DETROIT – In an interview with Local 4 on Tuesday, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing appeared willing to bend on the number of city employee layoffs.
When asked if there was a chance he would want to re-evaluate the amount of job cuts, Bing said, "Maybe. I'll look at that, I'll look at that. I mean, I'm not etched, nothing's etched in stone."
Bing and City Council have not agreed on the number of job cuts that need to happen in order to get finances together and keep a financial manager away.
When asked if he thought there was a way to meet in the middle, he said, "Could be."
City Council and Bing will continue to meet in a closed door meeting about the city's budget.
Details of council's plan for cuts include:
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Cutting 2,300 city jobs – 1,800 civilian and 500 uniformed. The savings would be $42 million.
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Cutting city-owned cell phone to save $1 million
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Go after the city's parking lot vendor for the $9 million the city is owed. If the vendor can't pay, City Council wants city employees to be able to park for free.
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Cut its own budget by 10 percent.
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Increase People Mover fares to 75 cents a ride
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Increase DDOT bus fares to $2 a ride
Total savings: $68 million
"We're at a point now where people at home are going to have to trust the council and trust the mayor," Council President Charles Pugh said.