The Michigan Senate has approved a bill that would allow state officials to appoint a transition team to work with a community after an emergency manager’s term is up.
“This is insurance to the people of those affected communities under emergency managers to make sure that there’s financial stability going forward, collective bargaining agreements, revenue estimating conferences are also a part of this process, to determine the financial stability of that community going forward,” State Sen. Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair) said. Pavlov said it’s important the state not abandon communities coming out of financial crises.
The bill would create a transition team for a local government that’s ending its run with an emergency manager. But lawmakers could quickly adopt an alternative version next year if the state’s emergency manager law is stalled by a referendum or reversed by a court.
“The Legislature and the governor are trying to capitalize on our cities’ financial distress by appointing these emergency financial manager dictators that can oust elected officials and overtake local governments without any accountability to the community,” said Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing).
Lawmakers won't revisit the emergency manager law before January when they return from a month-long winter break.
