Plummeting tax collections are causing big problems for the Wayne County budget.
Property tax revenue dropped from $370 million for fiscal year 2007-08 to a projected $264 million in 2012-13. County Executive Robert Ficano warned it will be a "long slow climb back" because of limitations to how much taxes can rise when conditions improve.
"No one anticipated property values falling 25 to 50 percent like they have over the past five years," Ficano said in a statement. "Unless there is significant change in the municipal financing structure in the state, local governments like Wayne County will be hard-pressed to provide even basic, mandated services."
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy blasted Ficano's budget proposal in a statement Monday, calling it "completely disingenuous."
