The Detroit Free Press reports police and firefighters face a 10 percent wage cut, and the Department of Transportation in Detroit could be cut by $10 million under a proposed $1.2 billion budget presented to City Council by Deputy Mayor Kirk Lewis today.
"No one wants these cuts — especially not the citizens who have already suffered as a result of declining budgets — but they are essential to ensure the city's long-term financial stability," Lewis said. "The administration's efforts will focus, however, on structural changes because, as Mayor Bing has consistently said, we can't cut our way out of the problem.
Deputy Mayor Lewis presented the budget in Mayor Bing's absence. Bing is recovering from recent surgery for a perforated colon and from pulmonary embolisms.
The Freep reports many details of the budget "were deliberately vague." Officials said they had to rush to meet today's budget deadline after weeks of negotiating the city's recent consent agreement with the state.
From The Detroit News:
Councilman Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said the budget was "so high level" that he can't determine what's being cut. A more detailed budget will be presented by next week, officials said. "It's so high level that I can't see the ground," Cockrel Jr. said. "It's not clear to me what's being cut."
