Something unusual happened on Thursday. A Michigan billionaire told the government he wants taxpayer money, and he didn’t immediately get it.

Dan Gilbert—who at an estimated net worth of $5.6 billion is Michigan’s wealthiest resident—is requesting $250 million in public money to help fund four of his projects planned for downtown Detroit. He claims they’ll generate 24,000 new jobs and $673 million in new local tax revenue, though there’s some question about the accuracy of his figures.

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