Detroit Mayor Dave Bing recommended deep cuts to the City Council budget, reducing it from $11 million to $7, but a consultant hired by the city recommended reducing the budget by $7.4 million and reducing the council to a part-time job.
Detroit, which has recently been placed under the authority of a state-appointed emergency manager, is floundering financially and cuts to the city council were largely seen as inevitable. Mayor Bing’s recommended budget would have required some staffing reductions, but how many would be left to the council. Consultant Chuck Moore presented a report that recommended leaving each council member with just one staffer. Currently, 115 people work for the council or divisions supporting council operations. The consultant would have that reduced to just 37.
Two of the City’s council members object to the plan, saying that it would leave the City without checks and balances required in the city charter. When asked if the council could operate with just one staff and on a part time basis, Council Woman Saunteel Jenkins was reported as saying “If you want the city council to act in its current role, absolutely not.”
But if the state of Detroit’s affairs is any indication of competency, why should the residents want their council to continue to act in its current role?
Read the full story at the Detroit Free Press.