OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission Meeting - October 22, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, October 22, 2025
BodyDetroit, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, October 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 43:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:10

Thank you.

0:11

Commissioner Eric O'Hill.

0:15

Commissioner Nicholas Waller.

0:20

Thank you.

0:22

Thank you.

0:23

There being a corn present, the commission will not be in session.

0:26

We will now move to the adoption of the agenda.

0:29

Is there a motion?

0:37

Great.

0:38

Hearing no objections, the agenda will be adopted.

0:40

We will now move to the adoption of the rules of procedure.

0:44

Is there a motion?

0:46

Any objection?

0:49

Hearing no objections, the rules of procedure will be adopted.

2:15

So that's just saying that.

6:09

Madam Clerk, do you have the results of the ballots?

6:11

Yes, I do, Mr.

6:12

Chair.

6:15

Do you mind reading?

6:16

Yes.

6:16

For the appointment of chairperson to the elected officials compensation commission.

6:21

For Commissioner Rhonda Willis, there were no votes.

6:25

For Commissioner Tiffany Jackson, there were no votes.

6:30

For Commissioner Kristen Lenson, there were no votes.

6:35

For Commissioner Erica Heel, Commissioner Waller, Commissioner Lenson, Commissioner Heel, and Commissioner Jackson, total of four votes.

6:48

For Commissioner Nicholas Waller, there were no votes.

6:53

Erica Heel has four votes, which would name her the elected officials compensation commission chairperson.

7:02

Congratulations.

7:05

Congratulations to the chairperson.

7:09

Do we have the resource for the vice chairperson?

7:11

Yes, we do, Mr.

7:12

Chair.

7:12

For the elected officials compensation commission, appointment of vice chairperson.

7:19

For Commissioner Rhonda Willis, there were no votes.

7:23

For Commissioner Tiffany Jackson, Commissioner Lunson, Commissioner Erica Heel, Commissioner Jackson, and Commissioner Waller, total of four votes.

7:36

For Commissioner Kristen Lunson, there were no votes.

7:40

For Commissioner Erica Hill, there won no votes.

7:44

For Commissioner Nicholas Waller, there were no votes.

7:49

For the appointment of Vice Chairperson, Tiffany Jackson has the most votes.

8:01

I will now turn the remainder of this meeting over to Chair Erica Hill.

8:16

Thank you.

10:04

So the commission has 45 days from today, the first meeting to issue final determinations on the salaries for mayor, city council members, and the city clerk.

10:14

That would mean that we need to have um if the commission is going to issue decisions regarding the salaries, they have to do it, the commission has to do it by December 6th.

10:27

Uh within those 45 days, there are only 15 session days allowed.

10:33

A session day is a day that the commission meets.

10:36

Um so in other words, the commission is maxed out at 15 15 meetings.

10:42

Um I don't think we'll need 15 meter meetings.

10:45

Uh hopefully we can finish this in two or three, maybe four meetings.

10:51

Um I know in years past it has been usually around two or three meetings.

10:57

Um after issuing the final determinations, they'll become final and effective within 30 days, unless uh two-thirds of city council rejects the uh just decision of the commission.

11:12

Um I may have already said this, sorry if I'm repeating myself, but a majority of the seven-member commission is needed for a quorum.

11:21

That's why we need four.

11:22

Um, and a majority appointed and serving is needed to make a decision.

11:28

Uh, in this case, since we have five members who are appointed and serving, uh, we need uh three members to agree uh or vote the same way in order for a decision to be made.

11:40

As members of the commission, uh I just wanna remind you all that you are public servants of the city uh and therefore subject to the city's ethics ordinance.

11:49

I know Kristen Lesson uh it's being the chair of the uh board of ethics uh in up until just recently.

12:00

Um she knows quite a bit about the ethics ordinance.

12:04

Um if any of you have any questions about the ethics ordinance or any, you know, if you're wondering if you can do a certain action without violating the ethics ordinance, please feel free to ask me.

12:16

Um you are also allowed to request an advisory opinion from the ethics board.

12:22

Uh, but I would just say that it's probably unlikely that they would get back to you in time before this commission's already met and finished up its business.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Elections███████████████████████████27%
Personnel Matters██████████████████████22%
Public Engagement███████7%
Ethics██████6%
Public Comment██████6%
Board of Review██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission Meeting - October 22, 2025

The Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission convened its initial meeting on October 22, 2025, to establish leadership, adopt procedural rules, and set the schedule for salary determinations. Commissioner Erica Heel was elected Chairperson and Commissioner Tiffany Jackson elected Vice Chairperson. The commission was reminded of its 45-day mandate to finalize salary recommendations for the Mayor, City Council, and City Clerk by December 6, 2025, subject to a two-thirds City Council rejection. The meeting concluded with public testimony and the adoption of a four-meeting schedule.

