emergency financial manager ed kurtz

Could there be a "Water War" between Flint and Detroit?

Steve Carmody — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:47:40 +0000

A battle is brewing over where the city of Flint will get its tap water.

Last month, the Flint city council voted to join a project to get fresh water from Lake Huron. Supporters say the project will save the city millions of dollars by replacing its current water source: the city of Detroit.

But the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is asking the state Treasury Department to veto the plan.

Bill Johnson is with the DWSD. He says state officials need to step in to prevent a “water war.”

Flint outsourcing trash collection

Steve Carmody — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 20:29:00 +0000

A private company will start picking up Flint’s residential trash next month.

Emergency Financial Manager Ed Kurtz says Republic Services can handle Flint’s waste collection for a million dollars a year less than the city can itself. The two sides signed a contract this week.

State changing the hiring rules for Michigan's emergency financial managers

Steve Carmody — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:11:28 +0000

The state Treasury Department is changing the rules for people hired by emergency financial managers.

Barnett Jones was hired last year as Flint’s Public Safety Administrator by the city’s emergency manager. He resigned earlier this month after it was discovered he had a second full time job as the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department security director.

'Concern' over the phase out of Michigan's Personal Property Tax

Steve Carmody — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:13:09 +0000

Flint’s Emergency Financial Manager says he’s ‘concerned’ about ending Michigan’s Personal Property tax.

Governor Snyder signed the phase out of the tax on business equipment today.

Flint relies on the tax for about 10% of its property tax revenues.

Ed Kurtz is Flint’s Emergency Financial Manager. He hopes the legislature will help cities replace the money they’ll lose.

Kurtz needs every dollar he can get to lift Flint from its multi-million dollar budget deficit.

Flint's Smith Village moves forward

Steve Carmody — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:50:24 +0000

A stalled housing project in Flint is finally moving forward.

Smith Village has been a longtime headache for Flint city leaders.

The Smith Village project started in 1998 when the federal government gave the city of Flint money to build low and moderate income homes. The plan was to rebuild a neighborhood with more than 80 new, low-to-moderate income homes.

But numerous delays and lawsuits stalled the development.

Flint to resume tearing down blighted homes

Steve Carmody — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 17:24:23 +0000

The city of Flint is restarting its derelict home demolition program.

The program was stalled earlier this year because of a lack of money.

Flint’s Emergency Financial Manager Ed Kurtz says the city plans to use some federal grant money to tear down abandoned homes that have become public safety problems.

“Hopefully, with the 2.3 million we can maybe get somewhere…around 300 homes,” says Kurtz, “Just to put it into perspective….there’s probably some ten thousand properties in the city that would be subject to demolition.”