Member Mary Waters.

Member Waters did indicate she's running a little behind.

Clerk will still note.

Councilmember Angela Whitfield Calloway.

Member Callaway did indicate that she is a few minutes behind as well.

The clerk will still note.

There is no quorum, madam chair.

Thank you, Mr.

Clerk.

Although we do not have a quorum, I'd like to proceed with public comment, noting to anyone who makes a public comment that I am not allowed to respond to you because we do not have a quorum.

But uh in an effort to move things along, I would like to proceed with public comment.

So if you are joining us, whether in the committee of the whole or virtually, and you'd like to make a public comment, please raise your hand.

Please raise your hand.

Public comment will be cut off at 10 05.

10 05.

It looks like we have we have two hands currently raised.

Any additional hands raised for general public comment.

All right, we have three, four.

Anyone else interested in making public comment?

All right, it looks like we have three hands raised in the committee of the whole.

Good morning, Ms.

Jackson.

How many hands do we have raised virtually?

Good morning, madam chair.

We have 11 hands raised for virtual public comment.

11 hands.

Okay, thank you, Aaron.

Um, if we can please set the clock for two minutes, we will get started first with the three hands that we had raised in the committee of the whole.

We still have one minute before general public comment gets cut off.

So if anyone else joins us who'd like to make a public comment, uh please come in and raise your hand.

If you'd like to make a public comment, please uh join us at the table.

All right, Aaron, let's go ahead and get started with our virtual public callers uh first, and then we'll come back to those that are in the committee of the whole.

And before we do that, it is 10.05.

So if you'd like to make a public comment virtually or in person, and you have not raised your hand thus far, please do so.

General public comment has now been cut off.

Aaron, who do we have first?

Our first caller is Owner Papa.

Owner Papa, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Uh good morning, and through the chairman, I'll be heard.

Good morning, yes.

My question to you is when did you know and when did you know it?

Uh yesterday was very disturbing for at many levels.

Um this might be one of the most uh overt attacks of genocide by government that I've seen in a long time since loud Alabama.

Uh the soil is is said to be found.

This is a quote, found to be unsafe for direct human contact.

This sounds like your hair should be on fire.

This sounds like you should be going to those sites and making sure that they're covered, making sure that you um you have hazmat teams out there doing what they need to do.

But uh we're we're doing what what what you guys usually do, which is um watch people uh perish.

And and you you also have um raises for yourself on I'd like to have a fiscal analysis on whether or not we're able to pay these raises before any any of this is instituted.

Um you know there's a thing called uh depraved indifference.

Um, and this is found through negligence, and you should you should uh notify uh Miss Romero of this.

You know, public comment is part of the agenda, and I know oftentimes you all say um you can start the you can you can have public comment, but that's part of the agenda, which goes with starting a meeting.

But I know your parliamentarian will never um tell you that that public comment is done after the meeting is called, although otherwise there is no meeting.

Um there's just so many things that you know need to be said, but I can tell you this.

If we go to the if we go to the international courts, I guarantee you they will see that genocide is happening in the city of Detroit if you look at the numbers and look at what's happening.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Cunningham.

Cunningham, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Greetings and salutations.

That number was made, so you can remember it.

Also, not enemy on Facebook.

Two words, not enemy.

Uh so having a pizza party slash free um bus pass giveaway.

There's 70 dollars per um bus pass.

That's the amount of the gift that you would win uh if you were to attend.

Trying something new.

There's always in these meetings the same old voices, the same old faces.

Never anybody knew.

So hopefully that would entice new people since they did promote it on their social media.

Um that new food faces would come in and attend and give their ideas and or opinions.

So you know you throw spaghetti up on the wall and see which one sticks, throwing pizza on the wall, and see which one sticks.

Um hopefully that is a um a good thing.

And the Holy Spirit led me to um even think about it because the Holy Spirit brings all things to our remembrance, all things.

That's things we don't even know.

The Holy Spirit gives us it only comes from him.

So I thank you all for your prayers and support, Detroit Department of Transportation still needs to improve.

My cash app is 313 4449114.

I need bus tickets, bus tickets, bus tickets, bus tickets, hats, gloves, hand warmers, bus tickets, bus tickets, bus tickets, bus tickets, bus tickets, bus tickets, bus tickets.

I can't uh say it enough.

I reiterate again, but thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Galaxy S22 Ultra.

You have two minutes for general public comment.

Good morning.

Uh I just want to say how we have a form when the uh when it's no form and we get to speak is worthless, it's useless if they can't hear us besides you, you know.

Uh it's sad that you know that the forum is having started, and we have to announce what we have to say.

You know, one of the things I want to say, it's sad that they outsourced uh uh uh Bella and now they can down that the zoo that's been there since the 1800s, and now they want to put some kind of road there for the white folks to walk through.

Put something for the kids.

We will on Bell Is they got a uh slide, that's it.

Put something for the kids.

We don't we forgot about our kids in this city and wonder why they're out there on the streets.

It's sad, and then another thing.

Why we can't get a contract downtown where Dan Gilbert at he using our money.

Y'all gave him my tax dollar money.

He got 801 80 million one time for my tax dollar, but we can't get a place downtown without paying four or five thousand the vendor down there.

When if we go get uh uh uh a break in this city that we stayed here for years when everybody else ran when Coleman Young Senior was in office.

It's sad.

I'm trying to see whether Sheffield goes to, you know, if you're gonna keep going along how uh uh uh with Dugan program, or she's gonna put a program for we got more uh malewine dispenses in our community than we do grocery stores, and that's sad.

That's sad.

We put all these male wine dispenses in our uh community, and and look, we ain't got at the grocery store, we have to travel.

Everybody got something but us in our community, you know.

Uh and so it's sad that we have to deal with that, but we need to be able to come down to vendor, just like uh uh the uh other folks where I have to pay uh uh uh stop.

Thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is William M.

Davis.

William M.

Davis, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Good morning, young lady.

Can I be heard?

Good morning, yes.

Okay, I like to start off by saying again that I think that these elections in the city church are highly questionable.

Uh, I know myself I'm a precinct uh precinct doctor, precinct 410.

I have to go over three miles into my precinct, past a dozen other precincts.

Also, separately, allegedly there's 519,000 registered voters.

I don't believe it.

And I know everybody that's an adult is not registered in the city of Detroit.

Uh I also know that the city of Detroit population is supposed to be 639,000 of that, almost 32 percent of them is children under 18.

So those numbers don't add up.

So I don't see why Jenny Winfrey should be getting a 19% raise and then a three and a half and three and a half.

This is crazy.

Uh also separately, uh, I see it's gonna be two appointments.

I know one of them clearly indicates that this person lives in the city of Detroit.

The other one, it looks like they're using the two work with as their address.

Uh, do everybody on the economic development corporation live in the city of Detroit.

I would think if you want to be that involved with our monies and our resources, that everybody should live in the city of Detroit.

I think there's a whole lot of room for improvement for this upcoming administration.

I know I was at the mayor's meeting last week.

I know you were there, and the mayor looked sick and he looked a little slow and looked like he wasn't thinking as quick as he normally did.

And I noticed that there was not no presentation.

Usually he do a, you know, you know, smoke and mirrors presentation, and you know, because he's pretty good at that.

But I noticed he didn't, and it was a very short meeting.

Is the mayor not doing well?

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Betty A.

Varner.

Betty A.

Varner, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Uh, good morning to all within the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Varner, president of the Soda Elves World Black Association, advocating as I do on a regular basis for my Finkel Corridor.

We are in need of money for our corridor for it to be redeveloped as other corridors has been.

Uh, we would like the same type of kind of money that's coming to uh the Dexter Davidson area, uh the Warren area.

They're doing a lot of work in uh court town.

There's uh work been done on uh Magnicolis and uh Liminois area to Wyoming, sure we're forest.

These are all wonderful projects and the corridors.

It's a good thing.

We are asking for the same type of uh monies and consideration for our Finkel corridor.

Uh I also I am advocating for the work that we are doing to expand our park.

We uh are in need of monies to uh clear that land.

So if you would like to donate, please go to Zell and go to D as in Dog E, B as in Boy, A, W E, B as in Boy, E L at Gmail.com.

Again, that's D Ba W E D as in Boy, E L at Gmail.com.

If you know my telephone number, you can also go to Zell and use my telephone number to donate.

Also, uh, we are uh preparing for our annual holiday luncheon.

So uh if you receive a invitation, we are looking forward to uh breaking bread with you to kick off the holiday next month.

We'll be thank you.

And if the clerk will please note that member Callaway has joined us.

Good morning.

Clerk was helpful.

Thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Jadante Smith.

Jedante Smith, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Good morning, Mabby Hurts.

Good morning, yes.

Good morning.

I like to say yesterday was a wild and raucous council session.

Uh, I do not appreciate Tyler Williams and uh Mary Sheffield staff coming out into the hallway and trying to verbally berate me and uh verbally abuse me based on my comment of palmie does as I walked out of the council session.

I think I was very gracious and nice to uh council council president and uh mayor elect Sheffields for right now.

Um and I congratulated her.

So I think her staff being a professional was very terrible.

I also want to say please down zone Chronos now.

Please submit the uh the down zoning paperwork or memorandum, whatever you need to do, council member waters or council member young because Scott Benson will not do it.

If one resident does not breathe breathe cleaner, no resident bleed as bleep, ah, breathing clean air.

Um also I can say the solar farms are a scam.

People are definitely losing their generational wealth due to these solar farms.

I think it's evil.

Also, the the uh the pistons facility is very, very bad.

Also, the three churches in Island View who have voted to sell off the uh part of the Buster Family Center parking lot.

Shame on you, Genesis Hope.

Shame on you, Church of the Messiah, shame on you, Mac Church and Mac Development.

All of those three have development corporations, and like I'll say anybody with two years, anything that goes to Island View will go through Helen Street Legacy Block Club, which I will be the president of.

No more slipping past developments on Detroiters.

