Detroit City Council Regular Session – September 16, 2025
Detroit City Council Regular Session – September 16, 2025
The Detroit City Council convened on September 16, 2025, at approximately 10:00 a.m. for a regular formal session. The meeting opened with a prayer led by Councilmember Coleman A. Young II and included a special presentation honoring Transportation Riders United (TRUE) for its 25th anniversary of transit advocacy. The council then heard public comments from residents on a range of topics, including property tax overpayments, police accountability, vendor displacement, voting rights, and community development. Following public comment, the council considered numerous contracts, resolutions, and discussion items, including a resolution requesting a forensic audit of the Detroit Land Bank Authority (eventually approved), a contract to rent Detroit Public Schools buildings for elections (approved after debate), and a postponement of the TraP Tailgate event. The meeting concluded with member reports and adjournment.
Consent Calendar
- Routine approvals of meeting minutes.
- Adoption of multiple consent agenda items without separate discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
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In-Person Speakers:
- Branetta Moore: Expressed concern about theft at a shelter and lack of access to replacement clothing.
- Betty Lyons: Raised allegations about $600 million in overpaid property taxes and accused city officials of withholding funds.
- Brenda Allen: Praised Councilmember Coleman A. Young II for assisting with her roof repair.
- Sharon Williams: Criticized the Detroit Police Department for allegedly employing individuals with criminal records and failing to protect citizens.
- Melissa Love: Demanded removal from voter rolls and accused the council of misusing taxpayer funds and neglecting Detroit residents.
- Ramon Jackson: Presented USB drives with voter data, alleging fraudulent voting by jailed individuals using the county jail address.
- Jocelyn Jackson: Raised issues about vendor displacement at Campus Martius Park by Glowworks, claiming lack of city support.
- Joshua Lamere: Requested funding for a bird sanctuary pocket park at 2000 Woodward Avenue and praised Councilmember Angela Callaway.
- Mr. Cunningham (public transit advocate): Thanked council for supporting public transportation, noted rider concerns about route reliability, and promoted the TRUE gala.
- Pastor Lamonzo Sewell: Raised concerns about voting procedures for incarcerated individuals and requested assistance with property drainage fees for his church.
- Grace Howard: Questioned how Glowworks obtained control of Campus Martius Park, displacing long-time vendors.
- Barbara Logan: Criticized council for sometimes contradicting public comment, stating it silences residents.
- Rhino Foster: Emphasized free speech and warned against political violence and oppression.
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Online Callers:
- William M. Davis: Opposed Mayor Duggan's use of surplus funds to cover tax revenue declines, urged focus on retirees and poor residents.
- Hira Ahmed: Accused Mayor Duggan and Council President Sheffield of mismanaging funds and neglecting homeless and retirees.
- Stephen Haring: Criticized a recent Palestine conference in Detroit, alleging terrorist rhetoric, and expressed support for Israel's right to exist.
- Multiple callers echoed themes of property tax overpayment, voter suppression, and the need for term limits.
- Tyson Gersh: Discussed BZA transcript fees, arguing city council never approved a pass-through to a private vendor and suggested using video recordings instead of costly transcripts.
- Crystal Rice: Highlighted lack of response to community issues, praised Mary Waters for addressing voter questions, and criticized council for not prioritizing black-owned businesses.
- Miko A. Williams: Advised Council President Sheffield not to accept endorsements from Mayor Duggan or Santi Ojinga, and decried police harassment.
- Cina Brown Anderson: Criticized the public comment process as demeaning, demanded audits of the land bank, and called for reforms to election procedures and alcohol licensing.
Discussion Items
- Presentation for Transportation Riders United (TRUE): Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero presented a testimonial resolution celebrating TRUE's 25th anniversary. TRUE's director spoke about advocacy achievements and invited council to a gala on September 25, 2025. The resolution was approved unanimously.
- Contract for Detroit Public Schools Polling Places (Item 16.1): A $297,653 contract to rent DPS buildings for August and November 2025 elections drew debate. Council members questioned why the city now pays for school use (since 2022) and expressed concerns about scope creep and budget impact. The administration cited post-pandemic inflation and difficulty finding accessible locations. The contract was approved, with a waiver attached.
