Warren Evans
From day one, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans has been trying to keep the ship from sinking.
After taking steps to trim the budget over the past months, he's now reaching for a big life preserver: He wants the state to declare the county a financial emergency and intervene to help the right the ship and deal with the county's $52 million structural deficit, according to Charles E. Ramirez and Steve Pardo of the Detroit News.
It doesn't necessarily mean there will be an emergency manager installed, but in the worst case scenario, that could ultimately happen under this scenario.
The News writes:
Evans sent a letter to State Treasurer Nick Khouri asking for the declaration to support a request to enter into a consent agreement, he said in a statement.
He said the agreement would allow the county to continue negotiations with stakeholders while also providing it the ability, if necessary, to make difficult decisions needed to move out of financial instability and close the county's $52 million structural deficit.
"Our recovery plan provides a clear path to financial stability for the county, but we are keenly aware that our time frame to get the job done is quickly fading," he said. "Throughout this process we are constantly evaluating where we stand and proactively seeking solutions to work ourselves out of this massive deficit.
"I am requesting this Consent Agreement because the additional authority it can provide the county may be necessary to get the job of fixing the county's finances done," Evans said in a statement.
