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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Detroit City Council Formal Session – October 28, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, October 28, 2025

BodyDetroit, Michigan

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, October 28, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 4:34:44

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:02

Councilmember Scott Benson Councilmember Fred Duhall III.

0:09

Present Councilmember Letitia Johnson Councilmember Gabby and the Santiago Romero.

0:19

Present Councilmember Mary Walters.

0:24

President.

0:35

Council President Pro Tim James Tate.

0:49

Okay.

0:51

Council President Mary Sheffield.

1:00

All right.

1:02

All right.

1:02

Thank you.

1:03

And um, Member John and Teller here as well.

1:06

So no.

1:07

We have a quorum.

1:08

We are now in session.

1:09

We will start with our uh invitation for this morning.

1:11

We have joining us uh Deputy Chief Chapman Chaplain Roy Heel, who will bring us an invitation this morning.

1:19

Thank you.

1:19

And I also bring your greetings from Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church and the Detroit Police Department Chapter Corps.

1:26

Heavenly Father, we lift up this great city before you today.

1:29

Lord, we know that you know the name of every street and every person that lives on that streak and in that neighborhood.

1:36

You know the heart, and you know our city needs you right now.

1:40

You know the history of our city, you know our triumphs, you know our trials, and you know our deep appreciation for the city of Detroit.

1:48

Father, we pray for your hands of protection over the city of Detroit, cover us, cover our neighborhoods from violence, poverty, and despair.

1:57

Let peace flow through our city like a river that runs beside it.

2:02

Silence the voice of division and replace it with the song of hope, unity, and love.

2:08

This is our prayer.

2:10

Amen.

2:12

Amen.

2:13

All right, thank you so much, uh, Chaplain.

2:16

We appreciate you, sir.

2:17

Thank you for joining us, and you have a blessed day.

2:20

I receive that.

2:21

All right.

2:22

All right, we have uh two presentations this morning.

2:25

We will start with Councilmember Callaway, followed by Member Young.

2:29

Uh, and after the first presentation, we will cut off the public comment for today.

2:33

So if you're interested in making public comment, please raise your hand.

2:37

Uh we will cut off public comment after our presentation.

2:40

Member Callaway, the floor is yours.

2:42

Thank you so much, madam um chair, and good morning, everyone.

2:46

It is my honor and privilege to present the Spirit of Detroit Award um to Marcy Feldman.

2:53

If you can just raise raise your hand, yes, yes, yes, for being the founder and president of Friends of Pastor School Detroit.

3:02

Friends of Pastor School Detroit is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the students, families, and staff of Pastor Elementary School.

3:10

As a proud alumna of the school, Marcy was inspired to take action after a chance encounter with a former classmate in 1996, sparked a powerful reunion of alumni.

3:24

What began as a simple gathering quickly grew into a full-fledged movement, culminating in the creation of the Pastor Elementary School Alumni Foundation, now known as the Friends of Pastor.

3:39

Under Marcy's leadership, the organization has flourished, providing students with tutoring, books, field trips, nutritious food, scholarships, and vibrant learning spaces with over 550 members and decades of impact.

3:59

Friends of Pastor continues to be a beacon of hope and opportunity for Detroit's youth.

4:06

On behalf of myself, Councilwoman Angela Whitfield Callaway, the Detroit City Council, and the City of Detroit.

4:14

We congratulate you, Marcy Feldman, for your outstanding accomplishments and impact in the community.

4:21

And for those of you who don't know where Pastor is, it is located on the corner of Stopel and Pembroke.

4:28

Let's give her a hand.

4:32

Thank you, Miss Marcy.

4:40

And before we hear from you on Miss Marcy, we also have a second spirit of Detroit Award for the Friends of Pastor Detroit.

4:50

Friends of Pastor Detroit for building a transformative and enduring legacy of support for Pastor Elementary School and its community.

5:00

Friends of Pastor School Detroit is a vibrant and inspiring nonprofit organization organization dedicated to supporting the students, families, and staff of Pastor Elementary School in Northwest Detroit.

5:13

Founded in 1997 by alumni Marcia, Marcy Feldman and fellow classmates, the group began as a heartfelt effort to give back and quickly grew into the first and largest.

5:25

I'm going to repeat that grew into the first and the largest elementary school alumni association in the city of Detroit.

5:40

And district two with over 1,500 alumni in its network.

5:48

1500 alumni in its network and supporters across the US, Canada, Israel.

