Highlights from the Detroit City Council’s budget hearings

Co-published with BridgeDetroit .

The City Council has 46 budget hearings scheduled this month with hundreds of hours of testimony. We’re covering all of them.

Budget hearings provide insight into how city departments operate, their goals for the next year and whether leaders are meeting the expectations of councilmembers. It’s also a forum for councilmembers to suggest changes to Mayor Mike Duggan’s budget blueprint .

Have a city budget question you want answered? Email documenters@outliermedia.org , and we’ll look into it.

It makes good sense to cover the dollars and cents, but these meetings often don’t get much ink in your local press. BridgeDetroit, Outlier Media and Detroit Documenters have teamed up to make sure you can read all about the budget process.

In this new effort from an alliance of nonprofit newsrooms, the team will provide weekly digests giving you the essential information.

See the full hearing schedule , and read on to find key info and highlights from the meetings. We’ll continue to update this story as budget hearings occur throughout the month.

---

Week One

Detroit Economic Growth Corp. (DEGC)

Date: March 11, 2024

Proposed budget: $1.9 million in city funding from Housing and Revitalization Department. DEGC has not developed its overall operating budget for 2024-25, which is approved by its board of directors.

Number of employees: 75 budgeted positions, with 69 filled as of March

What is new this year:

• DEGC President Kevin Johnson said $1.6 billion in economic impact will be created using tax incentives authorized in 2023. Thirty-nine upcoming projects will create 1,234 housing units, including 343 discounted “affordable” units.
• The Green Grocer Project is relaunching. It offers $25,000 grants to help eight small grocery stores open in the next two years. Applications are open online .
• Grant-funded construction on 18 storefronts in the Gratiot/7 Mile Strategic Neighborhood Fund area will start this spring. The facade improvement program will update windows, doors, signage and security features. Each business received a $35,000 grant.
• DEGC was awarded $3 million in federal funding to improve infrastructure around Eastern Market. Design work is underway to repave streets.

Things to watch:

• Motor City Match — Federal pandemic relief provided $15 million for Motor City Match small business grants, which will be fully spent by June 2025. The DEGC hasn’t identified a permanent funding source. The program helped open 167 businesses and support 145 existing businesses, 68% of which are owned by Detroiters.
• Gentrification concerns — Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero wants the DEGC to promote businesses along the Joe Louis Greenway. DEGC officials said the city must be careful not to create gentrification, citing an example in Atlanta where housing costs increased along a similar multi-use trail.
• Legacy business fund — Council President Mary Sheffield wants to create a fund to support legacy businesses that have been around for 25 years or more. DEGC officials said they’re open to the idea, and nonprofit foundations could provide funding.
• Uniroyal site — Land transfers on the former Uniroyal site along the Detroit River are anticipated for future development.
• Flooding — DEGC is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to mitigate canal flooding in Jefferson Village and is building a levee system meant to remove the area from a federal floodplain.

To watch the video of this meeting, go here .

-Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit

Municipal Parking Department

Meeting date: March 11, 2024

Proposed budget: $10.2 million

Number of employees: 96 full-time positions, including 58 parking enforcement officers

What is new this year:

• The department wants to create 20 residential parking zones after approving seven in the 2024 fiscal year.
• A $1.6 million increase in revenue from on-street parking meters is expected this year, a 30% bump.
• Overall revenue is expected to increase $3.8 million from the previous year, driven by growth in revenue from parking garages, on-street meters and code enforcement.

Things to watch:

• More parking — Director Keith Hutchings said the department is working to create more parking options in commercial corridors and expanding residential permits to secure on-street parking for residents who live in high-traffic neighborhoods. Hutchings said he believes there is a need for more parking availability because the city does not have an expansive public transportation system and most corridors don’t have enough foot traffic to support retail businesses.
• EV charging stations — The department also plans to “drastically” increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations, particularly in parking garages and Eastern Market. The city is looking to add charging stations at on-street parking spaces, Hutchings said.
• Fines — Council President Mary Sheffield said she will be asking for more funding to advertise the city’s parking ticket discount that cuts fines in half for residents who register their license plate and pay within five days. She said not enough residents are aware of the program.

To watch the video of this meeting, go here .

-Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit

Clerk’s Office

Meeting date: March 11, 2024

Proposed budget: $2.8 million

Number of employees: 27 full-time positions. The department has six vacancies as of February.

