The last time Detroit City Council made news was last week, when it voted against the pay-cut contracts with city workers that was imposed by Mayor Dave Bing.
But the council's vote didn't count because of the consent agreement between the city and the state to get Detroit's finances in order.
Today, the council took up the matter of what the state and the Bing administration may do to fix Belle Isle. The subject of state involvement in the island park is also included in the consent agreement.
While no details have been put forth, some council members vowed to fight what they believe will be a state takeover of the island, which could use additional funding.
Bing’s office disputed that any agreement with the state would hand over the park to the state but said discussions were ongoing and details would only be released when a deal is reached.
The Detroit News reports Bing discussed some aspects of the state's intentions at an NAACP gathering today:
Mayor Dave Bing said he is rejecting the state's proposal to lease Belle Isle for 99 years but that his administration will continue to negotiate terms that are more favorable to the city.
Bing said he received a letter from the state two weeks ago asking for those terms "without telling me what they're going to invest and upgrade in Belle Isle."
"Even if we thought about signing something like that, it's got to come with some conditions," he said. "What are you going to invest? What are you going to fix? … tell us that."
