Benton Harbor Emergency Manager ends year with sizable deficit

Joseph Harris, Benton Harbor Emergency Manager, has been saying the city budget is now balanced. However, according to an article in the January 7 Herald Palladium, this is not true. The headline is: Auditors: BH still seeing red - Contrary to Harris' prediction, city ends fiscal year with sizable deficit; audit shows accounting mistakes, pension fund. City commissioner Muhammad is quoted in the article: "To spend over a half million dollars that does not exist is bad accounting practices by any standard," Muhammad said in an email to The Herald-Palladium. "The intoxication of Public Act 4 has caused the Emergency Manager to tailspin on the interstate of politics and government."