DALLAS — Flint and Genesee County will remain in a state of emergency until Aug. 14 after Michigan lawmakers granted a four month extension on Wednesday.
The renewal provides the city and county with continued access to all state resources available to tackle its water contamination crisis.
The state of emergency, which was set to expire Thursday, was first declared in Flint on Dec. 14, 2015, in response to a man-made disaster caused by the city after its switch from the Detroit Water and Sewerage System to the Flint River as a water source in 2014.
"The approval of the emergency extension further demonstrates the state is committed to continue working with the city to provide strong support and continue drawing on all resources available to support Flint residents during the city's recovery," Gov. Rick Snyder said.
Genesee County declared an emergency on Jan. 4, 2016. The state followed suit the next day.
Nearly $70 million of state funding has already been appropriated under the state of emergency declaration. On Feb. 23 lawmakers approved $30 million. Another $28 million in emergency funding was approved in January and $9.3 million was approved last year to help the city connect back to Detroit's water system.
The extension coincides with the federal emergency declaration extension granted on March 25. The federal declaration was first approved on Jan. 16. The extension authorizes federal supplies of bottled water, water filters, replacement cartridges, and test kits to continue for another four months to ensure the health and safety of Flint residents.
Snyder has proposed a total of $232 million in state funds in his fiscal 2017 budget to help tackle both the short-term health and long-term safety concerns of Flint residents in the wake of the city's contamination crisis.
Michigan has a $600 million surplus and an over $380 million emergency fund, but the burden of Flint and restructuring the fiscally distressed Detroit Public Schools is expected to halt the state's positive momentum in building reserves that had fueled positive credit momentum.