I don't care what pilot orders you pass or what orders you pass, Detroiters deserve to be involved in the uh the development of their neighborhoods, and it all and they deserve and ought to be involved the right way and engaged the right way.

Um also like to say I'm just very disappointed again and uh and Mary Sheffield staff member coming out to berate me in the hallway.

And also James Tate, I sent your office an email, never got a response about this framework of Brightmore.

Also, Councilmember Young, I sent your office an email about Chronos.

I never got a response.

Please check into those emails and please respond to the residents who have voted you in.

Thank you.

Have a nice day.

Thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Nico A.

Williams.

Miko A.

Williams, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Yes, hi.

Can you hear me, please?

Good morning, yes.

Good morning, yes.

Uh, hi.

You know, yesterday just proved that as a citizen as a resident, you continue to disrespect us, you continue to berate us, and you don't treat us with the same respect you would for these developers, donors, and uh crooks of Detroit.

It's crazy.

I mean, uh I agree with the young man yesterday that I have been married, saved, and sanctified for over 15 years and don't have to do nothing for a change or anything for a contract.

And that is what Detroit is turning into.

Favor play for play.

It happens all the time, even among some of you with your own donors.

You may deny it, but the campaign finance reports approve that.

Uh, Councilmember Callaway, I'm still upset at you calling uh out Ronald Foster and disrespecting him.

You know, he's your constituent.

You have to treat your constituents the same.

15,000 1,500 people may have voted for you, but also uh that one constituent, you don't even get your people out.

Now, district two may be uh a force on certain issues, but you don't have all of you don't have certain participation.

Uh, not like District Six.

It shouldn't take an evening meeting where they should be here every single day.

Um, through all the committees.

And if it was over a hundred people that were watching city council uh in person, you all would do right.

That is disrespectful.

You need to apologize to Mr.

Uh Foster for that.

Um in my final weeks and uh time uh coming down off this council.

You know, uh, as a resident, I deserve better.

I deserve way better.

I'm not gonna go through another term, another year with the same body leadership.

When I saw that land bank picture of the same four faces uh that will be on council, and the three that will um be capsized, nothing will change.

So I don't expect anything out of the new term or even so much as the future.

Thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Colin user one.

Callin user one, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Can I be heard?

Yes.

Good morning.

Um, council member Johnson.

I am very disappointed that every time I add your office, Shepfield as usual, and every other council member emails with pictures showing how the Rosa Parks Transit Center has uh gated off the walkway for those that are wheelchair bound.

None of you all respond and get action done.

I don't like that.

I want to remind you it is getting cold.

I hope that you will not allow no more children to freeze to death and then give money for illegal migrants to live in elaborate hotels for two and a half months while allowing innocent children to freeze to death.

Council member Sheffield's staff members are in fact rude, especially when it comes to Tyler and Victoria, where they will lie and promise they're gonna get back with you, and they never do.

So that's why I add in all of you all, including your staff, Cynthia.

Um, so no one can say that they were never notified.

And I like to see you do something.

I'm believing in you, whether I live in your district or not, because thus far you've been the only one that is the most courteous for the female council members, and I appreciate that.

So I want that to be known.

I expect an answer in closing when you pay your fare on VDOT.

Why do they get to take your path and thank you, Miss Shea?

And we have received your email.

Um, and you also included the council person who represents uh that area, and uh we will just work with them to make sure that they are responding to your email.

I have seen some responses, but we'll just make sure that the council person who represents that area responds.

Thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is please comply with charter section six-205.

Caller, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Yes, good morning.

May I be heard?

Good morning, yes.

Yeah, and ditto to everybody within the sound of my voice.

I am a district five resident.

What you hear about member Sheffield's staff is true.

Tyler has been extremely obnoxious to me.

Uh, other people don't follow through.

Her chief of staff doesn't even understand the first and fourteenth amendment and refuses to speak with me.

So, you know, it's very sad they played identity politics, and anyway, so she definitely and she's not showing up at meetings, so that's not serving with integrity.

And people can call me a hater if they want.

Those are just the facts, Jack.

It's also very disappointing that this committee, I've raised numerous issues before this committee, and I'm one of those you just say thanks and move on.

Um, you got a problem with that adaptive reuse.

Now, so most of the ladies on this committee held that back.

But here's what you need to do, which Mr.

Tate was unwilling to do, and is take a full look into the charter.

Oh, I noticed yesterday, Mr.

Durha saying we're bound by the charter.

Well, even Member Callaway admitted you don't always comply with the charter.

That's painfully obvious with Charter Section 7-201.

We don't have a proper functioning health department, but also you the planning department and member Johnson, you're on that.

You cannot keep having these meetings and violate Charter 6-205.

And take a look into it.

You got LPD, you got the law department, and frankly, you can't implement that adaptive reuse because you violate the the planning committee.

I think the planning commission also did it, but for sure the planning committee violated Charter 6-205.

So you cannot implement that law.

It's legal.

And when you ignore me, it just shows, I mean, that sounds like more First Amendment retaliation because you respond to some people and other people you don't.

Thank you.

Mr.

Clark, if you will please let the record reflect that member waters has joined us.

Clerk will show up.

Thank you.

And before we proceed to the next caller, I'd like to call the 1025 interview to order and recess it to the call of the chair.

We are back at general public comment, and who do we have next?

Our next caller is Cindy Dara.

Cindy Dara, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Hello.

Yeah.

Uh last night I made a public comment and I didn't get to finish it.

I had four minutes, but what I wanted to say about the whole thing about them not recognizing me as a writing candidate and counting my votes.

When uh we went over there and found out they had uh they gave us the wrong list when Joanne asked for the list.

Well, I said that last night.

This is uh the Thursday after the deadline that we had to file those things.

And you know that I I've been coming on council and telling people how to do a writing campaign.

I've been telling people I'm a write-in candidate, and they they said I lost my paperwork.

They're claiming I didn't do it.

I did do it, and I want you to bring have the uh Detroit election commission meet with Mary Sheffield, the lawyer from the city, and and uh the the city clerk and have this guy testify, the one that I gave the papers to and sign them.

He needs to testify on their own.

And that's all I'm asking for is do that.

Do that because we went down there, they didn't even give out that list to a lady who went and asked for the right unless it's the election department on on election day.

That's against the law.

They're breaking the law right and left.

They don't even know what their own law that they're supposed to be doing.

They don't change train their staff right, and and um they named it.

Clear this up.

I've been campaigning since March for City Council or for city clerk, because I want to promote approval voting.

Electionscience.org.

Please look at that website and tell people use your leadership.

Tell them do thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Tyson Gersh.

Tyson Gersh, you have two minutes for general public comment.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes.

Thanks.

Uh I guess first I just wanted to say thank you guys for tabling or removing the the three really really big uh, or I guess the two really big zoning amendment um text amendment packages that it was too much too fast, and uh it's nice to see council respond to the public.

Um Joanne is right about the charter.

Um that rule exists to specifically avoid the situation that we were all just put in.

Massive um like text amendment packages are not allowed under the charter.

It's gotta be one thing at a time.

I know the city's done historically a few of these packages, and they were I mean, I wasn't there, but I assume people didn't throw like a uh a fit over it because the standards were reasonable, but the sixth general it's too much into one thing.

Um there I know you know we get like so limited on these public comments.

We're supposed to have a fair shot at legislative hearings, which is what these public hearings are.

Um you can't put 200 pages of changes into one thing and then give people 30 seconds or even two minutes to respond to 200 pages of stuff.

Just I know it's tedious and burdensome, and it's kind of like our own fault for waiting this long, but it's gotta just be one item at a time, not one full chapter being amended, it just one change at a time.

Pet crematoriums, putt putt golf courses, parking, like those are all such different subjects.

And I don't think anybody could reasonably disagree with that.

That's all.

Thank you.

The next caller, Madam Chair, that was our last caller for virtual public comment.

All right, thank you.

So we will now turn back to our in-person um public commenters, and we had three or four hands that were raised.

If you will take one of the chairs right in front of you, sir, were you planning to speak as well?

We can start with the gentleman in the with the lions Detroit Lions um attire on.

If you will touch the base of the microphone, the light on the microphone will turn green before you start speaking, and you have two minutes for general public comment.

Good morning.

My name is Michael Viegas.

I'm the owner of GNM contracting.

I provided you with uh I thought each one of you has got a folded manila envelope like this with um there's uh my contract with Gyangas in there, a list of properties that are open that have no concrete there, and a list of all my invoices that that are outstanding with him.

Um first I want to know um who's responsible to pay if if there's no bond.

Um he's he's not gonna pay, of course.

He hasn't paid in months.

He ain't gonna pay.

He keeps saying he's gonna pay, gonna pay, gonna pay.

He never paid.

Also, what also to me, what is alarming is um the list that I provided you is highlighted in um several streets, and there's one street that has 26 properties that are wide open, no sidewalks, very unsafe since July.

So the children in the neighborhood can't go outside and run around because if they trip and fall and they fall on one of my stakes from the forms, they're gonna get impaled and possibly die.

The the residents can't park in front of their houses because the curbs are removed and not poured back.

18 inches wide, two foot deep, they can't park their cars in front of their house where they pay their taxes.

And not just that.

The kids now where they go for the bus stop, but they ain't got no sidewalk to stand on.

So how do we move forward to get this done?

I'm I can't continue to do the work he owes me 274,000.

Out of 325.

Now, how how do we move forward to get this done to make the community safe for the residents for their children, for their grandchildren, possibly your grandchildren?

Who knows which street?

But there's a list of residents, a list that I provided.

Where do we go?

What happened with the bond?

I might not make Thanksgiving, right?

Does that conclude?

Thank you.

Um, so thank you for sharing this information with us.

The I just looked up one of the addresses.

It looks like they are all in District Six.

Um, we'll get this information to the administration to our uh construction and demolition department to work through addressing the outstanding issues and those uh were you indicating that there are openings, holes with no feel.

48.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Um so we'll get this information.

And did you provide your if you didn't provide your contact information?

