The city of Flint now has a plan to fix its ‘financial crisis’. But the plan has several major hurdles to overcome.
Emergency Manager Mike Brown’s 10-page plan outlines Flint’s deteriorating financial condition: An $11 million budget deficit this year, long term declines in population, and an eroding tax base.
The plan also charts a course out of the ‘financial crisis’ the governor declared last year. It calls for restructuring collective bargaining agreements with city unions and merging or eliminating some city departments.
The plan also calls for improving public safety in the city, which has seen four homicides this year and more than 120 murders during the last two years.
Emergency Manager Mike Brown calls the plan ”a work in progress”. He says implementing it will be a “most difficult challenge.”
Mayor Dayne Walling called on residents to “do their part to address Flint's long-standing challenges."
Flint is one of four Michigan cities being run by emergency managers. The city of Detroit may soon be added to that list.
