Flint’s emergency manager got an earful during a public meeting last night on the budget he imposed on the city last week.
Emergency manager Michael Brown had planned to take the first half hour of a 90 minute public meeting to review his budget plan and then allow an hour for questions.
But the budget presentation had barely started, when several people in the nearly full auditorium jumped to their feet to shout down the emergency manager.
After the outburst, a parade of people took turns at the podium denouncing emergency manager Michael Brown, the law that put him in charge of Flint and the budget he introduced and imposed last week. That budget cuts the city’s workforce by about 20 percent and imposes hundreds of dollars in new fees for city water, street light and other city services.
Flint resident Carolyn Shannon questioned the expertise behind the decision to make deep cuts to the city’s police and fire departments.
“Even a person off the street…can cut somebody’s throat," scolded Shannon.
One man, identified only as Maurice, glared at Brown as he talked about how he can’t afford to pay any more taxes.
"You want to take more from me and my daughter?" the man asked, "You ain’t no different than these people that are out here murdering our own children."
Brown insists the budget cuts and fee increases are needed to address Flint’s projected $25 million gap next year. That's not Flint's only financial problem. The city is also seeking the state's OK to sell more than $18 million in loans to pay off the city debts from the past few budget years.
