LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- Governor Rick Snyder had to push past a throng of protesters as he prepared to present his budget plan for the coming fiscal year.
As Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta reports, much of the plan focuses on crises that emerged last year, including the Flint water crisis:
“Drink the water, Rick! Drink the water, Rick! Drink, the water, Rick!”
The chants of protesters just outside the doors could be heard inside the room throughout Governor Snyder’s budget rollout to state lawmakers. What the protesters couldn’t hear was the governor’s efforts to placate them and others who are upset about the state’s late-to-the-game response to the Flint water crisis. The governor said he’s cooperating with various investigations into what happened, but, otherwise, he tried to put that in the past.
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of resources and people spending their time on blame. That doesn’t solve
The governor proposed spending $195 million in Flint in the upcoming budget year. That includes money for bottled water and filters, to start replacing lead water pipes, nutrition assistance, and other services.
the problem.”
To help solve the problem, the governor proposed spending $195 million in Flint in the upcoming budget year. That includes money for bottled water and filters, to start replacing lead water pipes, nutrition assistance, and other services. He said the state must assume every child in the city has been exposed to lead.
“The issue now is we have citizens in need. Let’s address those issues. Let’s take care of it and let’s address the needs of citizens across Michigan.”
The governor said every school in Michigan needs to be tested for lead in the water, and it’s time to adopt a statewide infrastructure strategy.
“We can’t forget that we have lead pipes and challenges in other places in addition to Flint, and it’s time to act on that.”
The governor said he’s convening a commission to come up with recommendations. And the governor who’s also a CPA for the first time in six years, did not ask for a big deposit in the state’s “rainy day” savings. Instead, he said $165 million should be set aside for building and re-building infrastructure. He said that’s not a lot of money, but it’s a start toward solving the state’s infrastructure shortcomings like the Flint water system.
The governor’s other big spending priority is the Detroit Public Schools. Students are struggling with basic skills, and with half a billion dollars in debt, insolvency looms. The governor says the Detroit schools bailout is a question of pay now, or pay even more later, probably at the expense of all schools.
“If we do not act, this will be an issue resolved in the court system, where the outcomes can be much more devastating to taxpayers of Michigan and the school districts of this entire state.”
The governor’s pushing to use tobacco settlement money as an alternative to the state School Aid Fund to pay for the bailout.
But that’s a lot of spending, and it’s all got to be approved by a Republican-led Legislature. State Representative Al Pscholka is the Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee says that’s not going to be a problem.
“We’ve got some big things that we’ve got to so, but because we’ve taken care of our finances, and done a better job with budgeting over the last four or five years, we can take on the big things and get ‘em done.”
“Rick must go! Rick must go!”
The protesters crowded outside the meeting room were skeptical that the necessary things will get done.
Desiree Duell says she’s a single mom from Flint who came here to find out what the governor’s plans are for her city. But she says, there’s not much he could say that would satisfy her.
“What would really satisfy me is if Governor Snyder resigned. He needs to be gone so we can re-build trust with our government.”
Governor Snyder’s budget plan is built on the hope that he can start to re-build that trust without having to quit.