What is new this year:

• The proposed budget is $164,855 less than the previous year due to a drop in salary and supply costs. Two fewer employees are budgeted for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit

Elections Department

Meeting date: March 11, 2024

Proposed budget: $20.1 million

Number of employees: 125 full-time employees, an increase of three from the previous year. There were 34 vacancies as of February.

What is new this year:

• Detroit’s Department of Elections is expected to receive a 40% budget increase, including $6 million in additional funding. The budget increase will help Detroit administer five elections, including the 2024 presidential election, and offer early in-person voting as required by a change in state law.
• The department received $2 million in grants to train poll workers and implement rigorous security procedures for the central counting board at Huntington Place.
• Twenty-two staff members are needed to watch 34 absentee ballot drop boxes.

Things to watch:

• Voter turnout — City Clerk Janice Winfrey said she’s “embarrassed” with voter turnout during February elections, including the use of early voting centers. Election officials said they have limited ability to increase voter turnout. Daniel Baxter, chief operating officer for absentee voting and special projects, said that’s up to political campaigns.
• Security issues — Winfrey said a request for security funding was denied. Winfrey said her life was threatened after the 2020 election by supporters of former President Donald Trump. She has security provided two days before Election Day through the day after.
• Pre-registering voters — Winfrey said the department is visiting high schools to pre-register underage voters under a new state law that makes them eligible to vote after turning 18.
• Capital expenses — Winfrey said the Elections Department headquarters need a new roof, HVAC and elevator.

Fun fact: Presidential elections generally average 50% turnout or higher while primaries range between 10% and 15%, Baxter said. Turnout in municipal elections typically ranges between 18% to 23% and gubernatorial elections range between 35% and 42%.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit

Office of the Auditor General (OAG)

Meeting date: March 13, 2024

Proposed budget: $5,025,280

Number of employees: 19 full-time

What is new this year:

• 2.7% budget increase over the FY24 adopted budget
• $103,000 increase in salaries, wages and benefits
• $43,000 increase in Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) costs
• $15,000 decrease in expenses
• The OAG is requesting $200,000 in supplemental funding from the General Fund to contract additional professional services to increase its capacity to audit.
• The mayor’s FY25 proposed budget includes 19 full-time employees but the OAG’s supplemental ask is three additional full-time employees for a total of 22. Its goal, however, is 25 full-time employees.

Things to watch:

OAG office renovations:

• OAG says it currently has 11 desks for 16 auditors (others are working remotely), and the office is not ADA-compliant.
• $500,000 in office renovations is being proposed, but this is also part of the FY25-28 four-year financial plan.
• OAG is also worried that the amount is not enough because it is lower than the $561,000 it received for its last quote.
• The OAG said the office is seeking $600,000 in office renovations.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Laura Herberg, Outlier Media

Detroit Historical Society (DHS)

Meeting date : March 13, 2024

Proposed budget: $1 million

Number of employees: 37 full-time and 23 part-time staff as of 2023

What is new this year:

• DHS said it knows it’s in line to receive $1.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the city. It plans to use that money to replace 1,951 windows and to buy a generator for the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
• DHS asks the council to consider an additional $1 million in capital funding on permanent exhibit upgrades at both museums and for building enhancements. DHS was given $1 million from the city “this year” but was only able to spend about $770,000.
• DHS is also looking to build up its staff.

Things to watch:

• Millage hopes — DHS President and CEO Elana Rugh said DHS wants the Michigan Legislature to call a vote on enabling legislation for a millage this spring, but DHS doesn’t expect it to be on the ballot until 2026, which would mean if it passes, funding wouldn’t be available until 2027.
• Rugh said right now for the millage they’re looking at .2 mils, which would raise $10 million a year with a 60/40 split between DHS and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
• Adding jobs — DHS wants to hire a project manager for an exhibition with Wayne County about the history of its 43 municipalities, and a maritime curator at the Dossin Museums. It also wants to add interns.
• New fee — DHS recently instituted a $5 admission fee at the Dossin Museum but said city residents still get free admission. The museum website does not currently reflect that free admission.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Laura Herberg, Outlier Media

Detroit Zoological Society

Meeting date : March 13, 2024

Proposed budget: $3.2 million in operating and capital requests

Number of employees: 261 full-time and 30 part-time employees.

