Emergency manager signs order returning Detroit operations back to elected mayor, council

The day-to-day operations of Detroit's city government are back in the hands of its elected mayor and City Council.

State-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr said Thursday that "the city is more than ready" before signing Order 42. The measure puts the nine-member council and Mayor Mike Duggan back in charge of Detroit's finances, police department and other facets of city government.

Orr was appointed by the state in March 2013 to manage Detroit's troubled finances, and he took the city into the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. His exit becomes effective if and when federal Judge Steven Rhodes approves the city's restructuring plan in bankruptcy court. The plan would wipe out $7 billion of Detroit's $12 billion in long-term, unsecured debt while restructuring city services.