FLINT, MI - For the first time in seven years, Flint's local officials are in control of the city's daily finances and government decisions.

On Monday, Jan. 22, Michigan Treasurer Nick Khouri signed off on a recommendation from the city's Receivership Transition Advisory Board - a state-appointed board overseeing the city's finances - to grant Flint's mayor and city council more authority in daily decision-making.

The state still has a say in larger-ticket items, such as approving Flint's budget, requests to issue debt and collective bargaining agreements on an as-needed basis, according to a statement from Khouri's office.

Khouri's signature was the final stamp of approval needed to thrust the RTAB's Jan. 11 unanimous suggestion into immediate action, repealing an order mandating that the state review all decisions made by the mayor and council.

"Today is an important day for our shared goal of moving Flint forward," Khouri said in the statement. "Thanks to the progress city leaders have made, this is an appropriate time for the mayor and city council to assume greater responsibility for day-to-day operations and finances."

The move repeals Emergency Manager Order No. 20 - established by former Flint Emergency Manager Jerry Ambrose in his final days with the city - which required resolutions approved by both the mayor and city council to receive the state board's OK before going into effect.

Decisions passed by the council, vetoed by the mayor and subsequently overridden by council's vote are also now exempt from state oversight.

Following the RTAB's vote on Jan. 11, Mayor Karen Weaver said the state's decision to loosen its grip on the city's coffers feels like a "welcome end to an arranged marriage."

"We are so thankful - and I'm speaking on behalf of the proud, great city of Flint," Weaver said Jan. 11 while addressing the board. "RTAB has been in place for several years now, and one of the things it did represent is that the city was in turmoil and financial distress. And I know over the past two years we have been fiscally responsible ... I think it's absolutely time, and time for the locally elected officials to run the city, and we've been anxiously ready to do so."

Weaver said she has hopes for the city and state of Michigan to "officially divorce" and part governing ways by the end of the year.

The appointment of Hughey Newsome as the city's interim chief financial officer, combined with the city's new council members and approval of a 30-year contract with the Great Lakes Water Authority has helped to move Flint in a financially-solvent direction, Weaver said.

Flint's government has been under state control since 2011 when Gov. Rick Snyder declared a financial emergency within the city. Even though Snyder declared an end to Flint's financial emergency on April 29, 2015, the RTAB, which is appointed by the governor, has continued to review financial decisions in the city.

Talks of planning the RTAB's departure from Flint surfaced in August in an annual report from the state treasury mandated for Michigan cities operating under financial receivership.

Flint fell under state control seven years ago after a review panel and Snyder concurred that a "local government financial emergency" existed in Flint and that an emergency financial manager should be appointed to oversee the city's affairs.

The governor ultimately appointed four emergency managers to run the city from 2011 until 2015 -- two of whom are facing charges of criminal wrongdoing related to their roles in the Flint water crisis.

In declaring the financial emergency in Flint, state officials said city leaders had failed to fix a structural deficit and criticized city officials for not moving with the degree of urgency required considering the seriousness of the city's financial problems.