Detroit City Council Meeting: Internal Operations Standing Committee - November 19, 2025

The Detroit City Council Internal Operations Standing Committee convened on November 19, 2025, to address public concerns regarding developer payments and charter compliance, interview nominees for the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) board, and deliberate on various contractual amendments and labor agreements. The meeting featured significant public testimony on unsafe construction sites, the lack of local retail options, and the hiring of foreign nationals for government positions, alongside a discussion on the Detroit Reparations Task Force.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes Approval: The Committee approved the minutes of the previous session.
• Line Items 8.8, 8.23, 8.25-8.32: Several line items were approved or scheduled for a vote, including: the September/October monthly report of contracts (8.8), the report on solar farm real estate proceedings (8.23), the petition for a charitable gaming license (8.25), and multiple labor agreement implementations for various unions (8.27-8.32).
• Legal Contract Amendments: Several legal contracts were approved pending corrections to dates or amounts (e.g., Line Items 8.3, 8.5, 8.7).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Owner Papa: Expressed strong opposition to the city's response to unsafe soil conditions, characterizing the situation as potential "genocide" due to neglect; demanded a fiscal analysis before city council members' raises were instituted; and accused the council of "depraved indifference" regarding public safety.
• Cunningham: Requested that city meetings invite new demographic voices ("new food, new faces") via incentives like bus passes and pizza parties; advocated for improvements to the Detroit Department of Transportation; and solicited financial donations for bus tickets and winter gear.
• Galaxy S22 Ultra: Expressed disappointment regarding the outsourcing of Belle Isle (the Zoo) development; opposed the placement of malewine dispensers over grocery stores in communities; criticized the lack of vendor contracts for local residents in downtown areas compared to those available to developers like Dan Gilbert; and voiced concern that the Sheffield community development programs are failing to address essential grocery needs.
• William M. Davis: Questioned the validity of the city's election numbers and registered voter counts; opposed the proposed salary increases for the City Clerk without evidence of fiscal viability; raised concerns about the residency of Economic Development Corporation appointees; and expressed concern regarding the health and performance of the Mayor.
• Betty A. Varner: Requested city funding for the redevelopment of the Finkel Corridor, seeking parity with other development areas like Dexter-Davidson and Warren; and solicited donations for park expansion efforts.
• Jadante Smith: Expressed opposition to the behavior of Council President Sheffield's staff, alleging verbal abuse in the hallway; demanded the down-zoning of the Chronos site; opposed solar farms as a "scam" causing generational wealth loss; condemned the Pistons facility and the sale of community land by churches; and requested responses from Councilmember Young regarding emails about the Chronos zoning and the Brightmore framework.
• Nico A. Williams: Accused the council of disrespecting residents compared to developers; expressed displeasure with Councilmember Calloway's conduct toward constituent Ronald Foster and called for an apology; expressed skepticism regarding the effectiveness of the next council term given the retention of current administration faces; and opposed the current leadership body.
• Colin User One: Expressed disappointment that council members and staff, specifically Shepherd's team, have failed to address wheelchair access issues at the Rosa Parks Transit Center; contrasted the treatment of children freezing with funds for temporary migrant housing; and asserted that staff members are rude and fail to follow through on promises.
• Please Comply with Charter Section 6-205: Asserted that the committee is in violation of Charter Section 6-205 regarding planning committee procedures; opposed the implementation of adaptive reuse projects due to these procedural violations; and accused council members of First Amendment retaliation for ignoring specific constituents.
• Cindy Dara: Asserted that election officials provided incorrect data lists, affecting write-in candidates; demanded testimony from the city clerk staff involved in the paperwork mishap; and advocated for the implementation of approval voting.
• Tyson Gersh: Supported the decision to table or remove large zoning amendment packages due to charter violations regarding the handling of massive text amendments at once; opposed the consolidation of unrelated subjects (pet crematoriums, parking, etc.) into single legislative actions.
• Michael Viegas (GNM Contracting): Reported that a subcontractor (Brian McKenney/Giangas) has failed to pay him $274,000 despite being paid by the city; expressed urgent concern for public safety due to uncovered construction sites with holes and stakes where children could be impaled; and requested authorization for third-party checks to ensure subcontractors are paid directly.
• Marie (Subcontractor): Corroborated Viegas's testimony, stating that the prime contractor (McKenney) has been paid millions but has failed to pay small subcontractors; expressed concern regarding the lack of a bond on the $60 million job; and requested third-party check authorization to prevent the prime contractor from withholding funds.
• Jeff Andrews (Valley Transport): Stated that the prime contractor owes them approximately $690,873.48 and has been "strung along" with excuses; expressed frustration that city staff allegedly told them to refrain from discussing bond issues with city employees.

