Detroit mayor moves forward with tunnel sale

DETROIT, July 17, 2008 (AP): Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick says the city is moving forward with its plans to create an authority to oversee the sale of Detroit's half of an international commuter tunnel.

Kilpatrick made the announcement Thursday, hours after the city council rescinded its earlier approval of an authority to operate Detroit's half of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

The council had approved the authority on July 1 amid concerns over financial details with Windsor, Ontario, which owns the other half of the tunnel.

Kilpatrick says the council's 6-2 vote violated the city charter. The sale would fill a $65 million hole in Detroit's budget and avert city employee layoffs.

Kilpatrick says no layoffs are planned.