5:59

Marcy.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Zoning and Land Use███████████████15%

Procedural██████████████14%

Historic Preservation██████████████14%

Public Comment█████████9%

Public Engagement███████7%

Community Engagement██████6%

Affordable Housing█████5%

Street Naming█████5%

Family Court Awareness████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Detroit City Council Formal Session – October 28, 2025

The Detroit City Council convened on October 28, 2025, to address a comprehensive agenda including the Spirit of Detroit Awards, the designation of Family Court Awareness Month, and significant public testimony regarding property tax justice, zoning reforms, and street naming nominations. Due to the high volume of public interest and the election season context, the Council limited public comments to 30 seconds per speaker. A major focus was the voting process for five honorary secondary street signs, which required multiple rounds of voting to determine the recipients. The session also featured contentious discussions regarding proposed zoning amendments aimed at increasing housing density, with some members advocating for postponement to allow for deeper community engagement.

Consent Calendar

Approval of the journal from the session on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Referral of 11 reports from the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee to the Internal Operations Standing Committee.
Referral of 13 reports from the Neighborhood and Community Services Standing Committee (including the removal of line item 11.1 from the agenda) to the Public Health and Safety Standing Committee.
Approval of resolutions regarding lawsuit settlements (Items 18.1-18.9), cancellation and rescheduling of the November 4th formal session to November 14th, and various contract approvals (Items 19.2, 19.3, 19.4, 19.5, 19.9, 19.10, 19.11, 19.12, 20.1-20.8, 20.9, 20.10-20.14, 22.2-22.8, 22.9-22.13) without objection.
Approval of resolutions for the Hope Property Tax Exemption (Items 17.3, 17.4) and the Bagley Neighborhood Zone Enterprise Homestead expansion (Item 17.5).

Public Comments & Testimony

Property Tax & Housing Justice: Numerous members of the public and representatives from the Coalition for Property Tax Justice expressed strong position of support for the "First 100 Days" plan to address overassessments, urging the incoming administration to implement financial compensation and reforms immediately. Speakers voiced concern that current assessments have led to foreclosures and loss of generational wealth.
Street Naming Nominations: A large majority of speakers expressed full support for memorializing the following individuals with secondary street signs: Reverend Dr. Joanne Watson, Imam Abdullah El-Amin, Greg Mudge, Dick "Night Train" Lane, Viola Liuzzo, Martha Jean "the Queen" Steinberg, George Clinton, Aubrey Lee Sr., and Kim Owens. Speakers cited their decades of service, community leadership, and historical significance.
Zoning & Development Concerns: Several residents and advocates expressed opposition to proposed zoning amendments (Items 19.1, 19.3, 19.6), arguing they reduce citizen rights to object to projects, accelerate displacement of legacy residents, and lack sufficient community engagement. Conversely, other speakers expressed support for zoning reforms to increase housing density and reduce parking requirements, citing the need for affordability and walkability.
Community Issues: Speakers highlighted specific neighborhood concerns, including the impact of the "Museum of Illusions" on senior housing at 1545 Woodward Avenue, issues with tree removal on private property, and the need for continued support for the Lifeline water program and SNAP/EBT benefits.

Discussion Items

Family Court Awareness Month: Councilmember Coleman Young II presented a resolution declaring November 2025 as Family Court Awareness Month. Speakers Nicole Massey and Geraldine Morris provided testimony supporting the initiative, emphasizing the need to prioritize child safety in custody cases and citing statistics on domestic abuse and child fatalities in the family court system. They advocated for the "Cadence Law" and "Rowan's Act."
Street Naming Process: The Historic Designation Advisory Board (HDAB) reviewed 23 applicants. A discrepancy was noted where the agenda listed the item as a resolution, but a ballot vote was required. HDAB Director Janice Tillman and Councilmember Santiago Romero discussed the need to potentially revise the ordinance to limit the number of sponsorship letters per council member to manage the growing number of applicants (15 new, 18 rollovers). Members debated whether the process should be paused to revamp the rules or proceed with the current nominations.
Zoning Amendments (Item 19.6): Councilmember Johnson and Member Callaway expressed concern and hesitation, stating they need more time to review the complex ordinances and that the rush might undermine community trust and commercial corridors. Councilmember Durhal and Director Todd defended the process, arguing that setting a public hearing is the appropriate mechanism for community input and that the changes are necessary to stimulate housing development and support minority developers. They clarified that the proposed changes would allow triplexes and quads as "by-right" uses in R2 zones without a public hearing, a point of concern for the community.
Transparency Ordinance (Item 22.1): Councilmember Callaway advocated for passing the ordinance to release incident footage from the DPD. Councilmember Durrhal and Law Department staff confirmed that the Detroit Police Department and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office support the 30-day release timeline and that exceptions exist to protect ongoing investigations. Callaway noted the document is a "living document" that may require future amendments.

