City of Ypsilanti officials are still waiting for the final full report from an independent investigation into a trip to China taken by four city leaders.

Ypsilanti city manager Darwin McClary confirms he let city economic development director Beth Ernat go from her job last Thursday after receiving the investigative report. The investigation was launched to find out how much those who went on to China knew who paid for the trip. It now appears the $40,000 trip was paid for by a local developer hoping to build a multimillion dollar development in the city.

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McClary says he was the one to first point out that would be unethical to take the trip but adds he didn’t know the extent of who knew what when, until he received the investigative report.

“Until I received this report on April 4th, I did not have any information that indicated they had done anything wrong,” says McClary.

McClary says it will ultimately be up to the Ypsilanti City Council to decide any necessary consequences for elected officials involved and expects city attorney John Barr to offer recommendations along those lines, once they receive the final full report.

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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu