Some of this all just seems like a bad dream.
Mayor Dave Bing, frustrated with the city council's decision to pass on a proposal to let the state run Belle Isle, is expected to announce on Friday a number of cuts to the city's parks and recreation budget and park closures, Matt Helms of the Detroit Free Press reports. The state proposal to takeover Belle Isle could have saved the city $6 million in upkeep costs.
Helms writes:
That decision -- the council couldn't muster enough support to take a full up-or-down vote on the proposed lease -- prompted Gov. Rick Snyder to remove the deal from the table. Snyder took with him an offer to wipe $6 million in annual maintenance and operations costs for Belle Isle off the city's books -- money the Bing administration said would have helped Detroit pay for other crucial city services and other city parks.
Bing administration officials were said to be laying out plans to close parks and reduce recreation services in response, but mayoral aides said they would not discuss details in advance of Friday’s news conference. A statement from his office said only that the news briefing will discuss the impact of the council's decision on the Belle Isle agreement.
Bing plans to announce specifics at a press conference at city hall at 10:30 a.m. today.
