FLINT, MI -- A last-gasp effort for the city to subsidize a new co-op grocery expected to open next month in northwest Flint has fallen short.

Boosters of the North Flint Food Market have pushed for years to secure city funding for the project, but skeptics have continued to question its long-term sustainability in an area where several for-profit groceries have closed during the past decade.

Just four council members voted to reconsider a $300,000 funding request from the market during a council committee meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 8 -- one fewer than was needed.

Like other votes for the market, Wednesday’s vote was complicated because two council members -- Jerri Winfrey-Carter (Ward 5) and Janathan Jarrett (Ward 9) -- are members of the co-op, and attorneys have advised them not to

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