Gov. Jennifer Granholm today announced the state will be taking over control of the finances of the city of Pontiac. The city was notified of the takeover Feb. 20. It results from what state officials say is a continuing pattern of overspending and a failure of political leaders in the mayor’s office and on city council to join together to address the budget woes of the city. 

The Feb. 20 letter tells the city that it is in violation of a June 23 consent agreement between the state and the city. According to the Detroit Free Press, that included an agreement that the city would:

… operate without a budget deficit, stop intermingling money from different departments, and create an appropriate budget.

Budget woes are not exclusive to the city either. Pontiac Schools, which is looking for a new superintendent, is facing serious budget woes. One of the candidates being considered by the Pontiac school board is Lansing School Superintendent T.C. Wallace. According to a story in this week’s City Pulse newspaper, Wallace told the school board in a public interview last week he would be unlikely to move into Pontiac if hired as its superintendent.