Detroit animal keeping ordinance advances, Jefferson Chalmers to get sewer upgrades and more public meeting updates

The animal keeping ordinance is headed to City Council for final changes and approval — a potential boon for those who love fresh eggs, but a bummer for those opposed to urban livestock.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office is struggling to fill hundreds of vacant positions. In Detroit, the Board of Police Commissioners interviewed two applicants for board secretary , its top executive position.

We learned a bit more last week about the Detroit Financial Review Commission, created by the state to monitor the fiscal prudence of the city and its schools. And you may have known that the City Council Reparations Task Force meets monthly, but did you know its committees meet throughout the week? Tune in if you’d like.

Politics

In Detroit City Council’s Formal Session last week, councilmembers approved several contracts for emergency demolitions for buildings that had already been torn down by contractors. Demolition Department Director LaJuan Counts explained that when a building is in imminent danger of collapse, it’s demolished within seven to 10 days. She said the department doesn’t submit the contract for payment until after the ground is backfilled and the job is complete.

Councilmember Angela Whitfield Calloway asked if private owners were billed for the demolitions. Counts replied yes: The owner would receive a bill, and if it’s not paid within 30 days, a lien can be placed on their property. Calloway asked if a lien could be placed on a different one of their properties for reimbursement. Counts said she didn’t know about that.

4/30/2024 Detroit City Council Formal Session, documented by Karen Lemmons and Nathaniel Eichenhorn

For more on City Council, check out Malachi Barrett’s City Council Notebook at BridgeDetroit.

5/1/2024 Wayne County Commission Committee on Public Safety, Judiciary and Homeland Security: There are currently 379 county police and 44 civilian positions vacant at the Sheriff’s Office, which continues to struggle to fill open positions.

Documented by Amber Umscheid and Christiana Beckley

5/2/2024 Detroit City Planning Commission: After many hours of debate, the commission passed a motion to recommend approval of the proposed animal keeping ordinance with amendments and sent it to City Council for final approval.

Documented by Colleen Cirocco

5/4/2024 Detroit City Council Reparations Task Force: The task force is beginning to narrow in on possible forms of economic reparations for Detroiters and strategies for how the city could implement recommendations.

Documented by Perry Sylvester, Roshaun Harris and Sherrie Smith

Finance

4/29/2024 Detroit Financial Review Commission: The commission met online, which we thought was a possible violation of the Michigan Open Meetings Act’s in-person meeting requirement. However, it’s allowed according to exemptions provided by the state Legislature and confirmed in the commission’s bylaws .

Documented by Deandrea White, Perry Sylvester and Shiva Shahmir

Utilities

5/1/2024 Detroit Board of Water Commissioners May committee meetings: The Federal Emergency Management Agency granted $11.3 million to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department for a sewer upgrade project in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood to improve stormwater capture, with construction expected to begin this summer.

Documented by Meghan Rutigliano and Sandi Nelson

Development

5/2/2024 Detroit Economic Development Corp. Special Board Meeting: Board members approved 29 business grants totaling $1.1 million in Round 26 of the city’s Motor City Match program.

Documented by Amy Senese and Craig Notte

Policing

The Board of Police Commissioners interviewed two candidates for a new board secretary, its top executive position. Genevieve Clark-Dench, a human resources consultant with more than a decade of experience, said she wants to help fix issues with the board that she saw in past meetings. Shakira Hawkins, an attorney with a criminal defense background who works for the city’s Law Department, hopes to use her experience to address issues with the Detroit Police Department. It’s unclear, however, if Hawkins is eligible for the position: The city charter prohibits anyone who has worked for the city within the past three years from being hired as board secretary.

Commissioners considered administrative leave without pay but with medical benefits for four police officers. The board suspended all but one officer, Abdullah Nasser.

5/2/2024 Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, documented by Alex Klaus and Elyas Khan

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

This story was written by Outlier Media’s Lynelle Herndon and Noah Kincade, and Detroit Documenters Alex Klaus, Amber Umscheid, Meghan Rutigliano and Perry Sylvester.

Detroit animal keeping ordinance advances, Jefferson Chalmers to get sewer upgrades and more public meeting updates · Outlier Media