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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint EM to lay out his '7-point' plan to begin city's transition back to local control
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By STEVE CARMODY
Flint has been under an emergency manager since 2011.
Steve Carmody Michigan Radio
Tonight, Flint’s Emergency Manager plans to lay out what has to be accomplished before the city can begin the transition back to local control.
Flint has been under an emergency manager since 2011.
Darnell Earley is the third man to hold the post. At tonight’s city council meeting, he will present seven points that will have to be met to insure he will also be the last.
“When is the city going to come out of the emergency management? When is it going back into local control? It won’t until we satisfy those seven points,” says Earley.
Earley’s ‘seven points’ include:
1) Deficit elimination plan
2) Five-year financial forecast
3) Governance
4) Organization development
5) Legacy costs
6) Strategic planning
7) Sustainability
He says he like to see the city make significant progress toward meeting his seven points by September, which would be the first anniversary of his assuming oversight of the city.
“I can tell you now I doubt seriously we’ll be ready before that because it will take us at least another six or seven months to resolve the issue of retiree health care,” says Earley.
The city of Flint is currently fighting a lawsuit challenging its effort to change retiree health care plans. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:27 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| The 7 point plan is short on details to the public. Speculation is the transition will be similar to that of Pontiac. The name of Genesee County Road Commissioner John Daley is being floated around as part of the proposed transition team. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:31 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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City Council tables Flint emergency manager's transitional plan
Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com
March 24, 2014 at 9:42 PM, updated March 25, 2014 at 7:52 AM
FLINT, MI – More than three hours wasn't enough time for the Flint City Council to decide whether to approve Emergency Manager’s Darnell Earley’s transition management plan.
Council voted to postpone a vote on Earley's seven-point transition management plan on Monday, March 24, after a nearly four-hour meeting.
The measure was moved to a special meeting on April 7.
Earley's plan outlines the steps Earley thinks must take place before he will recommend a transition advisory board be appointed to Flint.
"If we don't move forward together, the city won't move forward," Earley said. "It is for that reason that I am willing to postpone this for as much time as you feel you need to review the information. No matter what conclusions you come to regarding this, the city of Flint needs a plan to move forward."
The postponement was approved on an 8-1 vote, with Joshua Freeman the lone dissenting vote.
“This does not impede the council to do anything under (public act 436), in my opinion, it helps,” Earley said. “You asked if there’s urgency – there is urgency. There is no reason to delay this. I need to be able to tell the state that the city of Flint has a plan to bring itself out of PA436.”
“The other alternative is that the EM just did it and didn’t say anything about it. I would urge you to pass the plan, let’s work on them together.”
Mayor Dayne Walling also spoke in support of Earley’s seven-point plan.
“We have an opportunity to take responsibility and to take action,” Walling said. “In every one of these seven action areas there is a role for us as elected officials.”
Earley first proposed his seven-point plan in February. The points include:
•The deficit elimination plan
•The five-year financial analysis
•Governance
•Organization development
•Legacy costs
•Strategic plan
•Sustainability
Earley gave his detailed plan to council members on Thursday, March 20. Each individual point has a few objectives that Earley believes must take place before the city can transition back to home rule and a transition advisory board.
Related: Read the plan here
Mays didn’t like the point about governance because of the blue ribbon committee’s work examining the city’s charter and other structural issues within city government.
"Point No. 3 is a game-breaker for me,” Mays said. “I cannot condone elected officials meeting behind closed doors.”
Councilman Sheldon Neeley said he supported some of the points in Earley's transition plan, but he didn't support Earley's plan for governance.
Neeley also pointed to the council’s vote last year to approve getting water through the Karegnondi Water Authority.
Council approved taking a certain amount from the KWA and a portion from the Flint River.
“The last time the EM said they wanted our input and our vote, we passed a resolution unanimously and then he went downstairs and changed it,” Neeley said. “You tied our hands here for something that you said you didn’t need. In the spirit of the compromise, in the spirit of working together, let’s take a little bit of time.”
Earley disagreed.
“I think the councilman has woefully mischaracterized what is going on here,” Earley said. “All seven points are germane to the financial health of the city of Flint. It is not a consent decree that is not true. What it is, is it’s a plan. You may not like them all, but you’re familiar with them all.”
“It’s important for you to understand that there are a number of ways to do this job and the way that I want to do it is so that no one from Lansing has to come back in here. You put whatever kind of face on that you want.”
That wasn't enough for Davis.
"I want to have time to thoroughly read this," Davis said before council approved delaying the vote.
