Bing administration says 2,500 proposed layoffs will help save Detroit $250M

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing’s staff laid out a city budget this morning that cuts more than 2,500 jobs in an effort to shave $250 million from its annual expenses as the city tries to right its finances after agreeing to state oversight.

The job cuts -- mostly through layoffs but also counting retirements and attrition -- would be in addition to the 1,000 layoffs Bing sought earlier, all but 200 of which have been targeted, Bing’s Chief Operating Officer Chris Brown told members of the Detroit City Council this morning.

Brown said the Bing administration wants to cut 2,566 more jobs citywide, and there’s no way around reducing services to residents.

“You probably can’t deliver the same level of service on a budget cut by 50%,” as is proposed for some departments, Brown told the council. “Then the question is, what level of service can you deliver? ... You can’t be a magician. You can’t deliver something that you don’t have funding to do.” Read More