YPSILANTI, MI - A LinkedIn message is at the center of an investigation into how some Ypsilanti officials paid for a 12-day trip to China as part of a fact-finding mission related to a proposed development in the city.

The message on LinkedIn, a business networking website, is included in documents published on the City of Ypsilanti's website ahead of a special meeting scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 10, to discuss the trip overseas by four Ypsilanti officials.

Those officials include Mayor Amanda Edmonds, Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Brown, Police Chief Tony DeGiusti and Economic Development Director Beth Ernat. City Manager Darwin McClary also was ordered by the city's attorney to submit any information related to the China trip.

The trip was proposed in May by Amy Xue Foster, the developer behind International Village, a $150-$300 million housing project proposed for Ypsilanti's Water Street property. The project would be financed primarily by Asian investors and is designed to attract Asian immigrants.

The Ypsilanti City Attorney's Office previously stated in an official memorandum and email to the city manager a trip to China would be "unethical and illegal" if paid for by the developer.

In a letter dated Sept. 6 sent to Mayor Amanda Edmonds, the Wayne State University Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) offered to provide funding of $16,800 in the form of four scholarships for city officials to make the trip to China, the documents show.

On Sept. 10, Edmonds sent an email to CSSA President Peifeng Li and other CSSA members, asking about the source of the funding and acknowledging the public may have questions about the source of funding for the China trip.

On Sept. 12, Li responded to a LinkedIn message from Edmonds also inquiring about the source of the funds, according to documents submitted by city officials.

In the LinkedIn message submitted by Edmonds to the city, Li wrote the funds "mostly come from different companies that have cooperative relationships with us" and may have been provided by Troy-based Global Capital Group LLC, the investment group behind the proposed development in Ypsilanti.

"It's worth noting that these 'scholarships,' are mainly funds from a company called Global Capital Group LLC, based out of Michigan," Li wrote, according to the documents.

He and the CSSA could not be reached for comment.

The Ypsilanti officials traveled to China Sept. 21 to Oct. 2.

It was not until Oct. 3 and her arrival back in the United States that Edmonds said she saw the LinkedIn message, according to the documents submitted to the city.

In response to questions from The Ann Arbor News, Edmonds wrote in an email she had asked Ernat if the developer was providing the funds offered by the CSSA and was told no.

"Still, I wanted to understand myself where their funds in general and specifically for this scholarship come from, so I sought to gain these answers before traveling," Edmonds said.

The four officials who traveled to China were ordered by the city attorney to submit all travel-related expenses and respond to questions put forth by city council members ahead of a special meeting scheduled for tonight.

Additional documents submitted by the Ypsilanti officials include information associated with visa applications, which started in July, and emails about proper etiquette and agendas related to the China trip.

The trip's agenda included visits to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and the Beijing Zoo, with tea house performances and free time built into the schedule.

In one document, Ernat instructed other officials to pack light and requested help "to fit her entire waredrobe (sic)" for the 12-day trip.

She also advised the need for the participants to support each other due to the possibility of some group members having "generalized anxiety disorders" and of her purchase of Nicorette for the long-distance flight, the documents state.

Ernat acknowledged in documents sent to the City of Ypsilanti that questions about the funding and student group arose while the group was in China.

"As far as I know, the money originated from the student group, as I received a copy of the check issued to the travel agency from the student group," Ernat said. "I did not feel a sense of coercion or anything out of the ordinary."

Ernat wrote in the documents that she is concerned about the appearance of the funding and felt "disheartened" about the concerns brought forward by city council that prompted a special meeting.

"I am also disheartened that these concerns were only brought forward after travel had commenced, not allowing for discussion or questioning until an investigation was started and communication was limited," Ernat said. "I feel this has painted me and others in an unfair image."

Edmonds released a statement last week, expressing her full cooperation with the investigation and explaining her understanding was the scholarship funds came from the Chinese Consulate through the Wayne State student group, information she said was provided by Ernat and Foster.

"If the investigation uncovers that not to be the case, I, too, have very serious concerns," Edmonds said. "I remain accessible and transparent so Ypsilanti residents know that I have and will continue to act with integrity and in the best interest of our community."

Edmonds, Brown, Ernat and DeGiusti are ordered through a city council resolution to attend the special meeting set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall to discuss details of the trip.

City officials have not approved a development agreement yet for International Village. The Water Street project is designed to house up to 3,000 people would be financed primarily by Chinese investors through the EB-5 visa program.