City resident A.C. Dumas said it’s not fair for state leaders and an emergency manager to blame the financial woes solely on city council. He blamed Flint’s economic troubles on the reduction in state revenue sharing and a loss in General Motors jobs.
Dumas urged the council to postpone the vote on Earley’s plan.
“Let him make the decision,” Dumas said of Earley’s plan. “If you vote now, he can still make the decision.”
In other news, the council also the mayor and council's priorities for developing a two-year budget.
Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:38 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| I went to the link the Journal provided for the 7 point plan and only found the last one there. The plan is also not posted on the City website. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:41 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Politics & Government
4:20 pm
Thu January 9, 2014
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Court ruling may affect Flint's ability to pull itself out of financial mess
By Steve Carmody
Flint Emergency Manager Darnell Earley
Steve Carmody/Michigan Radio
Flint leaders say a federal court decision is threatening the city’s ability to recover financially.
Last week, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling preventing the city from implementing cuts to retiree health care. The plan would make Medicare-eligible city retirees pay higher monthly premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
But the retirees sued.
Flint city leaders were hoping to reap $8.5 million over two years from the retiree health care cuts.
Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley says Flint has few other options to deal with its financial problems.
“You do the math and you tell me how confident you would be in recommending to Treasury or to the governor’s office that the city of Flint ,without resolving that issue, can hope for long-term financial sustainability,” says Earley.
“All you have to do is look 65, 70 miles down I-75 you get a pretty good idea what some of those other options are,” adds Earley.
Earley is referring to Detroit, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year.
Flint has a $13 million deficit, with the potential of adding another $2 million a year for the next few years due to its structural deficit.
Tags:
flint retiree flint deficit Flint darnell earley retiree health care legacy . |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:50 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Actually, bankruptcy is the path I thought Flint would end up on. I used part of the EM documents showing legacy costs fueling further deficits on an earlier thread. I don't foresee any way of avoiding bankruptcy and seeing point # 5 is legacy costs, the state is wondering also. More retiree cuts in our future? |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:56 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint City Council approves emergency manager's transition plan during heated meeting
Roberto Acosta | racosta1@mlive.com By Roberto Acosta | racosta1@mlive.com
on April 07, 2014 at 8:34 PM, updated April 07, 2014 at 9:50 PM
FLINT, MI -- The much debated seven-point transition management plan from Emergency Manager Darnell Earley has been approved by the Flint City Council followed by an uproar from residents in the audience.
The plan was approved on a 5-4 vote, with council members Jackie Poplar, Bryant Nolden, Scott Kincaid, Victoria VanBuren and Josh Freeman voting yes. The plan includes a deficit elimination plan, five-year financial analysis, governance, organization development, legacy costs, a strategic plan and sustainability.
Earley has said the plan is needed before he would move ahead with forming a transition advisory board that would begin the process of removing Flint from state oversight and back to local control. The decision came after the plan was tabled during a March 24 council meeting to allow for more review.
Nolden called the plan “a framework in order to move us forward.” He said of the 45 to 50 phone calls he’d received over the weekend about the plan, none of the people opposing it could offer a good reason not to pass the measure.
Freeman called it reasonable, and said there was nothing in the document that was outrageous. He added, “This is probably the most power the folks in this community and their elected officials have had in the last two and a half years.”
Voting against the plan, Councilman Wantwaz Davis said, “I do think we need a plan, but because we need a plan don’t mean the plan presented to us is the right plan.”
He agreed on the need for deficit elimination and five-year sustainability plans, but “I don’t like the other stuff,” especially a blue ribbon committee he said would disenfranchise a large portion of the city’s residents. He called for a 10-point plan for jobs and revenue.
“We work for you. If you can’t be heard, it’s a definite no from me,” said Councilman Sheldon Neeley said. Several residents at the meeting voiced their concerns over the plan, including Alex Harris.
“I’ve been around the city a long time and this is really one of the low points” he said, calling the course of action by the council misguided and acquiescing to the emergency manager.
“The bottom line is this… you didn’t serve this community well,” said Harris. “You signed onto something you have no idea about.”
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JKB01 also noted there needs to be an effort to take this plan to the people. Flint Journal llink stil doesn't work. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:07 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:12 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Advisory board replaces emergency manager in Pontiac
Khalil AlHajal | kalhajal@mlive.com By Khalil AlHajal | kalhajal@mlive.com
Follow on Twitter
on August 19, 2013 at 4:30 PM, updated August 19, 2013 at 8:15 PM
(Khalil AlHajal | MLive.com)
Pontiac City Hall is on its way back to local control after Gov. Rick Snyder on Monday, appointed a Transition Advisory Board to guide the city out from under emergency management.
