This Week Key To Detroit Bankruptcy; Retirees To Vote, Orr To Plead For Money In Lansing

DETROIT (WWJ) It's a big week for Detroit's bankruptcy, both in court and in Lansing, as the city tries to secure permission from one and money from the other.

Detroit retirees will soon be able to vote on whether to cut their own pensions for the sake of letting off the hook for money they say they can't afford. The ballots are being sent out today and will start arriving in mailboxes later this week.

In all, 67,000 pensioners will decide if they agree with the four-and-a-half percent cut that the city says is necessary to move forward to solvency. Some will see cost of living increases completely eliminated.

With ballots arriving this week, it will still be a while before we know their decision because the retirees have 60 days to turn in their vote. The measure needs a majority to pass.

On the legal side, WWJ's Legal Analyst Charlie Langton Judge Steven Rhodes will hear nine different motions Monday morning, ranging to procedural objections to the bankruptcy to whether Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties have to disclose various documents dealing with water department negotiations.

What may be the most interesting part this week will happen Tuesday when Kevyn Orr travels to Lansing to testify in the hopes of securing millions from the state to help Detroit carry out its plans.

Detroit is seeking $195 million from state coffers, something Governor Rick Snyder supports.