With a state budget set, city budget needs attention now

State legislators and the governor have signed off on a new budget, and its impact on community and school funding is still being dissected.
At this point, it appears the city will take a financial hit, and the public schools will get a bump up in finances as well as a hit.
However, as the saying goes, the devil’s in the details, and we have yet to hear a more detailed breakdown on the budget and its ramifications.
Having said that, we have talked a lot about how the city is facing some financial challenges in the coming years, although sources tell us that the city is actually facing a budget surplus this year.
But, Hamtramck lost a huge revenue stream from Wayne County when it closed the doors on its jail here in Hamtramck—something to the tune of $1.4 million a year.
On top of that, the city council ended its contract with a parking meter company that will result in the loss of about $200,000 a year. While it was generally agreed on by just about everyone that the meter system was a huge failure, there is no plan on how to replace that lost revenue.
We have talked before about a recent financial projection for the city that sees us go deeper and deeper into deficit spending. And that’s a sure recipe for state intervention.
What we are suggesting is that the mayor and council begin to take a cold, hard look at the city’s financial future.
There is no time to lose on this matter.
Posted Oct. 10, 2025