State of Michigan has signed a lease for Belle Isle

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Detroit council: State has signed Belle Isle lease

Detroit — The state and city have signed an agreement for the lease of Belle Isle, City Council members said Tuesday at the start of the council’s session.

Detroit City Council members say they’ve been told that the deal was signed Tuesday with Gov. Rick Snyder’s office.

“We’re supposed to be getting the lease today, but it’s not on our agenda,” City Council President Saunteel Jenkins told her colleagues, following an inquiry about the deal from member JoAnn Watson. “Under Public Act 436, contracts can be signed. My expectation is we will be getting the lease and once we get it, we can set up a discussion here at this table.”

A prior proposal to lease the island sparked an outcry from residents and divided the council before the panel ultimately voted 6-3 against placing the controversial proposal on a January agenda. The decision prompted Snyder to withdraw the offer.

The agreement would have freed up $6.2 million in annual operating costs for the city. It called for a lease of 30 years at a time, with an option for the city or state to opt out in 10-year increments.

The state’s 2014 fiscal year budget, which began Tuesday, contains $2.5 million for “potential state management of Belle Isle,” according to a memo from nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency.

After city leaders balked at the state's original offer to lease the island park, Snyder included $3.7 million in his proposed 2014 budget in February, saying at the time he wanted “to send the message that we were quite serious about Belle Isle.”

Watson on Tuesday argued that there should be no lease because Belle Isle is considered a city asset and should be frozen due to the city’s pursuit of bankruptcy.

“Belle Isle is an asset paid for by the city of Detroit,” she said.
Bill Nowling, a spokesman for Detroit’s emergency manager Kevyn Orr, could not be immediately reached on Tuesday.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz2gU4lTyC6