Tagged: layoffs

Flint police believe there may be some link between the city’s more than 20 recent homicides.  And now, city officials are asking for the public’s help. Flint Mayor Dayne Walling set the tone at a news conference Tuesday about the recent surge of murders in his city by saying, "the killings and criminals must be stopped."

Flint’s murder rate is on pace to set a record. Last year, Flint recorded 66 murders, which was a record. The city already has more than 20 homicides this year. 

Flint Public Safety Director Alvern Lock expresses some frustration at the rising violence. 

“You know the only way we could stop a lot of these from happening is if we were standing on the corner when they occur.”

Lock says they have suspects or people charged in 14 of the 21 murders in Flint this year. He says police suspect a connection in some of the cases, but they can’t prove that connection right now. 

Lock denies that cuts to Flint’s police department have played a role in the increase in the city’s increase homicide rate. The city has eliminated more than 100 positions in the police department since 2008.

Flint faces serious budget problems. The city is struggling to absorb a nearly $20 million budget deficit. The state recently approved the city’s plan to sell $8 million in bonds to reduce its debt. The city has also laid off a hundred  workers this fiscal year.  

This evening, the city is expected to take another, though much smaller step to reduce spending.  

Flint’s Local Officers Compensation Committee meets tonight to decide whether to impose a ten percent pay cut for the mayor and city council. The cut would translate into about a ten thousand dollar cut in pay to the mayor and a few thousand dollars each for Flint’s 9 city council members.

The Flint Police Department is closed on the weekends following the latest round of officer layoffs.

The Flint Journal reports new office hours took effect Saturday, the day after 20 police officers were laid off.

Flint Mayor Dayne Walling laid off a total of 66 police officers this year to cope with a multi-million-dollar deficit. The city also made other cuts.

Flint has set a new record for murders in the city in a single year.   

This comes at a time when the city plans to lay off 20 police officers later this week. 

Flint recorded its 62nd murder of the year on Monday.  That broke Flint’s previous record of 61 murders in a year set back in 1986, when the city of Flint was much larger.  There are no suspects in Flint’s 62nd homicide of the year. 

And beginning Friday, there will be fewer police officers in Flint. 

The city of Flint has started sending out layoff notices to city employees.
But so far, none of the notices have gone out to those who work in public safety.
The city of Flint is wrestling with an estimated 5 million dollar short fall in this year’s city budget.    The mayor wants the city’s unions to absorb about half of that deficit with double digit wage and benefit concessions.