What actions will the EFM take?

**skyl4rk** · December-02-11, 07:48 AM

Assuming an EFM takes control of the City of Detroit, what actions do you think he/she will take?

Here is my guess:

Eliminate city council salaries, bodyguards, vehicles

Eliminate city council staff

Layoff 1/3 of employees

Offer Water/Sewer system for sale or create a Water/Sewer Authority with all jurisdictions participating in control of authority

Split off City Airport into a separate entity, sale?

Reduce pensions for existing employees from now on

Reduce current city employees salaries

Reduce current city employees health care benefits

Reduce pension payments to retired employees?

Privatize garbage collection

Eliminate or Reduce Detroit Legal Department

Merge Police and Fire operations?

**SWMAP** · December-02-11, 10:08 AM

If he sells the PLD - will someone turn the streetlights back on?

**Flintoid** · December-02-11, 10:22 AM

All of these possibilities sound like actions that need to be taken in order to right size government and create a better city in the long run. I'd welcome an EFM with open arms.

**skyl4rk** · December-02-11, 10:35 AM

I wouldn't say all of them are good ideas, I am just trying to guess what the new czar[[dine) is going to do.

**Zacha341** · December-02-11, 10:43 AM

'Dine' sumptuously I would imagine.... And don't forget the obligatory signing bonus particularly if they are from out of state. After all, you have to pay well to draw anyone to the likes of the wilderness of Macin-nack Michigan and it's urban issue: "Detroit"! At least perhaps someone from the cadre can find the 'ghost' employees! *sarcasm*

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

I wouldn't say all of them are good ideas, I am just trying to guess what the new czar[[dine) is going to do.

**Eric_c** · December-02-11, 10:51 AM

An EFM will also likely end all support for the DIA, Science Center, African American History museum, zoo and stop park and boulevcard upkeep completely.

**SWMAP** · December-02-11, 10:54 AM

The DIA is pretty much self-supporting, as is the Zoo. The Science Center is already closed.

**bailey** · December-02-11, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by Eric_c

An EFM will also likely end all support for the DIA, Science Center, African American History museum, zoo and stop park and boulevcard upkeep completely.

The DIA already does not count on City of Detroit monies. The science center is closed. If the Wright museum can not survive in the largest blackest city in the country...perhaps they need to examine the business model. The Zoo is already off the Detroit teat.

As to your last one... the point of a EFM is to get that stuff actually done, not continue not doing it.

*SWMap.....beat me too it.

**SWMAP** · December-02-11, 11:00 AM

If the Wright museum can not survive in the largest blackest city in the country...perhaps they need to examine the business model.

Good point!!!

**fryar** · December-02-11, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

The Science Center is already closed.

How very sad.

**bailey** · December-02-11, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by fryar

How very sad.

Sadder still that is was completely avoidable and its closure is due solely to incompetent leadership.

**Scottathew** · December-02-11, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

Eliminate city council salaries, bodyguards, vehicles

Eliminate city council staff

Layoff 1/3 of employees

Offer Water/Sewer system for sale or create a Water/Sewer Authority with all jurisdictions participating in control of authority

Split off City Airport into a separate entity, sale?

Reduce pensions for existing employees from now on

Reduce current city employees salaries

Reduce current city employees health care benefits

Reduce pension payments to retired employees?

Privatize garbage collection

Eliminate or Reduce Detroit Legal Department

Merge Police and Fire operations?

All seem to be good suggestions except I don't like the idea of merging police and fire in Detroit. I think it works better in smaller cities, but I'm open to hear about why it may or may not work.

**DetroitPlanner** · December-02-11, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

Sadder still that is was completely avoidable and its closure is due solely to incompetent leadership.

But look at all of the nice expansions they have made recently.

**skyl4rk** · December-02-11, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by 48091

All seem to be good suggestions except I don't like the idea of merging police and fire in Detroit. I think it works better in smaller cities, but I'm open to hear about why it may or may not work.

I added that because it is being done in Kalamazoo and is proposed in Benton Harbor.