Will you please share it with my team member?

And we will um follow up with you.

Thank you, madam chair.

Member Callaway, yes, sir.

Um, through yourself to the gentleman who just spoke.

Were you here yesterday during the meeting?

Yes, I was.

Okay, so you heard my request in terms of making sure every subcontractor gets paid.

So so I can't go back and forth.

I can't go back and forth with you, but I want you to know what I'm going to do is I called our corporation counsel yesterday, and I called our um director of contracts and procurement, and um I need your information as well.

So this is my staff person.

I'd like for you to also share your information um with her before you leave, and she'll also give you my information.

Um, because I do have information I'd like to share with you offline.

Okay, but I did make that comp comment about possibly not having a Thanksgiving, something as basic as that.

So I know you got that from me because you were here yesterday.

Thank you very much, and we're gonna look out for you.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Uh my name is Marie, and I want to start out.

I'm just gonna kind of piggyback off of what Michael over here said.

I was here at the meeting yesterday at the 2 p.m.

meeting.

Um, and I was very worried when I heard everybody very concerned more on a different subject, like what was gonna go on, you know, like suspension and whatnot.

I was worried about all of us subcontractors and all of us who you know did this work for the city of Detroit, right?

Um, and then I heard you guys mention, and then I heard you mention, you know, you wanted to get Brian McKenney paid, who is the owner of Guianga.

Um at this point, Brian has been paid either hundreds of thousands of dollars or perhaps even in the millions, and he has failed to pay us subcontractors who have completed the work, right?

So, and he um we're just small mom and pop shops, right?

So, and he was granted this $60 million job from the city of Detroit and bragged about not having bonds.

How is it possible?

I'm not sure because when I called different bond companies to find out, you know, about Brian, they said, Oh, yeah, he has bonds, but none of them pertain to the city of Detroit.

So, how is it that a $60 million job bond was not like you know, there wasn't a bond that was gotten, you know.

Um, I agree with the fact that if you guys want to give Brian the money, go ahead and give him the money, but please authorize uh third uh party check so that we can be on there as well.

So he doesn't just go and run off with that money because that's what he's been doing in the past.

He's been saying we're gonna pay you, we're gonna pay you, and then he doesn't give us the money back, right?

So I am with GNM Contracting Services.

We've performed several jobs for the city of Detroit over the years, and we worked for other companies, not just Guyanga, doing the same things.

We never had issues in the past collecting payment from Detroit, other than with Brian McKenney, who is Gaianga owner.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And um, so our focus yesterday was very specific, uh, and that's why we were having that conversation.

I think there are certainly questions that need to be answered by the administration by the uh construction and demolition department.

Uh, and so we will be sure to pose those questions to the administration and get a response because it is you all have noted uh things that are standard practice.

Um, so we need to understand what actually transpired uh for us to be able to move forward.

But thank you, Madam Chair, Member Calloway.

First of all, thank you for your service.

Thank you for the services that you've provided to the city through being a subcontractor, and um what has happened has it's it's unfortunate, and and of course, you know, it's under investigation right now.

You heard that it's an ongoing investigation and could probably take another turn.

So we appreciate all the service that you have provided to the city, and we anticipate that um, you know, hopefully there is a silver lining in all of this where you will receive the payment that you um that you earned that you work for.

So thank you so much.

Yeah.

Hey, and good morning, sir.

Good morning.

I'm Jeff Andrews from Valley Transport.

Uh, yes, we did work for Gayanga also uh from October 28, 24 to May 19th, 25.

Uh he owes us over uh 690 873 48 cents.

Every time we ask, we always got the runaround that Detroit has not paid him yet, and come to find out yesterday, he has been paid.

Um we received little increments here and there and kept getting strung along until we said enough was enough.

Uh, we proceeded with attorney, and the attorney went after the bond, and we kept getting the run around from the city.

Um, they kept saying it was a you know they send it to different uh areas, and it just kept getting encircled.

And then just before the election, he was told it'll be a couple weeks, there's two bonds out on them, and then after the election, they said there was none.

Um we uh sorry about that.

Uh, we talked to uh or we sent some uh paperwork in to you know to the city trying to get the bonds or whatever, and uh I can't read the uh Latonia Limit emailed us and asked us to refrain from including the city staff in the discussion.

Okay, so if we're not allowed to ask the city because the city was the one that employed Brian or Gayanga, and the city is the one that pays him, then who are we supposed to talk to about the situation, especially if there's no bond or how do we get paid?

Oh, I got a lot of seconds.

And then um uh as to your question uh yesterday because you were talking about who got paid and who didn't.

Uh he has not paid thank you, sir.

Us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And if you can share the email or any information um that is specific uh relative to um work that was completed that you have not received payment for uh as well as your contact information, we will um get responses for you as well and follow up with you.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

All right, that now concludes our general public comment.

And I'd like to call to order the 1035 interview and recess it to the call of the chair.

All right, we are now back to our agenda.

And good morning, Member Waters.

Good morning.

Is there a motion on the minutes?

We had to do the minutes.

Motion to approval hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

All right, and now I'd like to call back to order our 1025 interview.

The 1025 interview is for Miss Alexa Bush for the Economic Development Corporation.

If you will please join us here at the table.

And once you get settled, if you will please touch the base of the microphone, please introduce yourself for the record.

Good morning to this honorable body through the chair.

My name is Alexa Bush.

I'm the director for the planning and development department.

Good morning, and thank you for joining us in person.

Will you please share with us your background and how it lends itself to the economic development corporation?

Through the chair, I'd be happy to speak to this.

In addition to that, I've spent another six years working in PDD on a number of initiatives citywide.

A lot of this work has been around things like the strategic neighborhood fund, supporting planning around efforts like the Joe Lewis Greenway.

Our team also supports the community benefits ordinance processes, and so have had the opportunity not only to work pretty deeply in neighborhoods across the city and really understand the needs that we have to continue to support economic opportunity and workforce development through our neighborhoods across the city, but also to have the experience to work adjacent to a number of the larger job centers in Detroit and to think about both how do we expand opportunities and access for Detroiters to be there, but also how do we think about best integrating this type of activity in our neighborhoods.

How does that impact streets?

How does it impact traffic?

How does it impact the look and feel?

How can it give us opportunity to address you know blighted areas, areas that this might be publicly owned that we're really working to try and manage.

All right, excellent.

Thank you for that.

And you have, I believe, been involved in planning studies that have taken place within the city.

Um talk to me about community engagement and community engagement through this entity as well.

Through the chair, we'd be happy to speak to this.

Um yes, so in the planning department, um, I joined back in 2015 when we were really restructuring our whole team after bankruptcy.

Um, and I think one of the things that we recognized was critical in this moment was not only to go out and do engagement and to do neighborhood planning and strategic planning in a way that the city just had not had the capacity to do in some time, um, but also to take quite seriously the need to build trust through that process, right?

That we we really can't do this work without building those relationships and really delivering on the things that we talk about with residents.

I think that there is a lot of opportunity in the city.

We've seen an amazing growth.

We have a lot of work yet to do.

Um, but I think it's really critical, and I think what our team does in planning is to think about how to help residents shape the vision of what they want to see, how to translate different concepts.

Some of those might be spatial concepts, right?

We create renderings, we create plans, sometimes we'll model things one-to-one scale with residents, right?

Just to help people understand and have the agency to make good choices about what they want to see in their neighborhoods.

Um, I think that that ability, you know, there's financial tools we use.

We use bonds, we use tax incentives, we use grants of different kinds.

Um, these can be quite abstract.

I think when you're when you're looking at a pro forma and a balance sheet, you build some familiarity with it.

I think what we've really tried to do in planning is to help translate that with partners, the mayor's office, the DEGC, into ways that make sense that take the jargon out and really make it plain to people what what is at stake.

Um I think that type of approach and really respecting and meeting people where they are is critical to this work moving forward.

That we do want to see greater investment in the city.

We do want to see increases in opportunities, more jobs in the city and attracting the types of businesses and industries that will really make us thrive, and to find a way to do that in a win-win that really helps meet communities where they are and increases opportunities for Detroiters who are here.

Thank you for that.

Can you just speak to how do you allow for authentic um engagement and input from the residents while giving because sometimes I've seen where residents may need some examples, um, providing those examples, but also giving them the ability to think outside of the box and not feel like they are given just a handful of examples that they have to select from.

Um another great question, and I think finding that right mix can vary, and it even varies by neighborhood and what that might look like.

Um I think what our team tries to do again is to really one um think about, especially for design investment and sort of the physical investments that might happen in a place that might be you know, reinvestment into a new job center that might look like something else, um, to really think about how we start to visualize what it could be and offer feasible alternatives.

Um, one of the tools we really try to use as like a before and after image to allow people to situate, you know, here's what something could look like set within your current environment.

You know, is it too big?

Is it too small?

Actually, now that you're looking at it, do you have a completely different understanding of it?

We try to create um in partnership with teams, visuals, graphics, and supports to help people get that mental picture of what something can look like.

I think also um with different projects, we do try to bring case studies and we also try to think about them being local as well, so that you know we can show you something that's happening in Chicago.

We can show you what's happening in in Nashville, um, but we also try to think of examples that might even be in Detroit or at least in the metro, and have there be places that people can go and see it.

Um I know for instance, uh working early on some of the streetscape projects, which were new to the city.

We tried to think about, you know, here are things that are working in cities across the world, like we think we deserve the best in Detroit and to get to pick and choose of what's out there, but really what works for us.

We also tried to lift up local other places.

Um we looked at different commercial districts in the suburbs that we know sometimes deterters might have gone to, but to say, hey, like go drive out to nine mile, right?

Go see what it feels like.

What does it mean to park on the curb there?

Is it too tight?

Is it too wide?

But to think about um where it's possible to reduce barriers for people to get out and see things in an embodied way, we think is a really powerful tool for giving people the opportunity to see what it feels like and really respond based on um their own insights and their own experience of what that could be.

Thank you for that.

