FLINT, MI - Five Flint City Council members say they were "deliberately excluded" by the state and Mayor Karen Weaver from decision-making meetings on the city's future water source.

Weaver said, however, that council members wore out their welcome with the state after "a fight almost broke out" during a meeting last summer.

During a press conference in City Council chambers on Thursday, July 6, Fourth Ward Councilperson Kate Fields - backed by council members Monica Galloway, Vicki Van Buren and President Kerry Nelson - produced state officials' emails, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, and said that state and city officials decided on the future of Flint's water long before contract options were introduced to the council or the public.

"We literally have to do our own followup research to find out what's happening in this city and we're elected to represent the citizens of Flint," Fields said. "We've been deliberately excluded from all meetings ... so I think we're being excluded on all fronts. Why is it usually that people are trying to keep you uninformed? Must be something they don't want you to know about."

Fields, who said she sent FOIA requests to numerous state and city agencies to learn more about Flint's proposed water options, pointed to an email exchange between Sue McCormick, chief executive officer of the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), and state-appointed Flint water consultant John Young from Feb. 28, 2017.

In an email, Young asked McCormick to "please review the attached document (that I threw together in the last 20 minutes) and provide comments."

"I need to get this to the Governor today," Young's letter said.

The email attachment included an outline of a plan for Flint to rely on GLWA as its primary water source and the Genesee County Drainage Commission as its back-up source.

Weaver endorsed the plan in April after it was presented to the council, while Gov. Rick Snyder announced his support for the option in May.

But, highlighting a meeting on March 6, Fields said that the state and mayor's minds were made up long before April 18, when the water options were introduced to the council.

Fields said the meeting in March was between Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), state treasury, EPA, GLWA, Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA), Genesee County Drain Commission (GCDC), Weaver, interim Flint Finance Director David Sabuda and Weaver's unpaid volunteer adviser, Aonie Gilcreast.

"City Council was not invited, nor were they aware of this meeting," Fields said. "At this meeting, Mr. Young presented his ... water source choice analysis and recommended the option of GLWA as primary and GCDC as back-up. At this time, GLWA and the mayor supported John Young's and the state's choice for water supply."

Flanked by members of her administration, Weaver fielded media questions at a podium in her office immediately after the council members' press conference.

"I don't know where people think water's going to come from, but it's only going to come from Great Lakes or KWA," Weaver said. "And some people seem to be missing that point ... that plan wasn't thrown together in 20 minutes. We could've birthed a baby - that's how long that plan took to put together. It might've taken 20 minutes to put an email together, so if they can't read that and can't understand what it means, I can't help that."

Weaver said that Nelson and First Ward Councilmember Eric Mays were initially invited to a planning meeting with the governor and other "key players," but it "ended up going just like council meetings go, and next thing we know, secret service is called in because a fight almost broke out."

Weaver would not say who almost got in a fight during the meeting, nor the date of the meeting in question, but said that it was at the beginning of the water negotiations.

City spokesperson Kristin Moore clarified that by "secret service," the mayor was referring to Snyder's security detail.

Mays said he recalled a meeting with the mayor and governor in June 2016, but said that he didn't recall a fight.

"I raised my voice, you know me, and made my point and left," Mays said.

Shouting matches and heated exchanges - often involving Mays - are a regular affair in Flint city council meetings.

Weaver said that it was after this incident that her administration and the state decided it was best if Young attended council meetings to relay information from the water negotiations rather than have council members present.

However, Nelson said that council should have had a seat at the negotiating table, or else it cannot adequately represent its constituents.

Fields, calling the water source vote "one of the most important decisions council will ever make," said the council is looking at hiring independent analysis to assess the options available.

Weaver said she'd welcome a proposed alternative to the GLWA plan.

Galloway submitted a proposal to Weaver and the governor late last week.

"It smells, it leaves a stink on you," Van Buren said, regarding the 30-year proposed contract with GLWA. "You know something doesn't feel right. People in the community come up to you and say this doesn't feel right. It's a gut feeling and we've felt it before. Why do we allow them to pressure us, when they, the state, is at fault for doing this to our community? We need to be strong, we need to keep our eyes open, and create a better deal that will be good for our children. Thirty years is a long time ... Let's take care of Flint, but let's do it the right way."

At a committee meeting later in the day on July 6, council voted to postpone discussion on the 30-year contract another two weeks in light of Fields' newly-received information.

Council previously voted to enact a short-term contract with GLWA through the end of September to give it more time to decide on a longer contract option.

Because Flint did not approve the long-term water plan with GLWA by the beginning of the fiscal year, MDEQ filed a complaint Wednesday, June 28, in Detroit U.S. District Court, claiming Flint is in violation of a settlement agreement in a civil lawsuit filed by the Concerned Pastors for Social Action, an emergency administrative order issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Current players in the suit are attorneys from the state and mayor's office. Fields said the council is looking at obtaining a separate attorney to represent its views in the lawsuit.

The council will meet again on Monday, July 10, at 5:30 p.m.