Governor May Appoint A New Financial Manager For Benton Harbor

KALAMAZOO (WKZO) -- Governor Jennifer Granholm has until the end of the day to appoint an emergency financial manager to take over the City of Benton Harbor.

The State Treasury Department's Financial Review Team recommended a state takeover after going thru the books and finding all sorts of bad practices, a serious deficit, delinquent taxes, poor cash flow, depleted pension funds and large overdraft fees.

Officials say the governor has never gone against a Financial Review Committee's recommendation. If she does, it would be the fourth community in the state, and the second in Berrien County to have a temporary manager put in place to straighten out a community’s finances.