And I do just want to say a lot of times um design is addressing a number of different things, uh, and residents don't necessarily understand that.

So they may look at design and say, oh, you're doing this for a certain group of people.

Um, and I think it would be beneficial to really help share why it's being done in those conversations.

So thank you.

Colleagues.

Member Waters, thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Um, well, first of all, I'm I'm happy to hear you say that you will do community engagement is something that I felt I've always felt very strong about.

Um I mean, to the point that as you and Madam Chair was discussing, you know, giving the people an opportunity to try to tell you what they'd like to see in their neighborhood, and you to figure out how we get it done, or tell them why it can't be done, you know, show them and I just don't want to see people blown off anymore and say, well, you know, we know what's best for your neighborhood uh instead of including them.

I I think that is so absolutely critical that we always always keep that in mind, and so I I I hope that we can begin to be proactive when it comes to um you know, those neighborhoods that are asking for grocery stores, sometimes people don't have have transportation to get out of those neighborhoods.

Uh retail, and I know some people are discussing grocery stores and retail always come up all the time when I'm when I'm out in the community.

So I think that that we have to take a very, very hard look at that.

How how do we get it done?

And and you'd be surprised.

There's some people who who uh in those neighborhoods who are willing to to do exactly that, but they need some help in making that happen.

And um this other big issue uh for me.

Retirees uh housing for retirees.

We're losing them because we don't have anything to offer them.

You know, um so many of them find what they're looking for.

Just uh, I mean, nothing, nothing fancy, but I've had them to tell me now for the past four or five years is you know, I just want to be able to live in a in a in a in a community, you know, of retirees feel safe even if that community is gated.

Um, and this might not be um something um that you'll be working on.

I I don't know, but I I wanted to put that out there because I think we are really missing the market.

We're losing population as a result of those kinds of things.

So and you might know some developers who are willing to do exactly that.

We have a lot of land in this city for one, you know, so there's no reason for us not to identify ways to to make those happen.

And folks don't want any high rises, okay.

I mean, I think we have enough of those, and and it's and it's and and people just don't want to see them anymore.

So I hope that we can focus on um all of those kinds of things.

Anyway, that's my two cents worth.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any response, reflection on what member waters said?

Through the chair, yes.

I mean, I think in particular, one of the programs that um I think is a really powerful opportunity in the EDC that um we've worked very adjacent to in planning, especially with strategic neighborhood fund, are both things like the green grocer funding as well as um a lot of businesses through Motor City Match.

Um again, that doesn't solve entirely, right?

Um, I think what you're addressing and the magnitude of what that is, but I do think there are some ways to your point to figure out how to help those types of amenities and services land in a sustainable way, right?

Um, because I'm really sensitive too to the risk that some of those entrepreneurs are taking on, especially where we are trying to really support entrepreneurship as a pathway for detracters and knowing the mix of um you know entrepreneurs who've come in in Motor City Match, and majority are you know, Detroit residents, majority are women, and a majority are um people of color that to set them up for success, I think is really important and finding that balance of yes, how do we deliver these services, how do we do them in neighborhoods, how do we lift up entrepreneurs' ideas, but how do we keep them open in your 510, 1520 and working to figure out how to how to do that both I think in the in the financing and I think what I might bring to the table is thinking about the other land use considerations to make that successful, whether that is you know how many households adjacent or otherwise.

If I could just uh thank you, madam chair.

Um, when you mentioned the entrepreneurs, and I thought, well, okay, that that's really uh good because you have a have a lot of talent in this city.

Uh people who just some people have this talent, they don't know how to start a business, um, they don't know how to sustain a business.

And I think um some of the things that we've been doing as a team here amongst us is you know those minority business summits that that we've been doing uh on an annual basis and and the and the workshops uh also started the program called uh next up 313 uh that helps young people from the bit between the ages of 18 and 35.

It's it's a focus, although it's my understanding that they don't turn people down if they're a little older.

They uh they assist them as well.

So um, so we we do have the talent, and I'm happy to hear that you say that we might that we might find a way to lift up people who are who are really trying to to get it done.

And you know, when it comes to home repairs and those kinds of things, we are some very talented people, but we've got to get them to the point where they become registered vendors with the city so that they can help us do the work, and then that way they're earning some of their tax dollars because they live here and they're extremely talented.

So thank you, madam chair, and thank you.

Thank you.

Member Callaway, thank you, and good morning, Miss Bush.

Um thank you for your interest in serving in this capacity.

Um lifelong Detroiter.

And I've always I've always found it kind of um interesting that we don't have a target as large as we are.

We don't have a Walmart as large as we are.

We don't have an Aldi's.

I know there's probably one on the east side, but we don't have enough of them because I know I know I'm gonna hear somebody say that we got one on the east side.

We don't have a Costco's, we don't have a drop uh Ross Dress for Less, um, which are popping up all over the place.

We don't have a Burlington co-factory popping up all over the place.

Maybe somewhere on the east side or elsewhere in the city, there is a Burlington.

We don't even have a TJ Maxx that I'm aware of.

I know we got a Marshall's at Eight Mile and Woodward.

We talk about walkable communities.

Where are we gonna walk to?

The liquor store, the gas station, because that's what you're gonna walk to in Detroit.

And that's so it's so unfortunate and it saddens me.

Um when I go to Chicago, when I go to um Atlanta, Atlanta has a Walmart.

Atlanta has a couple targets.

Atlanta is not as large as we are.

We have nothing in this city that we can hang our hat on.

We talk about affordable housing, that's great.

But when you build the affordable housing, they're gonna have to have transportation because they're gonna have to go outside of their community to get a Walmart.

They're gonna have to go out of their uh apartment building to get a target, whether you like Target or not, or whether or not you protest it and boycott it, they're still around.

So that's what I'm interested in in January 2026 in my next four years.

We need to fix that.

There is no reason why this city does not have one store anywhere, they're all in the suburbs.

And I also find it interesting, I think about it often.

If black folks would stop going just one day, two days to Target in Dearborn or Target and Softbill, what do you think would happen to those targets?

Because when you go there, they always ask you for your zip code because they want to know where you're coming from.

They want to know how far you're traveling to shop at their Walmart or their target.

So we need to fix it.

We have the land.

We just use 256 of those acres for solar farms.

We should we we have to be intentional if we want to have walkable neighborhoods, where do you want the people to walk to?

Because right now, pretty much downtown, you they're setting it up where it's walkable, but not the neighborhoods, in spite of what you see on some strips like East Warren, Avenue of Fashion, maybe, but not as expansive as it needs to be.

So, what do you say about one of the stores that I mentioned not being anywhere in the city?

And that is just not the case in every major city across this country.

They can go to a Target, they can go to a Burlington, they can go to a Walmart, they can.

They can go to a Kroger.

We'll only, I mean, I don't know where Kroger is.

I know there's one at Eight Mile in Wyoming.

I don't know where another one is in the city.

That's not that's Ferndale.

And then we finally got a Myers, we got two, and they're the most profitable ones because now they're expanding the one where I live at Eight Mile and Woodward because they're making so much money.

I understand it's one of the most profitable ones in the state.

Oh, let's talk about Home Depot at Myers and Seven Mile.

Know what I'm talking about statistically, it's one of the most profitable Home Depots in the city.

But we don't have a Menard's.

But right there in Lavonia at Middle Belt, they got a Menards, they got a Low's and a Home Depot and a Marshall's and a dollar store, but not Detroit.

But you know who's over there shopping?

Our zip codes.

And so we got to fix that.

We have to be intentional about bringing some of those stores to this city.

There is no reason why we should have to continue to go outside of our city except for liquor.

And now our gasoline stations are mini markets.

And now our gasoline stations are delis and they fry chicken.

Oh, I don't even know if they're licensed to do that.

They have transport gasoline stations to be your walk-in, one-stop shop.

Not anywhere else.

Now you can get frisked, you can get crispy fried chicken at your gasoline station.

I wouldn't eat any chicken out of a gasoline station, but because we're food desert, that's where we're forced to shop.

So we need to fix it.

I'm gonna pound it and pound it until I can get some traction with it, but there's no reason why, as large as the city is, we're forced to shop.

I think it's intentional, because if we were to stop shopping at some of these stores that are um border to Detroit, they would collapse because they depend on our dollars, they depend on us to keep them afloat.

That's why you keep seeing all these stores pop up, because they're getting enriched off of our dollars.

I see it, and I'm hoping people are listening.

But if Atlanta and Chicago can do it in Philly, they got it.

We don't.

We don't.

So we had a long way to go.

I thank you for um listening.

I thank you for your willingness to serve, but that's I'm not talking about affordable housing.

That's all we talk about.

And then walkable neighborhood, where are they gonna walk to?

In the neighborhoods.

I'm not talking about Corktown, downtown, Midtown.

I'm not talking about that.

That's structurally, that's we're being intentional about certain areas in the city because we know who we're trying to attract.

But those of us who live in the neighborhoods, we want a walkable experience as well.

And I'm gonna continue to talk about that for the next four years.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Miss Bush.

Thank you.

Yeah, through the chair, I'll just pick up a little bit.

Um, because yes, I agree.

I mean, I think our in the planning department working toward that walkability where everyone has access is absolutely something that we think about every day and work on, but I think you raise a really important um about sort of retailability and particular national retailers.

Um I think in in my experience and I more work on the you know planning design entitlement piece of that, um, you know, I think one of the obstacles that we face, I do not agree with it, but um, some of the way I think that the national retailers do their underwriting and look at pro forma is disadvantages us unfairly.

And I think what you're describing are dynamics of that market.

Um, I think there are other things we are working to do in the city around, you know, rebuilding neighborhoods, supporting transit, um streetscapes infrastructure investment that helps change that perception with some of those national retailers.

I mean, you mentioned um the two Myers that operate in the city as a grocer that are quite high value.

I think at a certain point, those numbers and cents will make some of these other perception challenges less and less ability for them to stand behind.

