| |
Bing
done
dealing
with
City
Council
on
Detroit
budget
By Karen
Hudson
Samuels
– Tell
Us
Detroit
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det) -
Mayor
Dave
Bing is
tired of
bickering
on the
budget,
saying
in a
hastily
called
late
Tuesday
afternoon
press
conference,
"the
time for
talk is
over,"
after
the City
Council
rejected
his
compromise
just
hours
earlier.
The Mayor’s
budget
compromise
was
rejected
by the
City
Council
Tuesday
in a
stalemate
that
threatens
beleaguered
city
services.
"I do
not
agree
with the
decision
made by
council,"
Bing
said.
"The
cuts
they
made
will
have a
devastating
impact
on
public
safety,
transportation
and
recreation.
We will
do
everything
in our
power to
limit
the
negative
impacts
to our
residents."
The
council's
7-2 vote
to
reject
the
Mayor’s
effort
to
reinstate
$30
million
in
budget
cuts
that are
part of
the
council’s
elimination
of $50
million
in city
funding.
Quality
of life
services
are at
risk
according
to the
Mayor
including
recreation
centers,
Sunday
bus
service,
the
People
Mover
and
hundreds
of jobs
in
public
safety
sector.
The
search
for
revenue
opportunities
is an
ongoing
issue
raised
again by
Council
member
Ken
Cockrel
who
suggested
an
increase
in the
People
Mover
fare.
Council
President
Pugh in
previous
budget
comments
agrees,
“We
haven’t
raised
People
Mover
fares in
30
years”.
Budget
talks
began in
April
when
Mayor
Bing
appeared
before
the
Detroit
City
Council
with his
$3.1-billion
budget
plan.
The
council
later
amended
the
budget
cutting
$8.3
million
from the
police
department
and $4.1
from the
fire
department.
Only two
council
members
voted to
support
the
Mayor’s
restoration
of $30
million
in the
budget,
turning
town the
compromise
were
Charles
Pugh,
Gary
Brown,
Saunteel
Jenkins,
Brenda
Jones,
Ken
Cockrel,
Andre
Spivey,
and
Kwame
Kenyatta.
Bing
warned
the
council
this
morning
that
rejecting
the
proposal
has a
serious
impact
on city
services.
The plan
he put
before
the
panel
will
result
in 450
layoffs.
More are
likely
now that
the
council
rejected
the
compromise.
"I would
caution
this
council
all cuts
have
consequences,"
Bing
said.
"We
cannot
in one
breath
say that
the city
wants to
cut $50
million
while at
the same
time
pretending
that it
can be
done
without
a
significant
service
impact.
This is
an
opportunity
to do
more
than
talk."
Council
President
Chares
Pugh
said the
Mayor’s
office
could
return
with a
budget
amendment
by
Friday
July 1.
Saying
"it's
kind of
hard for
me to
trust
what
they
say,"
Detroit
Mayor
Dave
Bing has
blasted
City
Council
for
failing
to pass
his
budget
amendments.
|