Discussion Items

• EDC Nominee Interviews (Alexa Bush & Crystal Perkins):

  • Community Engagement: Both nominees discussed the importance of authentic community engagement and translating planning concepts into visual models for residents.
  • Retail Accessibility: Councilmember Calloway expressed strong concern regarding the lack of major national retailers (Target, Walmart, Costco, Burlington) in Detroit neighborhoods compared to suburbs; she argued that this is an intentional systemic issue forcing residents to travel for basic goods.
  • Walkability: The committee discussed the need for walkable neighborhoods with essential retail, contrasting the city's sports/entertainment focus with the lack of daily shopping options.
  • Retail Market Challenges: Director Bush noted that national retailers often have perception challenges and underwriting models that disadvantage Detroit, though the city is working on transit and infrastructure improvements to change this.
  • Small Business: Councilmember Waters proposed a focus on small business retail and retirement housing to keep residents in the city; Director Bush supported efforts to support local entrepreneurs through programs like Motor City Match.

• Contract 8.6 (Immigration Employee Sponsorships):

  • Residency Questions: Councilmember Calloway expressed deep concern regarding the use of taxpayer dollars to sponsor foreign nationals for positions that could potentially be filled by locals; she requested a detailed written report on the number of sponsors, their specific roles, residency status, and salary data.
  • HR Response: Chief Recruitment Officer Darrell Conrad stated that the 17 foreign nationals (mostly in high-tech/engineering roles) represent less than 1% of total city hires and that the city exhausts all local recruitment efforts (including partnerships with Wayne State and Lawrence Tech) before hiring foreign nationals, as they cannot be hired if a qualified U.S. citizen is available.
  • Outcome: The Committee agreed to bring the item back at the start of the next year to review a comprehensive written report.

• Contract 8.22 (Indigent Legal Services):

  • Funding Breakdown: Councilmember Calloway requested clarification on the funding split and management of the program. Attorney Lambondo explained the program is managed in-house by the Law Department with a city share of approximately 14% ($1 million) and the remainder from the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission grant.
  • Outcome: The committee approved the item after the clarification was provided.

• Reparations Task Force (Line Items 8.33 & 8.34):

  • Expenses: The task Force explained the expenditure request covers project manager salaries and travel for the task force to attend the Evanston Reparations Conference.
  • Report Discrepancy: Councilmember Waters raised a concern that a specific individual (Keith D. Williams) was allegedly omitted from the final report; Task Force representative clarified his name is listed in the executive summary and bios.
  • Outcome: The Committee received and filed the 2025 recommendations report and approved the expenditure request.

• Charter Compliance: Public commenters and Councilmember Calloway emphasized the need to adhere strictly to Charter Section 6-205 regarding the handling of legislative items and committee procedures.

Key Outcomes

• EdC Appointments: Line items 5 and 8.2 (Alexa Bush) and Line items 6 and 8.1 (Crystal Perkins) were sent to Formal with a recommendation to approve for appointment to the Economic Development Corporation Board.
• Legal Contract Approvals: Multiple legal contracts were approved (8.4, 8.9, 8.10, 8.13, 8.14, 8.17) pending no major objections; several others (8.3, 8.5, 8.7) were sent to Formal pending a correction letter to fix date or dollar amount errors.
• Contract Referrals:
  • Line Item 8.6 (Immigration sponsorships) was sent back to the top of the next agenda for a written report.
  • Line Item 8.18-8.20 were sent back to the beginning of the next year for clarification.
  • Line Item 8.22 (Indigent legal services) was approved after financial clarification.
• Agenda Removals: Line Item 8.24 (Telecommunications Ordinance) was removed from the agenda due to a lack of time for a public hearing before the legislative period close.
• Reparations: Expenditures for the Detroit Reparations Task Force were approved.
• Labor Agreements: Resolutions for multiple labor agreements (Union Local 517, ATU, Operating Engineers, Foremen, AFSCME) were sent to Formal with a recommendation to approve.

Omitted Sections: None. All major agenda items and public comments were included as per the transcript structure. Discrepancies between the transcript and specific contract dates/amounts were noted and flagged as pending corrections.