Um, but I do think the the national retail market has been a challenging point for us that a lot of the team um beyond planning, you know, the mayor's office team, economic development teams are all thinking about and conversations about and working to build um continue to build up the city in a way that we can break through some of that perception challenge in the way that they they underwrite in the national level.

Yeah.

Um, through the chair to yourself, Miss Bush.

I I I guess I find it interesting that smaller municipalities haven't been around for the hundreds of years that we have.

They sprung out of this city, and um are um our suburban partners, how are they been so successful with getting those um large stores?

I don't understand it.

I I really don't, and our population is larger.

Um so it's intentional.

It's intentional.

We all know it's intentional, and so it forces us to leave this city so we can help uplift and undergird other municipalities that will probably fail if we will stop shopping in their communities.

But we can't stop shopping because then what are our options?

We don't have them.

We have gasoline stations and liquor stores.

That's our option.

And now some of the um gasoline stations are selling cloth clothing.

Yeah.

So thank you, madam chair.

Thank you, Ms.

Bush.

Thank you.

Um so for clarification, East Warren has no retail, no retail.

We continue to get restaurant at the restaurant, and I've said you eat once and then you go home.

So that within itself does not create walkable communities.

Um we really have to figure out how to do retail, how to attract retail.

Within that, there was um discussion about a target maybe a couple years ago.

Now it was in the midtown area, but that didn't happen.

Do we know why that didn't happen?

Uh is it because of disposable income?

Well, I don't think that would have been the issue.

Yeah.

Uh yeah, through the chair, I mean, my understanding across the board is that we have found even the retail market at large is changing a lot.

I think a lot of this has changed since the pandemic.

I think the the rise of you know, online shopping in various ways has really changed what retail looks like, and I think has been a challenge.

I mean, I think we see this in Detroit, but it's nationwide.

Um, if you look at downtowns across the country right now, they're really struggling with this challenge of like what does it mean for retail and what are those margins?

Where and how are people working?

Um, I don't know that there's quite a silver bullet for how to address that challenge, but it is something that we're actively thinking about.

I think it is something that you know, when there is a disruption like that, there's an opportunity to rethink and reinvent what it looks like, and I think it does in some ways give us an opportunity, given how much the team here at the city has tried to think about what is economic recovery mean, how do we do things differently in Detroit?

Um, that you know, I would say we just keep tackling it, but it is something that is a changing dynamic nationally that that retail is a really challenging business at the moment.

Um tariffs in the mix, like there's a lot of confounding factors, I think, for why it's hard to find and why um it's been a challenge to see that scale of business um thrive in a way that I think we would love to see it.

Thank you for that.

I I would say that I think the DEGC may need to pivot what they focus on as well.

It would be great to see smaller businesses that provide that have some level of a retail component to them, not just everything being a restaurant.

Um, especially when you are helping them to uh locate in a particular area where there's already a variety of restaurants that exist.

I continue to say what encourages a resident to go to that particular corridor and walk in within that corridor.

15 restaurants does not do it.

There has to be some retail that encourages them to walk from their home to that corridor that's nearest to them, and then to continue walking because they have places that they can purchase things from and not just dinner, not just lunch.

Um, even if it was okay, I have a pharmacy here, I have somewhere to get toiletries, just a variety of things.

We're we're not seeing that, um, but I think we could see more of that if the DEGC was focused more on retail and supporting small business retail establishments.

So that's that's my 15 cents.

Um the only reason I brought up East Warren because I remember last year I had brought up that Detroit didn't have an audience, and you corrected me and said, Oh, we do, so I just imagine I see a lot on Warren.

I've never seen an audience, but I know you said you have one in your district, so that's amazing because we don't have one.

We have one across um Eight Mile Inferndale that we have to um travel to, but um to to this discussion.

I'm very serious about, and I I know what you said, I don't agree with you, Miss Bush on all that you said because you're saying, you know, about the larger retailers where they're they're building Burlington Co Factory, they have three new ones right outside of the city.

Costco's, they have a brand new one in Northland Mall.

We got other probably things from Northland Mall that we didn't bargain for, maybe, maybe not, but they got a Costco's.

We got nothing.

We have nothing in this city that we can point to and go and shop.

Oh, I forgot we do have a Myers on Jefferson.

I think they call, I don't know what kind of Myers, it's like a mini Myers.

So we do have three because it's profitable.

You can make it here, you can make money here.

People know that.

We just don't want all these sports arenas.

People come in, drink, eat, and then they go home.

They don't shop here.

Their experience is here for a limited number of hours.

How why would you stay in Detroit for a whole day?

You'd come here for a game or a concert, eat and you go home, drink and then go home.

Right?

But there's no shopping experience limited on woodwork.

We don't have any of the larger stores that we as a city deserve.

I'm asking for it.

Every time I go to Atlanta, I cannot believe all that they have, and we have nothing.

And I am complaining.

I am complaining because I've been elected four more years to complain.

And I'm gonna continue my complaining until we do better in the city by the people who live here and have stuck it out.

And I'm one of those people that I'm fighting for.

So it's no reason why the city of Detroit should not have a target or Walmart or Costco's or Burlington, all Ross dressed for less, they're popping up, they're popping up all over the place.

I don't know if you know, but I travel a lot, and I I I take pictures, I'm like, wow, I can only envision it for Detroit one day.

Because I see who's in there is black women in their shopping.

They look like me, and we don't have those options here in the city where we live.

Do you think we don't want that?

Do you think we want to travel to Southville?

Heavens forbid, Livonia to go and shop, but we have to because we have no options in our city.

And I do believe it's deliberate, and I do believe it's intentional.

But you want to go watch a basketball game, football, not women's basketball.

Oh, come to Detroit, drink, get drunk, eat, get full, and leave.

That's your Detroit experience.

Limit it, but nowhere if you don't want to go to a sports arena, nowhere for you to shop.

Not really.

In and out, H A, HM, Gucci around the corner.

Very limited, you know.

But we'll keep working on it.

I'll keep complaining about it, and um somebody will tell me to come up with some solutions.

I just did.

We have a lot of bacon land.

We got a lot of people who shop at all these stores.

I listed, I listed them because I I know who shops there.

And they're building because they know we're gonna come.

Let's just test it and see if we built something here.

Would we come?

Because we're definitely going to Lavonia.

We're going.

We're going.

And you know when you when we go in those stores who we see.

Thank you, ma'am chair.

Thank you.

And Director Bush, um, I think your insight and experience with the planning department really helps to shape what the economic development corporation does, their focus, their vision.

So I think it's great that you are interested and willing to serve there.

I hope that you will be a dominant voice on the board because I think that's needed.

I think the work that you've done, the connection to the community that you've had, what we have shared as it relates to our expectations, our desires, you're aware of those.

So I would love to see a direction shift slightly within the Economic Development Corporation and the DEGC and the work that is being done.

How do we take the tools that we have to get us where we would like to be?

Walkable neighborhoods throughout the city of Detroit that Detroit residents patronize the types of businesses that they utilize on a daily basis.

How do we get that in our neighborhoods?

Because then that addresses the transportation issue.

If I can walk around the corner from my house to still go and purchase the things that I need for my family.

All right.

We're not putting everything on your plate, but we recognize the role that you can have on this particular board.

With that, is there anything that you'd like to share with us as we wrap up the interview?

Through the chair, no, thank you.

I think it's been a really good discussion.

I think you know, I agree.

I would say not yet, right?

I think we've seen a lot of progress in this city, and I'm excited to see you know what the next decade can bring for here.

Um thank you for the time this morning and the opportunity for a discussion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Chair.

Member Calloway.

Thank you.

Miss Bush and Miss Perkins next.

I hope that you've heard some of what I've said.

Um I'm very serious that um that we get one of these stores.

At least work on it, because there's no reason why we shouldn't have it.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Miss Bush.

Thank you.

Colleagues.

Without objection, I'd like to combine line item five and line item 8.2, which is the resolution to appoint Director Alexa Bush to the Economic Development Corporation.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line items five and eight point two to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Again, thank you so much for your time and for the conversation.

That now concludes our 1025 interview.

For the economic development corporation.

Good morning.

Please introduce yourself for the record.

Good morning.

I'm Crystal Perkins, the director of the General Services Department.

Thank you so much.

And again, I always like to start out asking for individuals to share their background, and if you can connect it to the Economic Development Corporations Board, please do.

Sure.

I've been director of the General Services Department for over two years now.

I've been with the city 18 years this past October.

I've been in roles where I've led major public-facing operations.

That's anywhere from parks to blight remediation, recreation center, capital projects.

And when operations, maintenance, and community impact is is the result of what really happens after those economic development decisions.

I mean, that's when really when the groundwork starts.

And in GSD, we do a lot of major capital projects.

We engage the community before we do any park planning.

We have several meetings, sometimes five or six meetings, to engage the community to make sure they understand the options.

Like it was stated earlier.

If there's something that they want that we just cannot do, we do explain why, but we also give them several options and try to help cultivate what they would like to see in their neighborhood.

I also feel that I am committed to equitable development.

All right, thank you so much for that.

And I know that you are a Detroit resident, and you have probably some of the same challenges that we all have as it relates to where you shop for your just basic items for you, your family.

And so just looking forward to those personal experiences to help shape how the city moves forward, how the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation moves forward and the like.

So thank you for that.

I think you you all have done an amazing job with the parks.

Create a desire for economic development opportunities within our neighborhoods because I know it's not just the retail corridor, it's the residential, it's the experience in our neighborhood.

So now that we're here with our parks, how do we go to that next step?

How do we ensure that economic development is thriving as our parks are, right?

Um so certainly looking forward to that, looking forward to your insight, your input and being involved in that conversation to help shape what our neighborhoods look like moving forward.

Thank you.

Thank you, colleagues.

Member Callaway.

Thank you.

Thank you, member.

Um, Madam Chair, um Director Perkins.

This gives me an opportunity just to thank you for being one of the best directors, um, department heads in this city that I've ever met and I've ever worked with.

Um, you are accountable, you're transparent, you're you are responsive.

