Warren Evans On Next Steps For Wayne County After Exiting State Consent Agreement

Evans says this is just the beginning of the struggle for long-term financial stability.

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.

James Martinez/Wayne County

Wayne County is no longer operating under a consent agreement with the state.

It’s a significant moment for a county that has had deep-rooted financial problems for some time, problems that are complex and have required painful sacrifices by county employees and retirees to address.

But some big questions still remain. How will the county address its underfunded pension fund? What will happen with the stalled county jail site downtown? And are we going to have a bigger conversation in Michigan about statewide municipal finance problems?

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans joins host Stephen Henderson on Detroit Today to respond to those questions and take listeners’ calls.

“The key for to us was I think we did a very good job of convincing people of how deep the hole was initially,” says Evans. “And I think that galvanized some support for (the idea that) this is pretty bad.”

To hear the full conversation, click on the audio player above.

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.