What is new this year:

• The zoo is requesting that the city increase its annual reimbursement to secure and insure the zoo’s land and buildings to $1.2 million. This amount was previously $570,000.
• The zoo is requesting $2 million in capital funding to put toward its estimated $18 million in needed repairs. The zoo said the total costs in 2024 to secure and insure city-owned assets are $2.46 million which exceeds the requested amount of $1.2 million.
• The zoo has a lot of sewer lines that are more than 100 years old or beyond life expectancy. The zoo also had a sinkhole open up on campus during the middle of last year.

Things to watch:

Councilmember Scott Benson suggested that the zoo ask for a higher millage rate in order to bring down the cost of admission to the zoo.

Fun fact: Wayne County makes up 27% of the zoo’s active member households.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Laura Herberg, Outlier Media

Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA)

Date: March 13, 2024

Proposed budget: $531,340

Number of employees: 4

What is new this year:

• James Ribbron, director of the Board of Zoning Appeals, recommended the city fund its community appeals process by taking $5,000 out of Michigan Marijuana Tax Revenues. Ribbron said the money would cover the costs of printing and mailing materials.
• The BZA is short two board members but hasn’t had issues meeting its quorum since it obtained 9 board members. Ribbron said the BZA trains the board three times a year to update members on the latest ordinances.

Things to watch:

• Pay — Ribbron asked to increase the payment that BZA board members get at each meeting. They currently get a $300 stipend per meeting. They meet every Monday except the first Monday of the month and holidays. A new amount was not suggested.
• Workload — Ribbron said, due to increased development, the BZA has been seeing an increased number of cases. This year, it’s in line to see 120 cases by the end of the fiscal year.
• Translation services — Applications on the BZA website are currently only in English, but in response to a request by Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero, Ribbron said he would work to add applications in Spanish and Arabic.
• Ribbron said he will likely be asking for funds next year to digitize paper files for the FY26 budget.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Laura Herberg, Outlier Media

Housing and Revitalization Department

Date: March 14, 2024

Proposed budget: $28.5 million from General Fund, $250 million in one-time grants from the federal government, $101,954 from Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS, $9.2 million from the Home Investment Partnerships Program, $2.9 million from the Emergency Solutions Grants Program and $32.3 million from Community Development Block Grant Programs for a total of about $73 million.

Number of employees: 220 (as of 2022)

What is new this year:

• Proposing $12.2 million from the budget and $85.7 million in one-time grants to start construction on 1,063 new units in 2024, all below 80% area median income.
• Proposing $8 million from the budget and $101.9 million ($26.1 million from ARPA) in one-time grants to complete more than 1,500 home repairs in 2024.
• Proposing $10.2 million from the budget and $25.8 million in one-time grants on housing stability services in 2024 (homeless services, tenant navigation, foreclosure prevention, etc.).
• Proposing $9 million ($4 million from ARPA) on neighborhood and community development.

Things to watch:

• Downpayment Assistance Program — The program is expected to be restarted in May 2024. The department is looking at ways to fund it into the future once ARPA money runs out.
• HRD is adding a staff person whose job it will be to just cultivate and curate Supportive Housing deals.
• HRD has a new funding partner for 0% interest home loan program and will be boosting marketing on it this year. Only about 50 people got loans through the program in 2023.
• The Accessibility Repair Program will spend $6.6 million to fund 150-200 homes in partnership with Community Housing Network and Detroit Disability Power. It is still in discussions but supposed to launch in April.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Aaron Mondry, Outlier Media

Detroit Building Authority

Date: March 14, 2024

Proposed budget: $1,284,075 (a 6.4% increase from FY24)

Number of employees: 8 full-time employees

What is new this year:

• DBA’s function is to acquire, furnish, equip, own, improve, operate and maintain city facilities including parking lots and structures. Also provides commercial real estate services to the city.
• Working on $100 million State Fairgrounds Transit Center project.
• Owns 4,900 parcels, mostly vacant land or commercial property, many of which are for sale .

