Detroit public meetings digest: Hart Plaza fountain, Reparations Task Force upheaval and trash pickup changes

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Detroit Documenters attend public meetings and take notes on what politicians say, when they said it and who they said it to. We share Documenters notes, live tweets, transcripts, recordings, meeting agendas, presentation packets and other documents with the public for free by publishing them to detroit.documenters.org . This gives everyone access to a record of what Detroiters say they need and want as well as how people in power respond to those they are expected to serve.

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Meetings covered by Detroit Documenters last week ran the gamut, from proposed improvements for downtown and the neighborhoods, to the future of transit and a look at reparations for past wrongdoings.

Proponents of a hotel that’s being proposed at the former site of the Joe Louis Arena touted the economic benefits it will bring and argued that developers couldn’t possibly build it without tax incentives.

To go along with the fancy new hotel and apartments at Water Square, Detroit City Council decided the fountain in Hart Plaza should at least work and approved more than $5 million for its renovation.

The council is also weighing whether to support increased trash and recycling pickup across Detroit, including collection from vacant lots and side streets — which would particularly benefit neighborhood residents who otherwise are left to deal with it themselves. But with part of the cost paid for by slightly higher property taxes, City Council agreed to continue seeking community input before making a decision.

The nonprofit Transportation Riders United held its annual State of Transit meeting. It brought together policymakers and public transportation leaders to discuss the previous year, celebrate some wins and find ways to improve connectivity and mobility in a city where cars are still king.

Documenters also dropped back in on the Detroit Reparations Task Force, which recently resumed its public meetings. The task force now has a website , meeting notice, agenda, and a schedule of upcoming meetings — though the schedule was rejected because the meetings were not located all over the city. And Documenters reported frustration among members, whose rotating membership is frankly difficult to keep track of.

Development

At the third meeting mandated by the community benefits ordinance (CBO) for the Hotel at Water Square, Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit, made an economic argument supporting the development. Molinari said Detroit is often passed up by large national and international conferences, events and tournaments due to the lack of lodging options for event guests.

Detroit’s largest conference center, Huntington Place, has capacity for double the number of conferences currently being hosted in the city, Molinari said. However, Detroit is unable to win bids from large events that need hotel accommodations connected to the event center. As a result, he said the city has lost out on more than a million visitors and $524 million in spending.

Popular sports organizations such as the NCAA and NBA have expressed interest in Detroit as the location for their events, but Molinari said without this particular development, winning those bids will be difficult if not impossible. The Hotel at Water Square would solve a crucial need of the city, he said, by providing an attractive option for conferences to host their events downtown.

1/30/2024 Detroit Planning and Development Department, Hotel Water Square CBO Meeting #3
Documented by Ashley Williams and Autumn Jackson-Hines

Politics, Detroit City Council

During last week’s Formal Session, Detroit City Council agreed to fund a cost analysis for repairs to the historic Merrill Fountain at Palmer Park just before it approved an almost $5.6 million contract to repair Dodge Fountain at Hart Plaza. Detroit Construction and Demolition Department Director LaJuan Counts said Dodge Fountain should be operational in April.

Councilmembers also requested a cost-benefit analysis for the city to operate trash services on its own instead of relying on contractors after learning how much it would cost to increase frequency of bulk trash and recycling pickup from twice a month to weekly.

Steve Watson, the city’s deputy chief financial officer and budget director, described the current proposal as a hybrid plan in which the city would pay 72% of the costs and residents would pay the other 28%. Residential trash fees would incrementally increase by $10 a year for three years, raising the maximum fee from $240 today to $250 this summer and $270 by 2026.

Solid waste fees would continue to be paid with property taxes, with half due with the summer taxes on Aug. 15 and the remainder due with winter taxes on Jan. 15. Anyone who receives a Homeowners Property Exemption (HOPE) will still be eligible for a 50% reduction in fees.

The solid waste contracts DPW needs to increase the frequency of trash pick up ( agenda line items 19.12 and 19.13 ) were sent back to the Public Health and Safety Standing Committee for discussion.

1/30/2024 Detroit City Council, Formal Session
Documented by Craig Notte and Heather Alder

Politics, Wayne County Commission

The Wayne County Commission considered a resolution urging the Michigan Legislature to pass Senate Bills 549 , 550 and 551 , which would create a water affordability program for low-income residents. The bills were introduced in October 2023 by state Sens. Stephanie Chang and Rosemary Bayer, and state Rep. Donavan McKinney. The county commission’s resolution was proposed by Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch.

At the Full Commission meeting, a statement of support was read on behalf of Sen. Chang asking commissioners to approve the resolution. Eligible households would pay no more than 3% of their income on their water bill. Other residential water customers would pay a monthly fee of $2 to support the program’s administrative costs, bill discounts, arrearage payments and water loss mitigation.

The 12 commissioners who were present unanimously voted to approve the resolution.

2/1/2024 Wayne County Commission, Full Commission
Documented by Afua Osei-Bonsu and Amber Umscheid

Politics, Reparations Task Force

2/3/2024 Detroit City Council Reparations Task Force: The task force now has a website, meeting notice, agenda and a schedule of upcoming meetings. However, the schedule was rejected because the meetings would not be located in every district. Law professor and activist Bernadette Atuahene gave a presentation on property tax justice in Detroit. Task force member Anita Belle resigned.

Documented by Perry Sylvester and Sherrie Smith

Education

1/30/2024 Detroit Public Schools Community District, Regular Board Meeting: In its first meeting of the year, the board announced applications for the Library Commission are open through Feb. 29. The board approved three contracts totaling more than $188 million for school bus services. After a closed session, it approved several terminations and an employment recommendation.

Documented by Amelia Benavides-Colón and Tasha Lord

Parks

1/30/2024 Joe Louis Greenway Neighborhood Study — Mobility & Access: In a poll, attendees said driving was their primary mode of transportation, followed by walking. Their top mobility-related priority for the Joe Louis Greenway was to have safe connections to the greenway.

Documented by Clarissa Williams

Transportation

1/30/2024 Transportation Riders United Annual Meeting, State of Transit 2024: Elected officials in Michigan spoke on the need to support robust public transportation infrastructure. Transit system leaders discussed last year’s achievements and ways each system can support each other.

Documented by Colleen Cirocco and Jessi Kwek

Policing

2/1/2024 Detroit Board of Police Commissioners: Once again, police commissioners voted on recommendations to promote Detroit Police Department officers despite objections raised due to insufficient time to research the recommendations.

Documented by Bridget Scallen and Robert Dewar

For more on the Board of Police Commissioners, check out the latest BOPC Watch .

Outlier’s Lynelle Herndon and Noah Kincade, and Detroit Documenters Amber Umscheid, Amelia Benavides-Colón, Ashley Williams and Bridget Scallen contributed to this story.

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