Um you will come out to a site, you stop what you're doing.

Most times you get the trees cut down, you do everything.

You were handling that fleet, don't know why it was taken from you because you were doing an amazing job.

Maybe that can change, but you managed it well.

And you have multiple departments in one department, and you do it all very well.

Um, you have even come to parks in District 2 and did walkthroughs, 7 o'clock in the morning, 8 o'clock in the morning.

You come to all of the events.

If you're not there, you send representatives.

You are accountable, and you're easy to reach out to, you call right back, you'll step out of for me.

You have stepped out of a meeting.

I hear the meeting going, you at least acknowledge it, and you go back.

I just appreciate you so much.

You are just an amazing leader.

I don't need to tell you that.

Um you heard what I was saying to Miss Bush.

You have the same experience.

You have to leave where you live, you do, like me.

You have to leave to find a target.

You have to leave Detroit.

You gotta leave Detroit to go to a Walmart if you shop there.

I do.

You have to leave Detroit to get to TJ Maxx.

You have to leave Detroit to get to most of those stores I mentioned earlier.

You heard me.

I'm serious about that.

You know, um, I'm very serious.

So, whatever you can do in your new role, um, and I'm so glad that you are um agreeing to serve in this capacity.

Just shake the bushes.

Atlanta, maybe we need to all visit Atlanta and just kind of walk through and see what we can see for ourselves.

They have transformed a Sears.

I remember one of my family members um took me to Sears, and they didn't tear it down.

They repurposed it.

Now it's a whole retail center.

And you can see that the original beams and and just the columns, the still columns that held the building up.

They didn't really gut it, they preserved as much as they cooked, but they built around it and built in it.

They have restaurants, clothing, just all kind of beautiful things in a Sears building.

But anyway, um, what do you say to what I've said earlier regarding those stores, those large stores that are everywhere else but in Detroit?

So through the chair, um to member Callaway, I agree.

We do need more residential, more walkable stores that in our neighborhoods that the um residents can go and shop at.

Um, I think you know you mentioned earlier that they're expanding the Myers on A Mel and Will I I was very grateful when they put that Myers there because as you know it's not too far from my home, and that is where I shop, and I do believe that if we get these stores in our city, we will we will patronize them.

Um you mentioned Home Depot being uh on Seven Mile Myers being the top uh Home Depot store in the region, it's actually in the uh Tri-State area.

We used to um purchase our wood from that Home Depot.

So I have a very good relationship with the um ProDest team there, and and every time they get a new uh store manager, they want to make sure I'm introduced to them.

Um we, the city of Detroit, were their biggest customer at one point when um we had the board-up operation that was actively um boarding up houses and structures in the city.

Um, and so I think what retailers need to realize is that yes, Detroit, we are on a comeback, and I know we will continue the trajectory that we have been on.

Um, but what they need to realize is that Detroiters will patronize their business.

We will because we do it now, as you mentioned, going outside of the city for the things that we need, and to make the um products that we need, the services and the goods more accessible to us, we'll make our dollar go further because we won't have to leave our neighborhood to get it.

Thank you so much.

And um I appreciate through the chair to you, Miss Um Perkins.

Thank you so much.

Um, and um are you gonna be able to do all of this?

Because you wear so many hats.

I mean, are you gonna be able to carve out this amount of time?

I don't know how much I don't even know, you know, when you guys when this um committee meets, I don't know any of that.

But will you be able to serve?

Do you think you're gonna be able to carve out some time because you wear so many hats?

Through the chair um to member Callaway, yes, I know it sounds um, and I appreciate everything that you said um about me, and I do appreciate this opportunity.

I'm very grateful and thankful to Mary May Mayor Duggan for recommending me for this board position.

I believe this is the first of a GSE director, and I think it's a great fit.

There um the meetings are bi-weekly, about an hour, hour and a half um per meeting, and I can't carve out that time.

Um I have uh our my youngest is in the a senior in high school, so I do have a little more time on my hands, even with him being a senior, uh, because he's like Ma, leave me alone.

Um, but um, you know, I always think about when people say, What are you gonna do when your last leave?

However, it means it's serving the city.

That's what I enjoy to do.

That's what I love to do.

This is my hometown.

I'm a deep product of DPS.

Um, I went to Oakland University and to Wayne State, so I am a home girl all the way through and through, and so I do love serving my city and the residents of the city, and I would like to see us continue on the path that we are on and be even greater than what we have come from.

Through the tier team, is Perkins with you.

Um as a part of the team in the future and on in this new role as well.

I can see us still moving forward in a progressive manner in a more positive trajectory.

That's what I believe.

That's what I'm hoping and praying for.

And um maybe we can all, you know, go to one of these cities and don't go there to shop, but just go there to see how they have done what they're doing to be successful to have some of these stores that I listed, right?

Um because they're doing it, and they're smaller than we are.

They got half the residents we have, but they have more opportunities and more access.

So thank you so much.

And again, um, thank you for taking out the time to always meet with the residents in District 2.

Thank you for all that you do and um all the many hats that you wear.

You wear them all well.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Any additional questions, comments.

Seeing none, is there anything you'd like to share with us as we conclude?

Yes, um, through the chair and to members waters and calloway.

Um and Chair Johnson, I thank you for this time and this opportunity, and again, I thank Mayor Duggan for appointing me.

I think this the residents for having the trust in me, and I will continue to serve this city as best as I can for as long as I can.

Thank you.

Don't allow them to discriminate against us and and because that's what it is.

Trust me, that's what it is.

When I worked at the when I worked at the convention and visitors bureau, no matter how great the city of Detroit was and could beat out any other city in what we offered to tourists, we always got the negative press.

We always got the negative press.

And people would come here and just rave about their experience, which we saw with the NFL draft.

It took for them to come here because of what was always said about this city.

I think that is the reason that we do not have the larger retail stores in and through our city because as member Callaway indicated, Gross Point has them.

And as much as as much as Brad Dick would always talk about, we want it in our neighborhood, and we know that we would patronize it.

We just have to get them to understand that and bring it to the city of Detroit and our neighborhood.

So we look forward to you doing that hard work as well and really bringing our neighborhoods online to where our residents will be proud to say, not that they're not today, uh, but really proud to say that I live here, invite friends, family to their homes, um, who can see how great our communities are.

So thank you.

Thank you, madam chair.

Thank you, member Calloway.

One last thing.

This I love this topic, but um, we want to be uh a destination not only to come and watch sports and to dine, but to shop and explore, right?

So we have to continue the visit, not just for three hours.

We want them to be here the whole day and um take lots of bags home from all the stores that we have.

Um, because we have some retailers here that are suffering.

So anyway, thank you.

Thank you, ma'am chair.

Thank you, Miss Perkins.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you, colleagues.

Without objection, I'd like to combine line item six and line item eight point one.

Line item eight point one is the resolution to appoint Director Crystal Perkins to the Economic Development Corporations Board.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

There's a motion to send line items eight eight point one and line item six to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Madam Chair.

You can't put a waiver on it.

No, I'm just kidding.

Yes, member Callaway.

Request a waiver, but we know the mayor is listening wherever he is.

Um, I'm supposed to see him at one o'clock, but uh uh uh you may good.

Look, you did good, Mayor Duggan.

You did good, you did good with this, so with this appointment.

So thank you, Mayor Duggan.

Thank you.

Thank you, madam chair.

Thank you.

All right, colleagues.

That now brings us to line item 8.3.

Line item 8.3 is contract number 6005564-A1, 100% city funding, amendment number one to provide an increase of funds for transactional legal assistance and closing, modifying and amending federal pass-through loans under the city's multifamily affordable housing development program, contractor Budzel Long PC, contract period through June 30th, 2026.

Total contract amount 315,000.

Is there a motion to discuss?

Motion.

Discussion.

Thank you, Member Waters.

Uh, Attorney Anderson, I understand there is some information that needs to be corrected on what we have.

The uh contract increased amount for $15,000 is wrong.

That should be a zero.

This is only for an extension of time, not for an increased amount in funding.

Thank you for that.

And attorney Anderson, who shall we get a correction letter from?

Through the chair, I'll work with OCP to make sure we have a correction letter by Tuesday.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Colleagues.

Any additional discussion?

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line item 8.3 to formal pending a correction letter.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.4 is contract number 601126-812.

100% city funding.

Amendment number 12 to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for litigation services to the city of Detroit in connection with labor matters as assigned by the corporation council.

Contractor Floyd Floyd E.

Allen and Associates, contract period through December 31st, 2026.

Contract increase amount 500,000.

Colleagues, is there a motion on line item 8.4?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line item 8.4 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.5, contract number 6001653-8.

100% risk management funding.

Amendment number eight to provide an increase of funds only for reverse and non-reverse conviction invoices.

Contractor Plunkett Cooney PC.

Contract period through December.

Through December 31st, 2025.

Through December 31st, 2000.

It does say 25.

I feel like that's incorrect.

Um, we'll have a discussion about this to make sure we have our information correct.

Correct it.

Contract amount.

2 million 35,000.

Contract increase amount, 256,000.

Uh there's a motion to discuss discussion.

Attorney Anderson.

Through the chair, you're absolutely correct.

That is in error.

That should be 2026, not 2025.

All right.

It looks like we were moving so quickly to get everything done before the end of the term that we have some corrections that need to be made.

Is there a motion to send line item 8.5 to formal with a recommendation to approve pending the correction letter?

So moved.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.6.

Line item 8.6 is contract number 600 3874-4.

100% city funding.

Amendment number four to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for legal counsel for immigration employee sponsorships.

Contractor, Clark Hill, PLC, contract period through December 31st, 2026.

Contract increase amount 50,000.

Total contract amount 255,000.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss?

Discussion.

Discussion, member Callaway.

I always ask about this contract.

I ask about it every year.

And um don't get anywhere, but what are these sponsorships and you know where are these um individuals in our city working?

And why don't we have folks who live in our city or even in our state?