Things to watch:

• $2.5 million to repair seawalls in lower eastside.
• DBA’s revenue is $0. The city funds staff salaries in DBA. DBA is no longer required to meet revenue benchmarks.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Aaron Mondry, Outlier Media

Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA)

Date: March 14, 2024

Proposed budget: $25 million

Number of employees: 146 full-time

What is new this year:

• DLBA has more than 61,000 vacant parcels in inventory, and has sold around 26,000 to date.
• Total number of structures has decreased from a high of around 32,000 in 2017 to 7,400 today. It’s sold more than 20,000 to date.
• Director Tammy Daniels highlighted the Nuisance Abatement Program. DLBA took more legal action in 2023 than any year since 2015.
• Spends an average of $5 million a year on emergency property maintenance.
• Operational costs exceed $17 million.

Things to watch:

• Councilmember Latisha Johnson wants DLBA to support a community land trust and Daniels seemed interested in that, but it would come from a city initiative.
• Working on a five-year plan.
• Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero asked about the high nuisance abatement numbers. Daniels said it’s never their goal to take the property, and they’re in constant contact with owners about abating blight.
• Discussion about people who were scammed into “buying” a home actually owned by the DLBA. The authority created an equitable transfer policy to help get those people the homes. No numbers were cited.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Aaron Mondry, Outlier Media, with contributions from Detroit Documenters Alex Klaus and Sonja Stuckey

Planning and Development Department (PDD)

Proposed budget : Not said at meeting

Number of employees : Not said at meeting

What is new this year:

• Two Community Benefits Agreements negotiated in 2023 and early 2024 — Future of Health and Hotel at Water Square
• Completed two neighborhood plans in 2023: North End and Midwest/Tireman

Things to watch:

• In the process of creating a community advisory group.
• Will soon begin the process to update the department’s Master Plan, expected to finish in 2025. The last update was done in 2009.
• Working on zoning and land use study around I-375 — will result in 28-30 acres of new real estate for development. Study should be released in the next 90 days.
• A couple of councilmembers took issue with the Neighborhood Advisory Councils that negotiate community benefits on big projects — said residents are not on a level negotiating field with developers in terms of education, training and resources.
• Councilmember Latisha Johnson asked about money for community engagement. Planning Director Antoine Bryant said $500,000 will be spent to “incorporate equity, sustainability resiliency, and to enhance community engagement efforts” in Detroit’s Master Plan.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Aaron Mondry, Outlier Media, with contributions from Detroit Documenters Alex Klaus and Sonja Stuckey

Health Department

Date: March 15, 2024

Proposed budget: $43,414,070

Number of employees: 247.5 full-time

What is new this year:

• Christina Floyd, deputy director of public health for the Detroit Health Department, presented a proposed budget that included $11,814,029 for general funds, $17,554,641 in state block grants, $14,045,400 from federal grants and $3,441,000 from service fees and revenue.
• The general fund budget is broken down into personnel and non-personnel cost for administration, operations, environmental health, food safety, resident services, grant operations and violence prevention. behavioral health.
• Ceasefire program enhancement — The program has 14 members working across the city. The health department requested $211,235 in FY25 to add six additional members and $25,000 for program supplies.

Things to watch:

• Opioid settlement dollars — Detroit’s health department is expected to get about $400,000 from the National Opioids Settlement, and it plans to use that to increase Narcan access through vending machines, outreach via the 313 Hope program and through distribution of fentanyl, HIV and pregnancy testing kits. It also plans to add three new employees to the staff.
• Environmental health team — The team inspects restaurants, childcare facilities, public swimming pools, hotels, marijuana businesses and more. There are currently five vacancies on the team of 17 inspectors. Three job offers have been made.
• Drug prevention — The department gets 2% of all marijuana tax revenue, which totals to about $40,000 this year. Floyd said the department will use it for a substance abuse prevention program called “Too Good for Drugs.” It will run six weeks at city schools and include a parent education session and youth ambassadors.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Kayleigh Lickliter, BridgeDetroit

Innovation & Technology (DoIT)

Date: March 15, 2024

Proposed budget: $61.1 million, a 6.5% ($3.7 million) increase from the previous year.

Number of employees: 146 (2 more than last year) and 41 are paid by ARPA funds.

What is new this year:

• The proposed budget includes $1,019,025 for cybersecurity personnel and software.
• DoIT is taking the lead in refreshing and equipping all of the city’s departments with radios to ensure they have the latest equipment. There is $1,648,000 proposed for public safety radios.
• The budget proposes spending $169,024 to expand public safety data storage. The increase is needed now that every officer is assigned a body camera and improvements to building security.

