Michigan would pay $350 million over 20 years to reduce bankrupt Detroit’s pension liabilities under a deal struck by Governor Rick Snyder and lawmakers, Bloomberg News reported today. The money would be in addition to $330 million that nine foundations pledged through bankruptcy court mediation to reduce city pension cuts and to shield Detroit’s art collection from a sale to pay $11.5 billion in unsecured debt. The money should be linked to a broader settlement that would protect the masterworks, Snyder said yesterday. Snyder also called for independent management of Detroit’s retirement system, which is run by two appointed boards. He declined to say how that might occur, though he said it wouldn’t necessarily be through state control.
