must be stably housed and employed. Recipients also would receive financial literacy training as part of the program. Funding would come from American Rescue Plan Act money.
By the time the vote occurred Monday evening, nearly 100 people had packed the Laurel Municipal Center. Council President Brencis Smith said he and the council were committed to working with the mayor and the community on the issue.
“The [mayor] stood on his position. The council will stand on their position, but you got to work together,” Smith said. “We can agree to disagree, but you got to follow the process.”
Sydnor contended that funding for the housing program included community input and went through proper approval processes before being presented to the City Council.
“There’s no right or wrong way when you invest in the community,” Sydnor said before the vote. “I chose to do something that helped renters out, and I stand by that… I followed the guidelines to a T.”