Things to watch:

• More opportunities for businesses — DoIT plans to schedule more outreach events with Detroit businesses to provide more information on what technology standards the city uses.
• Increasing cybersecurity — The department plans to increase vendor management policies, increase cybersecurity awareness among employees, increase response capabilities and hire a chief information security officer.
• Retiring legacy software — As the department continues to phase out old hardware it estimates it will save $335,000 in contractor labor costs and will reduce mail/print operations costs by $303,000.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Kayleigh Lickliter, BridgeDetroit

Detroit Public Library

Date: March 15, 2024

Proposed budget: $38,743,587

Number of employees: 319 (6 fewer than last year)

What is new this year:

• The department recommends operating the main library, 20 branch locations, the mobile library and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
• A fund balance of about $33,172,388 would allow for the “modest” renovation of several library branches over the next four years.

Things to watch:

• Four library branches are currently closed: Chase, Monty, Skillman and Conley. The Chase branch will be reopening soon after HV/AC upgrades. And Conley branch recently had renovations of the floors and walls. Both of the locations have been closed since 2020 but could reopen in 2024.

Fun fact: It costs $6,420,455 per year to operate the main library and $782,412 to operate a branch.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Kayleigh Lickliter, BridgeDetroit

Mayor’s Office

Date: March 15, 2024 ( Mayor Mike Duggan presented the budget proposal formally on March 7 )

Proposed budget: $1.46 billion for General Fund activities and $2.76 billion across all city funds

Number of employees: Not listed

What is new this year:

DDOT

• $21.6 million budget increase, including 117 more bus drivers.

General Fund

Targeted investments from one-time surplus:

• $20 million for capital improvements to city facilities, parks, and neighborhood assets.
• $17.5 million or cleanup on freeways, alleys, commercial corridors, and land bank properties.
• $15.1 million for blighted properties ordered demolished.
• $14.1 million for Police overtime to support extra patrol and surge coverage.
• $10 million for a one-time supplemental benefit for legacy retirees.
• $4.5 million for Motor City Match and Grow Detroit’s Young Talent.
• $4 million for Department of Elections for expanded presidential cycle turnout and Proposal 2 implementation.
• $3.1 million for fire/EMS overtime to support new recruit transition.
• $2.8 million for the Affordable Housing Development and Preservation Fund, on top of $350,000 in recurring budget.
• $8 million for various other one-time expenditures.
• Recurring budget increases totaling $19 million (1.4% growth).
• $10 million for more competitive active employee retirement benefits.
• $5 million for homelessness services to provide safe and stable support.
• $2 million increase, for a total of $7.5 million, for the workforce investments fund to support competitive wages in hard-to-fill city jobs.
• $1 million for Public Lighting Authority repair and response to street light outages.
• $1 million to enhance the City’s cybersecurity preparedness and response.

Things to watch:

• Selecting final neighborhood solar areas and developers.
• Deploying citywide EV charging infrastructure.
• Implementing energy efficiency improvements for municipal buildings.
• Administering energy and water benchmarking ordinance reporting.
• Coordinating and supporting waste diversion and food recovery efforts.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Kayleigh Lickliter, BridgeDetroit

Week Two

Detroit Fire Department (DFD)

Date: March 18, 2024

Proposed budget: $166,772,422

Number of employees: 1,298 full-time employees

What is new this year:

• DFD is boasting a historic high in ambulances on the streets, increasing from 40 to 43 ambulances in FY2025. There were 29 in FY2023.
• DFD plans 1,000 additional fire inspections next year, totaling 6,002. This includes 193 schools, 218 high-rise apartments, 390 gas stations, and 108 hazardous material sites.
• DFD is working with the Law Department to launch an income-based discount program to help residents avoid the cost of ambulance fees.

What to watch:

• Fast on the scene – The average response time for a structure fire decreased to 5 minutes and 38 seconds. It takes 7 minutes and 28 seconds on average to respond to a medical emergency. DFD aims to respond to a fire within 6 minutes and a medical emergency within 8 minutes.
• New rules for events – DFD will ask the council to pass an ordinance requiring private entities to create a medical coverage plan for events.
• Work in progress – DFD is working on a five-year capital plan that will suggest the creation of new fire stations and outline repair needs.