Um filling these vacancies or filling these positions.

So let's I guess we can talk about it, but I definitely would um don't want to move this forward until we get the get the answers.

I ask every year.

And um this this contract through the chair to Mr.

Anderson has um it expires on the 20 um on December 31st, but this is for a whole nother year.

Fourth amendment, this is city funding, these aren't grant dollars, this isn't federal money.

I just um I'm always um concerned that we outside of the country hiring people when we have people in our city and in our state who can probably do this work.

So, you know, I'm not comfortable with moving it um to formal at all, maybe another week, madam chair.

I don't know if there's any further discussion, but I have questions about this, and I is I'm just gonna pull up the ones I asked last last time and the ones prior to that.

It's the same questions.

How many sponsorships and where exactly are they?

Usually I think you tell me their technical position.

So that will be my question, uh, madam chair.

Um, how many sponsorships and um why can't we find someone in our city to fill these positions?

I know it's just an increase of um $50,000, but it's for a whole nother year.

And so anyway.

Through the chair, um, I can absolutely get uh the answer regarding how many sponsorships, although I don't know if I'm best posed to answer why we cannot find this specific talent in the city of Detroit or in the country that I would have to rely on a different department to be able to provide that response.

Okay, thank you.

Uh Attorney Anderson.

I I remember when the question came up previously, um, and to the administration, is there anyone who can address the question?

I know previously it was mentioned that DPW um had engineers, and I know we talked about the the College of Engineer in engineering schools in the state of Michigan and trying to understand if there's a connection there.

Um I do just want to indicate member Callaway that this is our final um committee meeting before the end of the year.

Okay.

Is there anyone here from the administration?

I'm not seeing anyone pop up.

Okay.

There he is.

Good morning, Mr.

Washington.

Good morning, madam chair and committee.

Um, we do not have anyone available at this time for this item.

If you'd want to bring it back at the end, I can reach out to see.

Um I believe you said DPW to see if Director Brundage can join us.

Thank you, Mr.

Washington.

And just to note that was the discussion that we had relative to this line item previously.

So I'm not certain if these um if the uh visas um are specifically for DPW or any other department.

Line item 8.6.

Colleagues, is there a motion to bring line item 8.6 back to the end of the agenda?

8.5, madam chair.

8.6.

I have 8.5.

Not unless I have a wrong agenda.

Mr.

Clerk.

I have 8.6 as well.

I have 8.6.

I have 8.5.

Okay, no problem.

But we're talking about the same one.

Mine says 8.5.

Is there a motion to bring the item back to the end of the agenda?

Motion, madam chair.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Moving on to line item 8.7.

Line item 8.7 is contract number 6001522-a eight, 100% city funding, amendment number eight to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for legal services to the city of Detroit in connection with the case of in connection with various cases.

Contractor is Seward Henderson PLLC, contract period through December 31st, 2026.

Contract increase amount 650,000 dollars.

Colleagues, is there a motion to discuss?

Motion through the chair.

Discussion.

Attorney Anderson.

That was also submitted in error.

The increase amount should be zero dollars again.

This is only for an extension of time, not an increase in funds.

Wow.

Well, that's a big one.

For an extension of time only.

Strike the $650,000.

Colleagues, is there a motion to approve line item 8.7 pending a correction letter to reflect a time only extension?

Motion.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.8.

Line item 8.8 is submitting resolution authorization for the September and October monthly report of contracts approved administratively.

Colleagues, is there a motion to discuss or receive and file?

There's a motion to receive and file line item 8.8.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.9 is contract number 600565-A3, 100% risk management funding.

Amendment number three to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for legal services for the city of Detroit in connection with tax appeals for Marathon Detroit Refinery and MGM.

Contractor Cross It Consulting and Legal Services.

Contract increase amount 100,000.

Colleagues, is there a motion to approve or discuss?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line item 8.9 to formal with the recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.10, contract number 6005896-83, 100% city funding.

Amendment number three to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for litigation services.

Contractor Foster Swift Collins and Smith PC.

Contract period through December 31st, 2026.

Contract increase amount $50,000.

Total contract amount $370,000.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line item 8.10 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.11.

Submitting report relative to placeholder regarding Kronos concrete.

The law department submitted a privileged and confidential memo regarding the above referenced matter.

Is there a motion to receive and file line item 8.11?

Motion.

Hearing no objections.

That action shall be taken.

Line item 8.12 is a settlement request and lawsuit of Jacqueline Sforbinski and Martha Wojichowski versus City of Detroit and Stephen Murdoch, Wayne County Circuit Court, case number 24-009-405-NI in the amount of $30,000.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Hearing no objections.

That action shall be taken.

Line item 8.13 is a settlement request in lawsuit of Dearborn Payne Specialist et al.

Aisha Jones versus City of Detroit.

Case number 24-004602-NF.

This is for the Department of Transportation in the amount of $25,000.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line item 8.13 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.14 is a settlement request and lawsuit of Bevel Medical Equipment.

Kevin Penn versus City of Detroit.

Case number 24-168-197-GC.

This is for the Department of Transportation.

In the amount of $2,900.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line item 8.14 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.15 is a settlement request in lawsuit of Abraham Shade versus City of Detroit.

John Glover et al.

Case number 24-014 629-NI.

And the amount of $30,000.

Motion to approve.15 to formal with the recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.16 is a settlement request in lawsuit of Michigan First Rehab.

Timmy Reese versus City of Detroit.

Case number 25-002752-NF in the amount of $4,109.44 cent.

This is for the Department of Transportation.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.17 is a case evaluation acceptance award for William and Yolanda Davis versus City of Detroit.

And Jarrett Davis, case number 24-013, 660-NI.

This is for the police department in the amount of $25,000.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line item 8.17 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.18.

Without objection, I'd like to combine line items 8.18, 8.19, and 8.20.

Colleagues, there are various questions that have been posed for these three line items.

Is there a motion to bring these line items back?

Motion.

So that will be at the the top of the year.

There's a motion to bring line items eight point eighteen, eight point nineteen, and eight point twenty back.

Hearing no objections that those actions shall be taken.

Line item eight point twenty-one.

Line item eight point twenty one is October 28th, 2025 lists of contracts subject to delegated approval.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to send line item 8.21 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

I do have some questions.

Director Stahl, I will be reaching out to you.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.22.

Submitting resolution authorization for legal services.

Attorneys for indigent individuals schedule 10.

100% grant/slash city funding.

Amendment number one to add expert witness and investigator legal services for indigent individuals.

The basic mission of the program is to provide high quality legal representation to anyone who is charged with a missed with misdemeanor crimes in the 36th district court and cannot afford to hire an attorney.

Once approved by city council, total maximum order limitation 30 million 141,587.

Discuss, madam chair.

Discussion, member Callaway.

Thank you so much, madam chair.

Um I have um a couple questions.

Um which department is this again?

This is law.

It will be this is law.

Yeah, this is the law department.

Is there anyone on if it's not Mr.

Anderson through yourself, madam chair, who can answer a couple questions regarding this five-year contract, six million dollars a year?

Um I want to know the breakdown of the grant percentage and the city percentage.

Is it matched?

Is this I just want to know and who's managing the program?

Where are the attorneys coming from?

Is it neighborhood legal services?

Is it misdemeanor defenders?

Um their program.

Who's managing this program?

Through yourself to Mr.

Anderson, madam chair.

Through the chair Graham Anderson Law Department.

I don't have the grant to city breakdown in front of me at the moment.

Um, I believe this is managed by uh attorney Ram Bondo.

Um, I can uh work what I can to uh get those answers to you as soon as possible.

Okay, Madam Chair.

Um through the chair to Mr.

Anderson.

Are these service seeks services currently being provided?

Because this is amendment number one.

Through the chair, yes.

When does that contract end?

Because it doesn't say here when the cant the current contract ends.

I don't see any dates.

So I I'm just trying to figure out it says um total maximum five years, so that's six million dollars a year because it's an over 30 million dollar contract.

I see no start date.

Um so if it's in force now, when did that contract start and has it ended?

Through the chair, I'll have to get you that information.

I don't have that information as well right now, council member.

Okay, so madam chair, if there aren't any questions from um yourself or um member waters, I'd move to bring this back.

Um do we meet next week?

We do not meet in January.

Member Callaway, can we bring it back at the end of the agenda?

I as you all can tell as I was reading this, it's it's not written up the way they are typically, and so I was wondering if there was a new person who wrote this up and clearly omitted some items, and I'm glad member Callaway asked the question.

I had the question about the breakdown in where the funding was coming from because it's strange to have 100% grant slash city funding.

That does not um it would be nice to see the breakdown of who's paying what so if we can bring it back to the end of the agenda and see if those items can be addressed that you've mentioned, member Callaway, and if not, we can certainly bring it back at our next session.

Motion, madam chair.

There's a motion to bring line item 8.22 back at the end of the agenda.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.23 is submitting report relative to placeholder regarding solar farm real estate proceedings status.

Receive and file.

There's a mo there's a motion to receive and file line item 8.23.

I just before we go there with discussion.

Um I just want to confirm that the email was received by member Callaway.

I think Member Callaway last week was the person who had not received the email from Trisha Stein.

I don't remember receiving it, no way.

Okay.

All right, we'll make sure you have it, even if I just forward it to you.

Through the chair, I'll make sure it's forwarded to you, Councilmember.

Thank you.

And and attorney Anderson, it was really meant to go to all council members.

Correct.

Okay, thank you.

There's a motion to receive and file line item 8.23.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.24 is submitted report and proposed ordinance to amend chapter 45 of the 2019 Detroit City Code Telecommunications Article 3 Franchises Division 2 Uniform Video, etc.

Uh colleagues.

This item can either be brought back for a date to be determined for the scheduling of a hearing or removed from the agenda either way, same effect.

Um is there a motion to remove line item 8.24 from the agenda?

Discussion, member Callaway?

Yeah, who's asking that we remove it?

Through the chair.

Attorney Anderson.

We uh simply we just ran out of time on this item.

