Court of Appeals allows Detroit review team to move forward with consent agreement

State review team will make decision on consent agreement or emergency manager for city's money troubles

DETROIT – The state-appointed review team for Detroit will meet Monday at 3 p.m. to decide and vote on their recommendation for the city's money troubles.

The team will either recommend a consent agreement or an emergency manager.

Court of appeals overturns Open Meetings Act ruling:

The Michigan Court of Appeals has reversed a judge's ruling that the state-appointed Detroit financial review team could not execute a consent agreement.

The city and state are now free to reach a possible consent agreement by Monday's deadline.

In a 78-page filing with the Michigan Court of Appeals, state officials were urging a ruling by 10 a.m. Monday. 

The ruling came late Friday night.

The team's alleged violations of meeting in private has been at the center of the Court of Appeals, with a lawsuit brought by Robert Davis.

Ingham County Judge William Collette had ruled the review team violated the Michigan Open Meetings Act and he ordered five members of the review team to his court next Thursday. 

State officials said it is too late and wanted the Appeals Court to answer the legal questions.

Late this afternoon, Robert Davis who brought the original lawsuit over the Michigan Open Meetings Act filed briefs urging the Court of Appeals to deny the state's request.

Detroit City Council members say they are continuing talks with the mayor's office and state officials over a consent agreement and those talks could go through the weekend.  That would allow the mayor and city council to maintain control over their city. The only other alternative in this financial crisis would be an emergency manager appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder.  Snyder has said he prefers the consent agreement.

Union says Detroit city workers agree to cuts:

On a related note, 30 city employee bargaining units on Friday celebrated what they call an historic agreement, ratifying concessions on wages and benefits they say will save the city more than $100 million.

However, Detroit police sergeants and lieutenants and Detroit firefighters unions have not ratified their tentative agreements over concessions saying they want to make sure that will prevent a state takeover.

An aide to Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, Bob Warfield, would only say they are still negotiating.