Other things to note :

• Most hydrants in service – Only 144 out of the city’s 29,500 hydrants are inoperable. Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway said it’s important to find and fix them. Three houses burned in her district in 2021, she said, because there wasn’t a functioning hydrant nearby.
• Drone response – Council previously approved the purchase of 14 reconnaissance drones. The department wants to obtain six more through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
• Is there a nurse in the house? – The department is looking into dispatching low-priority medical calls to a dedicated nurse who would connect residents to telehealth resources.
• Boy’s club – Only 8% of DFD employees are women, but there are opportunities to grow. Officials said they could recruit more women as the department handles more medical runs since fire response has typically been a male-dominated field.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here.

-Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit

Detroit Airport

Date: March 18, 2024

Proposed budget: $4,451,608

Number of employees: 12 full-time positions

What is new this year:

• Lease negotiations are ongoing to bring Davis Aerospace Technical High School back to the airport site in 2025. Detroit Public Schools Community District is raising $10 million in funding to convert a terminal into a school building. Classes could start in 2026.
• A 30-year lease with AV Flight is being pursued to keep the private aviation company at Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport. Airport Director Jason Watt said the city is shifting strategy to pursue long-term leases for hangars.

What to watch:

• Land take continues – Homes near the airport have been systematically purchased to make room for runway improvements. A total of 17 occupied homes and 53 vacant properties are on the list, 26 have been closed. The city plans to condemn 36 parcels, mostly vacant lots. Title issues have caused some problems after property owners died during the negotiation process.
• Don’t break up with DTW – Watt said the airport won’t accommodate commercial flights, they want to become the “premier business airport” for Southeast Michigan. The airport’s proximity to downtown should be a major draw for Detroit business owners.
• Future of flight – The city is in conversations with Ford’s Michigan Central mobility hub to partner on aviation research. This includes drones, electric aircraft, air traffic management systems, air taxis and other technologies.

Other things to note:

• First class – Up to 120 private airplanes are expected to land at City Airport for the NFL Draft in April.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit

Public Lighting Department / Public Lighting Authority

Date: March 18, 2024

Proposed budget: $20,565,060 million for the Public Lighting Department (PLD) and $10.4 million for the Public Lighting Authority (PLA). The PLA also uses a $12.5 million utility user tax to pay off bond debt.

Number of employees: One full-time administrator for the PLD and 17 positions for the PLA.

What is new this year:

• New generation – Streetlights installed in 2014 are up for replacement. Until 2021, PLA operated at a surplus. It plans to spend reserves on maintenance, specifically replacing lights and poles that were last replaced a decade ago.
• Crash deterrence – The PLA expects to issue $22 million in bonds to retrofit high-traffic corridors across 118 miles. Those areas experience a higher number of vehicles crashing into light poles.

What to watch:

• Outages more common – Light pole outages have doubled due to the aging system.
• Filling in gaps – Lighting on secondary roads outside the Central Business District were originally coordinated with power lines. There’s a need to equally space lights along streets in residential areas. It could cost $2,000 per block.

Other things to note:

• Work in progress – Last year, 86 miles of underground cable and 85 miles of overhead wire were recycled; 32 damaged manholes were also replaced.
• Solar power – Light poles likely won’t become solar-powered in the near future, as officials said modern battery technology can’t provide sufficient reliability.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit

Construction and Demolition Department (CDD)

Date: March 20, 2024

Proposed budget: $29.89 million

Number of employees: Planning and Strategy (4), Environmental Due Diligence (13), Field Operations (15), Compliance (10), Vacant Property Stabilization (42), Capital Management (9), Facilities Management (40). Total full-time employees: 133

What’s new this year:

• Demolished 2,292 residential properties in FY2023, and 1,774 so far in FY2024
• Commercial demolitions have seen a big uptick this fiscal year going from 38 (FY2023) to 87 (FY2024)
• The department also oversees maintenance of 142 city facilities, which costs more than $35,000 a year per facility

Things to watch:

• Previous year’s budget was not enough to cover facility maintenance due to the number of emergency repairs required.
  “We were just barely keeping things going,” said CDD Director LaJuan Counts. She wants more maintenance funding, which she says will reduce the number of work orders in the future.
• Counts said CDD is still committed to deconstruction (instead of demolition) efforts and even tried a pilot program but since materials required so much remediation, the department couldn’t salvage much.
• CDD has collected about $900,000 of $3 million in demolition recovery costs from commercial property owners (forcing owners to pay for demos). The goal is 100% collection.

