Pension Deal Could Curb Cuts To Police And Fire
DETROIT (WWJ) - The Detroit City Council may have come up with a way to avoid major bloodletting in the police and fire departments.
WWJ's Florence Walton reports that police and fire could be spared additional budget cuts now that Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has reached a $60 million agreement with the city's two pension boards.
At least, that's the hope of City Council President Charles Pugh.
"What we have is money that we don't have to pay for this upcoming fiscal year. I would just as soon not cut from police and fire... Whatever amount that we had to cut from police and fire, that we put that amount back into the budget, and that we cut everything else... including the museum funding, including our budget," Pugh said.
"You know, we cut 10 percent from the Mayor's budget," he added.
However, Pugh said not all of his colleagues are in yet agreement on restoring $20 in proposed cuts to public safety.
All nine City Council members are expected to approve a revised budget next Tuesday. Until then, discussions will continue on what and where to cut.
Earlier this month, Bing released his $3.1 billion budget plan to City Council, saying the plan is a "strategic approach" to bringing stability to the city and "ensure Detroit's survival."
