With the start of the New Year, Warren Evans became the new county executive of Wayne County, and with it he's inheriting a daunting pile of problems.
Detroit News business columnist Daniel Howes recently published the article "Fiscal fight fraught for Wayne County's Evans." He joined us to discuss what Evans has inherited from his predecessor, Robert Ficano, and what he can do to improve the county's financial situation.
Evans is inheriting a budget deficit of $100 million, a running annual deficit of about $30 million, and the pension account for county employees is only 60% funded, according to Howes.
Evans recently said publicly he does not want to make cuts to county employees, but Howes isn't sure Evans can reduce costs without looking at employee costs as well as services.
Recently, Evans cut the salaries of his top appointees, but Howes says this can be seen as simply trying to send a message and there is still much more to be done.
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