- Forensic Audit of Detroit Land Bank Authority (Item 17.10): Councilmember Mary Waters introduced a resolution requesting the Michigan Office of the Auditor General conduct a forensic audit. Councilmember Scott Benson advocated for using the city's own auditor general, citing cost and control. After discussion, including input from Auditor General Flora Goodsby who confirmed the office has resources and plans to conduct a follow-up forensic audit, the council approved the resolution (objections none). A waiver was also granted.
- Zoning and Public Hearing Items (Items 17.5-17.8): Multiple zoning ordinance introductions and public hearing settings were approved, including a rezoning for retail sales at a farm/insider operation and a public hearing set for October 16, 2025. Item 17.8 (rezoning coordination) was postponed for community engagement updates but later moved forward after consultation with the city planning commission.
- Contract for Municipal Parking System (Item 19.8): A $10.9 million contract with Madaxo Traffic Management was postponed for one week due to pending tax clearance, as noted by the Office of Contracting and Procurement.
- TraP Tailgate Event (Walk-On): The event originally scheduled for October 12, 2025 at Rose Bell Park was withdrawn at the petitioner's request; postponement to 2026 was confirmed by the special events department.
- Secondary Street Sign Ordinance (Walk-On): A resolution setting a public hearing for October 23, 2025 was approved.
Key Outcomes
- Approved: Resolution honoring Transportation Riders United (TRUE).
- Approved: Multi-year contract for DPS polling places ($297,653) after debate; waiver granted.
- Approved: Resolution requesting a forensic audit of the Detroit Land Bank Authority by the Michigan Auditor General (with waiver).
- Approved: Numerous contracts and resolutions for housing, public safety, construction, and grants across multiple departments (items 17.1–19.11).
- Postponed: Contract for municipal parking system (Item 19.8) for one week.
- Withdrawn: TraP Tailgate event petition; postponed to 2026.
- Scheduled: Public hearings for zoning changes and secondary street sign ordinance on October 16 and October 23, 2025, respectively.
- Waivers Granted: For multiple items to bypass waiting periods.
- Adjourned: Meeting concluded with a moment of silence for community leaders Jeffrey Thomas and Eric Ford.
Meeting Transcript
Present. Mary Walters. President. Councilmember Angela Woodfield Callaway. Cosmic McColleman Young the second. Here. Council Pro Tim James Tate. And Cos President Mary Sheffield. You have a call present, Mr. President. Thank you, Madam Clerk. We'll just like someone you want to say. Okay. Um let everybody know that the members, uh, honorable Fred Durhal uh from District 7 as well as the honorable council president and no, I'm sorry, our uh district seven, sir, Fred Durha will be excused. Uh I just want to say I have noticed his heart is here. I want the clerk to be able to recognize that. As well as uh oh no calloway is already here. All right, so all right. So now we will begin with the induction of the clergy. We have with us today Deputy Chief Charleston Day. He will start us with the morning prayer as soon as he is promoted. He will be recognized, and we begin with the prayer. President, I do not see him online. Does that mean he's not here, or does that mean like we just so it's somebody else? He's supposed to be online. I do not see his his name online though. Okay. So, like I was saying earlier, the supposed to be me, he's not gonna be here at all. He ghost us or I was told he's logging on now. Is he doing like a little late morning surprise up there? I was told that he's logging on now. Okay, if not, um I do believe um Mr. Chair is a um ordained minister. Did you really just put me on the spot like that? Did you really put me on the spot like that? Correct me if I uh no no, you know, you're not wrong. I just you know a little communication, I mean I mean, I didn't prepare to do Minister Coleman Young the prayer today. You are equipped to do all right, whatever all right, everybody. I'm a little bit rest here. Uh go ahead, bow your heads, close your eyes. Uh, we just want to say thank you so much for all the wonderful opportunity for us to be here today. Thank you for the opportunity for us to be safe in these tumultuous and turbulent times. We know that there is nothing that we can't do without believing in you, as you said in your word, that there that all things are possible through him who believes. And uh, we just wanted to say thank you so much for the opportunity for us to be able to add value to those, to serve those, to be hope for the hopeless, the voice for the voiceless, and understand that power is only important as the use to serve the powerless with. It is our great honor and privilege to be able to uplift people in the city of Detroit and to build a government that loves them as much as they love the city of Detroit. Thank you for the honor. Please bless us as we go about our day, uplifting people and using the power of public service to improve the lives of the citizens that we are governing over. Thank you and God bless. Amen. Thank you.
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