Other things to note:

• If property owners want their building taken off the demo list, they have to get a referral from the Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department before CDD will halt all demo activity. Counts said owners often come forward at the 11th hour after BSEED has already done surveys, inspections, set a demo date and spent lots of money and resources.
• Counts said it takes about six weeks from demo date set to actual demolition.
• Counts said the city has exceeded its requirement to stabilize and sell 6,000 vacant homes under Proposal N.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Aaron Mondry, Outlier Media

Department of Appeals and Hearings (DAH)

Date: March 20, 2024

Proposed budget: $1.77 million

Number of employees: 19 full-time employees (2 vacancies)

What’s new this year:

• There were more than 93,000 blight tickets issued in FY2023. It’s 800 more than in FY2022, but the number of tickets adjudicated dropped by around 200. Ones not adjudicated means it was resolved either by admission of responsibility or dismissal by the city.
• In 2023, almost $30 million in blight tickets were assessed, with $5 million collected for a collection rate of 16%.
• Appeals went up by large amounts in several categories, including business license appeals (largely marijuana-related) and dangerous buildings hearings.

Things to watch :

• Completed and implemented FOIA improvements, strategic planning efforts and updates to the payment and ticket processing protocols.
• Director Julia Pastula wants to reinstate community blight court.

Other things to note :

• The department launched in 2005 and has adjudicated more than 500,000 blight tickets.
• The department anticipates exceeding anticipated revenue by $240,000 this fiscal year.
• The department has started live-streaming DAH’s hearings.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Aaron Mondry, Outlier Media

Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED)

Date: March 20, 2024

Proposed budget: $37 million

Number of employees: Current – 323; Proposed – 356

What’s new this year:

• Seven major developments in the pipeline carrying over to 2025, totaling $155.6 million across seven districts
• Department requesting $583,000 increase in business licensing processing funding
• BSEED Director David Bell committed to increasing the number of compliance resource fairs from one to two annually

Things to watch:

• Plan to increase the number of commercial certificates of compliance
• Plan to increase the number of brick-and-mortar business licenses
• Plan to implement an air quality monitoring network

Other things to note:

• 35 illegal marijuana facilities were closed in 2023
• City Council President Mary Sheffield wants better monitoring of non-compliant senior housing

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here .

-Tyrone Anderson, Detroit Documenters

Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT)

Date: March 22, 2024

Proposed budget: $188,867,155

Number of employees: 1,083 full-time positions, up from 977 in 2024.

What’s new this year:

• Spending changes – DDOT expects to receive $11 million in additional revenue from sales and service charges. It also expects to spend $11 million more on salaries and wages, including $5.4 million for a bus driver wage increase, and an additional $5 million  for preventative maintenance.
• Give me shelter – Sixty new bus shelters are being planned for this year. There are plans to create 100 more shelters in the next two years, with locations chosen through a public engagement process including businesses and advocacy groups.
• Increased frequency – DDOT plans to gradually increase the number of drivers and buses on the road to 500-600 operators and 214-256 vehicles per day. There were 140 new bus operators hired in 2023.

Things to watch:

• Go green – DDOT is adding 33 hybrid vehicles to its fleet by the end of 2025 using roughly $30.7 million in federal funding.
• Safety, reliability – DDOT set a goal for having 85% of buses  arrive on time and is working to reduce preventable crashes, which are three times above the national standard of 0.98 preventable crashes per 100,000 miles driven.
• New transit center – The Jason Hargrove Transit Center , named after a bus driver who died from COVID-19 in 2020, will open in May at the former State Fairground site. It’s expected to serve 24,000 passenger trips per week.

Other things to note:

• Paratransit improvements – More people used shuttle services for disabled residents in 2023 after the city took over administration of the paratransit program. Ridership increased from 244,941 in 2022 to 265,282 in 2023.
• Low income fare – DDOT is exploring discounted fares for low-income residents. It would cost $4 million to offer a discount or $9 million to offer free rides.
• Raises needed – Council members and DDOT officials agreed drivers are not being paid enough, but said a $3 per hour wage increase approved this year is a good start.

To listen to an audio transcript of this meeting, go here.

-Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit

The post Highlights from the Detroit City Council’s budget hearings appeared first on Outlier Media .