Consent Calendar

  • Adoption of Agenda: Unanimously adopted with no objections.
  • Adoption of Rules of Procedure: Unanimously adopted with no objections.
  • Election of Chairperson: Commissioner Erica Heel was elected Chairperson by voice vote (4 votes).
  • Election of Vice Chairperson: Commissioner Tiffany Jackson was elected Vice Chairperson by voice vote (4 votes).
  • Quorum Confirmation: It was noted that a majority (4 of 7) is required for a quorum, and currently 5 members are serving.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Shadante Smith (Public Member): Expressed strong opposition to salary adjustments for elected officials. Smith argued that with a projected billion-dollar shortfall and the impending loss of ARPA funding, the city should cut budgets and salaries rather than increase them. Smith specifically suggested cutting the Mayor's salary and noted the irony of sitting City Council members attending a meeting to potentially approve their own raises. Smith advocated for preserving the residents' quality of life over executive compensation.
  • Councilman Scott Benson (City Council): Expressed full support for a salary adjustment for the Mayor, City Council, and City Clerk. Benson stated that current compensation does not reflect the responsibility and successes of the last decade. He argued that competitive salaries are a critical investment to attract and retain high-caliber leadership. Benson emphasized that the city budget already includes recurring funds to support these salaries.

Discussion Items

  • Commission Ethics and Open Meetings Act: Chair Erica Hill briefed members on ethics ordinances and the Open Meetings Act. She advised against using email threads or group chats for deliberations to ensure compliance, suggesting all communication be public if possible. Hill agreed to investigate the feasibility of creating dedicated commission email addresses to prevent personal email exposure to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
  • Vacancy Management: It was noted there are two open positions. Chair Hill stated that filling vacancies is the Mayor's office's responsibility, but the current five members (including Commissioner Rhonda Willis) would constitute the active commission for the year.
  • Resolution on Information Requests: The commission discussed and approved a resolution requesting data from City Council, the Mayor, and the City Clerk regarding salaries, as well as reports from Human Resources on comparable city salaries and historical wage obligations.
  • Fiscal Impact Analysis: A resolution was adopted to request a fiscal impact statement and budget report from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer to ensure any salary adjustments align with the city's budget and four-year plan.
  • Meeting Schedule Adoption: Members deliberated on the dates for the upcoming meetings to meet the December 6 deadline. The following schedule was agreed upon:
    • October 22, 2025 (Today) at 4:00 PM
    • October 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
    • November 7, 2025 at 4:00 PM
    • November 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM
    • November 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM (Tentative, subject to availability)
    • All meetings to be held in person at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 13th Floor.

Key Outcomes

  • Leadership Appointed: Erica Heel (Chair) and Tiffany Jackson (Vice Chair) were elected to lead the commission.
  • Mandate Established: The commission has a 45-day window (until December 6, 2025) to issue final salary determinations, utilizing no more than 15 session days.
  • Resolutions Adopted:
    • Resolution requesting input and recommendations from the Mayor, City Council, and City Clerk.
    • Resolution requesting reports from the Human Resources Department regarding salary history and comparable positions.
    • Resolution requesting a fiscal impact analysis from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
    • Resolution establishing the formal meeting schedule and meeting location for October through November 2025.
  • Meeting Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned with a scheduled reconvening date of October 28, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you. Commissioner Eric O'Hill. Commissioner Nicholas Waller. Thank you. Thank you. There being a corn present, the commission will not be in session. We will now move to the adoption of the agenda. Is there a motion? Great. Hearing no objections, the agenda will be adopted. We will now move to the adoption of the rules of procedure. Is there a motion? Any objection? Hearing no objections, the rules of procedure will be adopted. So that's just saying that. Madam Clerk, do you have the results of the ballots? Yes, I do, Mr. Chair. Do you mind reading? Yes. For the appointment of chairperson to the elected officials compensation commission. For Commissioner Rhonda Willis, there were no votes. For Commissioner Tiffany Jackson, there were no votes. For Commissioner Kristen Lenson, there were no votes. For Commissioner Erica Heel, Commissioner Waller, Commissioner Lenson, Commissioner Heel, and Commissioner Jackson, total of four votes. For Commissioner Nicholas Waller, there were no votes. Erica Heel has four votes, which would name her the elected officials compensation commission chairperson. Congratulations. Congratulations to the chairperson. Do we have the resource for the vice chairperson? Yes, we do, Mr. Chair. For the elected officials compensation commission, appointment of vice chairperson. For Commissioner Rhonda Willis, there were no votes. For Commissioner Tiffany Jackson, Commissioner Lunson, Commissioner Erica Heel, Commissioner Jackson, and Commissioner Waller, total of four votes. For Commissioner Kristen Lunson, there were no votes. For Commissioner Erica Hill, there won no votes. For Commissioner Nicholas Waller, there were no votes. For the appointment of Vice Chairperson, Tiffany Jackson has the most votes. I will now turn the remainder of this meeting over to Chair Erica Hill. Thank you. So the commission has 45 days from today, the first meeting to issue final determinations on the salaries for mayor, city council members, and the city clerk. That would mean that we need to have um if the commission is going to issue decisions regarding the salaries, they have to do it, the commission has to do it by December 6th. Uh within those 45 days, there are only 15 session days allowed. A session day is a day that the commission meets. Um so in other words, the commission is maxed out at 15 15 meetings. Um I don't think we'll need 15 meter meetings. Uh hopefully we can finish this in two or three, maybe four meetings. Um I know in years past it has been usually around two or three meetings. Um after issuing the final determinations, they'll become final and effective within 30 days, unless uh two-thirds of city council rejects the uh just decision of the commission.

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