Gov. Snyder: 'Financial Crises' In Wayne County Must Be Addressed Immediately
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Gov. Rick Snyder has agreed with a review team's findings and determined Wayne County is in a financial emergency.
Snyder says Wednesday in a release that "chronic financial crises will only grow worse, and the possible solutions will be far more difficult, if the crisis is not addressed immediately."
The county has until 5 p.m. on July 29 to request a hearing that would be held the following day in Lansing.
County Executive Warren Evans had asked the state to declare a financial emergency. Evans had said he wants to enter into a consent agreement with the state that will allow the county to continue negotiations with its stakeholders.
WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick said concern that an emergency manager will be appointed for the county is a little premature.
"What this basically puts into motion is the possibility of now drafting a consent agreement to have the county get itself out of debt without the intervention of an EM or even bankruptcy," Skubick said.
Under the law, Snyder had ten days to make a determination, but only took one.
Skubick said the swiftness of the governor's actions underscores the urgency.
"The governor is in four-square with the county executive in trying to solve this problem without the EM or other alternatives — which, of course, Detroit went through, successfully," he said. "But it was touch and go there for a while."
Wayne County faces a projected $171 million deficit by 2019 if remedial measures aren't taken. The county has 1.7 million residents.
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