Personally I don't think it works to combine the two because each job has a lot of training and skills required and while there is some overlap, the jobs are very different.

lilpup · December-02-11, 02:17 PM

I'd be a little surprised if the Water Department were sold. It's a moneymaker, thus worth keeping. When Cleveland went into receivership under Kucinich one of the fights was about whether to sell one of their utilities. He fought to keep it and it's now doing well.

**Novine** · December-02-11, 02:36 PM

"Reduce pension payments to retired employees?"

Its illegal to do so under the Michigan constitution so that's not going to happen.

**professorscott** · December-02-11, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

"Reduce pension payments to retired employees?"

Its illegal to do so under the Michigan constitution so that's not going to happen.

What difference does that make? If there is a law that says I must pay you one million dollars, and I only have three thousand dollars, you don't get your one million dollars.

Legislative actions do not trump the laws of mathematics.

**Scottathew** · December-02-11, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

I added that because it is being done in Kalamazoo and is proposed in Benton Harbor.

Personally I don't think it works to combine the two because each job has a lot of training and skills required and while there is some overlap, the jobs are very different.

It works well in Center Line.

Perhaps they should privatize EMS transport, that works in many communities like Troy, Clawson, and previously Warren.

**corktownyuppie** · December-02-11, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by professorscott

Legislative actions do not trump the laws of mathematics.

YES. I wish that there was so much more focus on this guiding principle. Because lost in all this hollering about what an EFM would do is that WE COULD AVOID AN EFM BY DOING THEM OURSELVES.

So instead of "What would an EFM do?" it should be "What would an EFM do, and can we do those things to avoid an EFM?"

**Danny** · December-02-11, 02:59 PM

Here's more:

privatize D-DOT.

Hunt down delniquent Detroiters who didn't pay city taxes on time and put foreclosure notices on their front door.

**Scottathew** · December-02-11, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

So instead of "What would an EFM do?" it should be "What would an EFM do, and can we do those things to avoid an EFM?"

Not that I like defending Detroit's clowncil, but the answer is "no". The council doesn't have the power to make the union take concessions. The only thing council can do is slash workers, not wages and benefits.

But we have to keep in mind that union concessions is only one piece of the puzzle, albeit a big piece. More efficient organization and less waste is also needed.

The fact that these council people have city provided cars and their own private staff is a HUGE joke. Cutting that waste would be a smaller but necessary piece to the puzzle.

lilpup · December-02-11, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

Hunt down delniquent Detroiters who didn't pay city taxes on time and put foreclosure notices on their front door.

A tax amnesty might not be a bad idea to bring in some $$$. Pay any unpaid taxes owed within a certain time with penalties and interest being waived.

**Novine** · December-02-11, 05:10 PM

"What difference does that make? If there is a law that says I must pay you one million dollars, and I only have three thousand dollars, you don't get your one million dollars."

The point is that everything else is going to get cut before the pensions go unpaid. Look at Pontiac. The EFM is raising taxes to pay pension costs even as he's slashing and selling off everything else in the city.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/artic...7515419586.txt

**Gistok** · December-02-11, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

I'd be a little surprised if the Water Department were sold. It's a moneymaker, thus worth keeping. When Cleveland went into receivership under Kucinich one of the fights was about whether to sell one of their utilities. He fought to keep it and it's now doing well.

They don't even know how to fix a billing or meter problem without 6 visits to their offices... they're not worth keeping....

Also, several folks have cited facts that the water department is not a money maker... I'll all ears....

**corktownyuppie** · December-02-11, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

"What difference does that make? If there is a law that says I must pay you one million dollars, and I only have three thousand dollars, you don't get your one million dollars."

The point is that everything else is going to get cut before the pensions go unpaid. Look at Pontiac. The EFM is raising taxes to pay pension costs even as he's slashing and selling off everything else in the city.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/artic...7515419586.txt

Well the good news is that if they stop pension benefits for new hires or anyone with less than 10 years of tenure, then the pension liabilities will eventually decrease as pensioners die out. The pension was on of the greatest inventions, we just: [[1) failed to fund it fully and [[2) grossly underestimated how long people were going to live.