WDET News
- Some Council Members Want to Void the Synagro Contract
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Jul 8, 2008General
Some Detroit City Council members are having buyer’s remorse over a contract it purchased last fall.
The almost 50-million dollar contract with sludge hauler Synagro Technologies passed on a five-four vote.
Now, almost a year later, several city council members want out of deal due to a federal investigation into corruption and bribery connected to the contract. Council woman JoAnn Watson offered the reversal resolution at Tuesday’s meeting. The council did not consider it.
Council President Ken Cockrel, who voted against the original contract, says more information is needed before the council can move towards overturning the Synagro deal.
“We know for example that there’s an F-B-I investigation of this issue, and we know that certain people are being looked at but it’s not clear exactly who and no indictments have been announced. So, it would probably be premature to go ahead and just pass a judgment that this contract was lead under false pretenses because certain people were paid to do so. But we don’t really know that yet. We know there’s an investigation but that’s all we know.”
Cockrel says the city council’s research and analysis division is expected to look for a way to sever ties with Synagro without causing a legal backlash.