PONTIAC, MI -- The Michigan city that has been under emergency management the longest is on its way back to local control.
Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed a Transition Advisory Board to help hand city government back over to elected officials.
Snyder did the same with Ecorse in April. That leaves five Michigan cities run solely by emergency managers: Detroit, Flint, Benton Harbor, Allen Park and Hamtramck.
Pontiac Emergency Manager Lou Schimmel told the governor on Friday that he's determined the city's financial emergency to be "sufficiently addressed," Snyder's office announced Monday.
"The Transition Advisory Board will be working cooperatively with local leaders to ensure continued stability and growth on the path ahead as well as improved services to the city’s residents," Snyder said in a release.
Pontiac officials began touting improved finances demonstrated by higher bond ratings earlier this year.
Dramatic changes including eliminating the city's police and fire departments helped bring the Pontiac's budget under control after losing thousands of jobs and property tax sources with the closure of GM plants.
(Related: City under longest-running state takeover sees strong challenges to emergency manager actions)
The city has been under emergency management since 2009. Schimmel was granted sweeping new powers under a stronger financial emergency law Public Act 4, in 2011. Voters rejected that law in a 2012 referendum last year, but lawmakers passed a new, similar version, Public Act 436, which went into effect in March.
Schimmel will be a member of the Transition Advisory Board.
“I believe city officials and Pontiac residents alike will benefit from the appointment of this board,” Schimmel said in a statement. "We can help facilitate a smooth transition to local control while providing appropriate guidance and oversight."
Snyder did not name a set timeframe for keeping the board in place and said its goal is to ensure a "responsible financial course... in the months and years ahead."
Ed Koryzno, of the state Treasurer’s office, Robert Daddow, a deputy Oakland County executive and Keith Sawdon, finance director for Rochester Hills make up the rest of the board.
Schimmel cited the following factors in determining the city ready to move to the next step:
• "Implementing health care and benefit reforms by consolidating 87 benefit plans into one to ensure quality, affordable but sustainable coverage for employees."
• "Selling excess capacity in the city’s sewage treatment plant to Oakland County for $55 million, allowing the city to significantly reduce its debt ($87 million) and eliminate its structural deficit ($9.2 million)."
• "Creating a regional fire department (merger with Waterford Township) that reduced the cost of fire services by $3.6 million annually while strengthening services."
• "Contracting with the Oakland County Sheriff for police services, which saved the city $2.2 million annually while also boosting public safety and ensuring more officers on patrol."
• "Reducing general fund expenditures by nearly $30 million in six years by closing defined benefit pension systems, eliminating money-losing enterprise activities, consolidating or streamlining departments, and modifying the city’s hiring process."
Follow MLive Detroit reporter Khalil AlHajal on Twitter @DetroitKhalil or on Facebook at Detroit Khalil. He can be reached at kalhajal@mlive.com or 313-643-0527. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:15 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Rochester Hills to help Pontiac transition from Emergency Financial Manager
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder assigns a transition team as the City of Pontiac emerges from its financial emergency on Monday, August 19, 2013.
Richard Weaver/getmaximpact.com
Richard Weaver
Rochester Hills Examiner
August 19, 2013
Emergency Manager Louis H. Schimmel and the Pontiac City Council held a joint public meeting today in the City Council Chambers of Pontiac City Hall to announce the city is ready to emerge from its financial emergency. Gov. Rick Snyder accepted Schimmel’s resignation and appointed a Receivership Transition Advisory Board including Rochester Hills Finance Director Keith Sawdon.
Rochester Hills is well respected for its financial management and administrative discipline. In 2012 the city received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the nonprofit Government Finance Officers Association.
Other board members are Schimmel, Deputy Oakland County Executive Bob Daddow and Ed Karyzno, who is administrator of the Michigan Department of Treasury’s Office of Financial Responsibility.
The Local Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board appointed an Emergency Financial Manager for the City of Pontiac on March 19, 2009. The Board was originally led by State Treasurer Andy Dillon until September 11, 2011 when Louis Schimmel was appointed the City of Pontiac Emergency Manager under Public Act 4 by Governor Rick Snyder. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:20 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Todays stories are the Police Department restructuring and the federal courts reporting multiple cases of excessive force in both the county and city jail.
Nationwide excessive force cases by police are up. There are rumbles in the streets of excessive force by the State Police assigned to Flint. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:24 am |
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twotap
F L I N T O I D
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11 responses 10 of them from webs and one from someone who doesn't give a crap  |
_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. |
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:58 am |
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