FLINT -- Flint city leaders hope they can get back on track to financial health and make their way out of emergency management.
City council members began financial training of sorts Wednesday evening as they prepare to show Governor Snyder they're ready to take control of city operations and finances again.
Mayor Dayne Walling said in his state of the city address this week that he wants to ask Snyder to transition Flint out of a financial emergency.
Walling joined council members in a two-hour meeting as a municipal financial expert from the Michigan Municipal League talked about best budget practices and the role council should play as they pursue a transition.
Under the new emergency manager law, Public Act 436, which takes effect March 28, there is a provision for Gov. Snyder to appoint a receivership advisory board.
"Remember the last time the city came out of this there wasn't a transition in place. It went from a manager right back to the old ways of doing business. I don't want to see that happen,” Mayor Walling said.
The city is not out of the financial woods yet. After 14 months of emergency management Flint still has a $19 million budget deficit.
Walling said the council plans to draft a request for a transition board in the next few weeks and send it to the governor before the new law goes into effect next month.