Key Outcomes

Street Naming Ballot Results:
- Top 4 (Elected): Viola Liuzzo, Gregory Mudge, Kim Owens, and Reverend Dr. Joanne Watson each received the necessary majority of votes to secure a secondary street sign for 2026.
- Fifth Seat: A tie-breaking vote was required between Imam Abdullah El-Amin and Ernest Harden Jr. for the fifth spot. Imam Abdullah El-Amin was elected with 5 votes to Harden's 4.
- Next Steps: The five recipients (Viola Liuzzo, Gregory Mudge, Kim Owens, Reverend Dr. Joanne Watson, Imam Abdullah El-Amin) will proceed to the Department of Public Works to order the signs at a cost of $400 per sign.
Zoning Postponement: Line item 19.1 (a text amendment regarding commercial corridors) was postponed to the next formal session (November 14) following calls for further review from Councilmembers Santiago Romero, Callaway, and Benson. The Council agreed to allow committees to review the item fully before a final vote.
Ordinance Approval: The ordinance regarding the release of incident footage (Item 22.1) was approved by a roll call vote of 8-0 (Councilmember Santiago Romero voted against it).
Contract Walk-ons: Three contracts (19.20.15, 6005401-A4, 6005374-A1, 6006185-A1) were moved to new business for individual voting due to procedural requests or corrections.
Meeting Schedule: The next formal session is scheduled for Friday, November 14, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned with a reminder for residents to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election.

Meeting Transcript

Councilmember Scott Benson Councilmember Fred Duhall III. Present Councilmember Letitia Johnson Councilmember Gabby and the Santiago Romero. Present Councilmember Mary Walters. President. Council President Pro Tim James Tate. Okay. Council President Mary Sheffield. All right. All right. Thank you. And um, Member John and Teller here as well. So no. We have a quorum. We are now in session. We will start with our uh invitation for this morning. We have joining us uh Deputy Chief Chapman Chaplain Roy Heel, who will bring us an invitation this morning. Thank you. And I also bring your greetings from Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church and the Detroit Police Department Chapter Corps. Heavenly Father, we lift up this great city before you today. Lord, we know that you know the name of every street and every person that lives on that streak and in that neighborhood. You know the heart, and you know our city needs you right now. You know the history of our city, you know our triumphs, you know our trials, and you know our deep appreciation for the city of Detroit. Father, we pray for your hands of protection over the city of Detroit, cover us, cover our neighborhoods from violence, poverty, and despair. Let peace flow through our city like a river that runs beside it. Silence the voice of division and replace it with the song of hope, unity, and love. This is our prayer. Amen. Amen. All right, thank you so much, uh, Chaplain. We appreciate you, sir. Thank you for joining us, and you have a blessed day. I receive that. All right. All right, we have uh two presentations this morning. We will start with Councilmember Callaway, followed by Member Young. Uh, and after the first presentation, we will cut off the public comment for today. So if you're interested in making public comment, please raise your hand. Uh we will cut off public comment after our presentation. Member Callaway, the floor is yours. Thank you so much, madam um chair, and good morning, everyone. It is my honor and privilege to present the Spirit of Detroit Award um to Marcy Feldman. If you can just raise raise your hand, yes, yes, yes, for being the founder and president of Friends of Pastor School Detroit. Friends of Pastor School Detroit is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the students, families, and staff of Pastor Elementary School. As a proud alumna of the school, Marcy was inspired to take action after a chance encounter with a former classmate in 1996, sparked a powerful reunion of alumni. What began as a simple gathering quickly grew into a full-fledged movement, culminating in the creation of the Pastor Elementary School Alumni Foundation, now known as the Friends of Pastor. Under Marcy's leadership, the organization has flourished, providing students with tutoring, books, field trips, nutritious food, scholarships, and vibrant learning spaces with over 550 members and decades of impact. Friends of Pastor continues to be a beacon of hope and opportunity for Detroit's youth. On behalf of myself, Councilwoman Angela Whitfield Callaway, the Detroit City Council, and the City of Detroit. We congratulate you, Marcy Feldman, for your outstanding accomplishments and impact in the community. And for those of you who don't know where Pastor is, it is located on the corner of Stopel and Pembroke.

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