Warren residents could once again find a city newsletter in their mailboxes, although it probably will not be the glossy, magazine-like Newsbeat that previously had been sent out quarterly.

The new incarnation of the newsletter will likely be a scaled-down publication that lists activities, classes and events for the library as well as the parks and recreation departments.

The Newsbeat was mailed to residents quarterly for several years, but in the 2021 fiscal budget the city council reduced funding from the $110,000 requested by the communications department to $27,000. The next year, the council eliminated all funding for the publication and it reverted to a digital-only publication.

The communications department requested $120,000 for the quarterly Newsbeat for fiscal year 2023; $52,000 in 2024; and $150,000 for 2025. The city council approved zero funding in all of those years.

In the 2025 fiscal year budget, the city council opted to remove the newsletter line item from the communications department and instead allocate $50,000 each to both the library and the parks and recreation departments in order for them to publish an event schedule.

In June, Warren Communications Director Clarissa Cayton issued a statement regarding the newsletter stating that Parks and Recreation Director Anthony Cassasanta and Library Director Oksana Urban were “exploring their department’s options for a replacement for the printed Newsbeat.”

Cayton said it is a “real challenge working with the limited resources they received from the city council. It is even more challenging to condense 8 -18 pages per department down to a legible leaflet that people can actually see as well as represent the many programs and events both departments offer.”

At its Sept. 10 regular meeting, the Warren City Council approved a request to award a contract for printing, binding and shipping a city winter program guide and booklet. The contract was awarded to Grand Blanc Printing for an amount not to exceed $37,660. The library and parks and recreation departments each contributed $18,830 to publication of the guide.

At the time of the approval, the city council included as part of the approval the stipulation that the council must review the final proof of the newsletter. Mayor Lori Stone vetoed that action, but the city council unanimously overrode that veto.

A letter to the city council from Stone dated Nov. 25 directs council members to a link to the digital version of the winter newsletter for their review.

Councilman Jonathan Lafferty and Council Secretary Mindy Moore questioned the late submission of the newsletter for review and said that it was too late for a winter events listing to be mailed to residents noting that many of the listed events had already transpired.

“The idea behind this was very simple,” Lafferty said. “We don’t have a sitting communications commission or a print and mail commission although our charter calls for it; those seats have not been filled.”

Lafferty said once those commissions are in place, there would not be a need for the city council to review the newsletter draft.

Lafferty said the council already gave its approval for the winter newsletter and he could not understand why it had not already been mailed to residents.

“This should have been printed and mailed to your homes already,” Lafferty said. “What happened for two months that she couldn’t share a draft copy with us?

“I’m absolutely certain that if this had been brought to us properly, we would have looked at it and probably would have passed it unanimously without interfering with the print schedule.”

Lafferty questioned if there will be a spring issue, but said that if a draft is provided in a timely fashion, it could transpire. No set date was discussed for when residents might expect to have a hard copy newsletter in their mailboxes.

“Macomb Community College prints a black and white newsprint style catalogue of events; it is low cost and easy to read,” said Lafferty. “A publication doesn’t have to be flashy, glossy or full color to be effective.

“I don’t think it needs to be as extravagant as what it was as the Newsbeat.”