We're not gonna have enough time before the close of the legislative period, so it may as well be removed because we don't have time to schedule a public hearing for this ordinance.

It's something we'll we'll take up in January, no issue.

Member Callaway.

Sponsoring this ordinance, Councilmember Young.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Is there a motion to remove remove line item 8.24 from the agenda?

There's a motion to remove line item 8.24 from the agenda.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.25 is a petition from the Jefferson Chalmers Farmers Market, a nonprofit organization requesting a resolution from your honorable body in support of a charitable gaming license.

Is there a motion to approve?

There's a motion to send line item 8.25 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.26 is a request to amend the 2025-2026 official compensation compensation schedule for the vehicle maintenance maintenance instructor for the Department of Transportation.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss?

There's a motion to send line item 8.26 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.27 is a resolution to implement the 2024 through 2028 labor agreement between the city of Detroit and employees represented by assistant supervisors of street maintenance and construction.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss?

There's a motion to send line item 8.27 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.28 is a resolution to implement the 2024 through 2028 labor agreement between the city of Detroit and employees represented by services employees International Union, local 517 M.

Non-supervisory unit.

Is there a motion to approve?

There's a motion to send line item 8.28 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.29 is submitting resolution authorization to implement the 2025 through 2029 labor agreement between the city of Detroit and employees represented by the amalgamated transit union, AFL CIO Local 26.

Is there a motion?

There's a motion to send line item 8.29 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.30 is submitting resolution authorization for the implementation of the 2024 through 2028 labor agreement between the city of Detroit and the employees represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 324.

Colleagues, is there a motion?

Motion to approve.30 to formal with recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

And line item 8.31 is submitting resolution authorization for the implementation of the 2024 through 2028 labor agreement between the city of Detroit and the employees represented by DDOT Foremans Association of America Local 337.

Is there a motion?

There's a motion to send line item 8.31 to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.32 is a resolution to implement the 2024 through 2028 labor agreement between the city of Detroit and employees represented by the Michigan American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Apsme Local 925.

AFL CIO non-supervisory unit.

Is there a motion?

There's a motion to send line item 8.32 to formal with the recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 8.33.

Sub Council President Mary Sheffield submitting draft resolution relative to authorizing the Detroit Reparations Task Force expenditure request.

Is there a motion to discuss motion?

Discussion.

I see we have someone here from the reparations task force.

Yes, please.

Thank you through the chair.

Good afternoon.

Please introduce yourself for the record.

Thank you.

Yes, thank you through the chair.

So the dollars will uh be coming from our remaining budget in our um task force.

So we were initially allocated 350,000 in 2023 and in March of 2024 allocated in uh another 66,000.

Our current budget right now is around a hundred thousand dollars.

Um and then this resolution has uh nine thousand dollars for the project manager salary for uh November 1st through the end of this year, December 31st.

Um the community meeting uh for our public sessions.

Anybody that's familiar with the task force knows that we have monthly, uh especially now that our report has been submitted to city council and uh three thousand dollars for members to attend the first repair conference in Evanston.

This is the largest uh organizational reparations organizations in the country, and the task force uh members from our Detroit Reparations Task Force will be speaking at this uh event as well and sharing um our progress on our report.

Thank you for that.

Um can you share if you are aware whether or not the members of the task force were requested to speak and present at the conference?

Yes, so uh Robin Rue Simmons is uh I would say a friend of many of the members of the task force.

She originally came to Detroit about five years ago, and she's the uh coordinator for the program.

So she's someone that we've had a lot of conversations with and kept uh abreast of all of our progress throughout this whole period.

Uh we attend every year, and now that our report is um it is finalized, we did have a conversation with her about sharing those findings at the uh Evanston conference in this coming December.

Okay.

All right, thank you for that.

Because initially my thought was why aren't they paying for uh the reparations task force members to go there to present at the conference?

But it's it's a conference that you all have attended every year.

Yes, and that's a fair point.

I will say uh the admission is free for the members, but the uh travel and lodging expenses won't won't be covered by the by the organization.

Okay, thank you.

Colleagues, any questions, comments?

All right, seeing none, uh, is there a motion to approve line item 8.33?

Motion.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

And line item 8.34, uh, Council President Mary Sheffield submitting report relative to the reparations task force 2025 reparations recommendations.

If I can get a motion to discuss very quickly, motion discussion, thank you.

Uh Mr.

Doherty, so many of us know how the reparations task force unfolded and all of that.

I received a message indicating that someone who was involved in the initial workings of pulling everything together was omitted from the report.

Uh I'm not familiar with it.

Could you say the individual's name whoams?

So I'm not sure um why he would say that, or why anybody would say he was admitted from the report.

He's uh listed multiple times in the report.

Uh so there are bios of every member.

His bio is right there.

He's listed as uh a co-chair of the reparations task force.

There was also some discussion, um, just in total transparency about uh the origins of the reparations task force and how it came to the ballot.

Uh that was a big point of discussion.

So he is listed um in that section as well.

Is you know, honorable uh Keith D.

Williams, because he also worked with the Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus to um help get it on the ballot in the first place, and in his name is listed as well, listed in the executive summary with the members and listed in the bios at the end of the uh section as well.

Okay, thank you.

I haven't had an opportunity to read the report yet, but I've heard um one of the reparations task force members uh provide a summary.

So I'm really looking forward to delving deeply into it and seeing how we move forward with your rec recommendations.

Likewise, thank you.

Thank you, colleagues.

Any additional questions?

Um comments, Ms.

Member Callaway.

Thank you so much.

I've attended a number of your meetings, and um I just appreciate all of the ones who stuck and stayed because it wasn't easy, a lot of um different personality um um challenges, some left the reparations task force early on, midway, but you all hung in there, though those of you who stayed.

So I admire you for um taking the lead on it.

Um I think you're the project manager, if I'm not mistaken.

You've done an amazing job with the members that were left on the task force, and so thank you for just hanging in there during some challenging um meetings because I've been there.

And so thank you so much.

I'm looking forward to reading the report, and everybody's not gonna be happy.

You know, and and that's just life.

Uh uh, everybody's not gonna be pleased a hundred percent, but you've done the work, you've done what you were charged to do, and I'm proud of you, and I thank you for your leadership.

Um demonstrated throughout the entire process.

Albeit sometimes frustrating.

You hung in there.

So thank you so much.

Sorry, I'm looking forward to reading the report.

Thank you, Councilmember Callaway, much appreciated.

All right, excellent.

Thank you so much.

And um again, certainly looking forward to seeing how the recommendations are are moved forward as we continue to move forward into the next term.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, through the chair.

All right, colleagues.

Is there a motion to receive and file line item 8.34?

Motion.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

And now we should shall return back to thank you, Mr.

Doherty.

Uh return back to line item eight point.

Who's my first one?

We have two Mr.

Clerk.

First one be eight point six.

Eight point six.

Thank you.

Mr.

Washington.

Yes, madam chair.

We are returned.

We are returning back to line item 8.6.

This is the contract to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for legal counsel for immigration employee sponsorships.

Yes, through the chair, we do have Daryl Conrad from HR.

Thank you.

If we can please promote Mr.

Darrell Conrad, Madam Chair, Darrell Conrad is rejoining as a panelist.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Hello, good afternoon.

Please introduce yourself for the record.

Yes, I'm Gerald Conrad, and I'm the chief recruitment officer for the city of Detroit.

All right, thank you for joining us.

Member Callaway.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good afternoon, sir.

Good afternoon.

Yeah.

Same questions from last time.

Same questions.

You were here before us.

I asked a series of questions regarding the number of sponsorships.

Where are the placements?

Why not Detroiters?

Why not Michiganders?

Why not United States citizens?

Same questions.

Okay.

Uh through the chair.

We have approximately 17 foreign nationals working for us right now.

Some of them are Canadian citizens with a TN visa, some of them are H1Bs from various countries.

There are a couple working for the Office of Finance.

And then the other department that holds the majority is do it.

So technology.

These positions are limited to engineering or technology-driven positions.

And through our sourcing uh through our website, and through uh paid advertisements, and we could not find local candidates.

These are um very highly technical positions.

So uh after um six months of extensive uh searching, we will uh hire uh foreign national and we engage a law firm.

They're very complicated situations, or they can be very complicated situations when you're transferring over an H1B and you want to make sure that you do um uh that you um make sure that you're uh following all the regulatory um uh regulations.

Uh Clark Hill, uh the uh firm that helps us, they do more than just uh work with the four nationals, so they they advise us on um completing I-9s.

Uh the uh they do a lot of um they do some intakes with some of the four nationals, they do uh some of the uh refugees that we've hired, which do not require any visas, so they they they kind of provide us legal counsel in any realm that wouldn't be for a U.S.

citizen.

So back to your uh question as far as we've exhausted all of our possibilities.

We're talking about 17.

Last year we recruited we filled about 3400 vacancies.

This year we're on track for about 2400, so it's about one percent of all positions at the city.

So it's it's very limited.

Thank you.

Hopefully that answers your questions.

If you have anything more specific, I'd be happy to uh answer.

What about residency through the chair?

I know we can't require residency.

How many of the uh how many live in Canada?

Uh just quickly, it looks like one, two, three.

Looks like about five work in Canada.

And and you said there are 17?

Because you you gave all these different numbers.

You said 30 um 3,000 last year, 2400 this year, and then you mentioned 17.

Where's what's the 17?

So right now, what uh the law firm is managing is about 17 foreign nationals.

And the two larger numbers that I had provided you through um are vacancy fills.

So what my point was is that the four nationals working in the city right now are less than one percent of the vacancies that we fill in a in a current year.

Okay.

Thank you, madam chair.

Um, I'm going to request that we bring this back.

I want a full written report.

Never got it.

We asked for it a year ago.

We want details.

I hear what you're saying.

I appreciate your um your oral presentation, but I would like to see something in writing.

Where are they coming from?

Where are they now in the city?

Um, what's the status?

How much are they being paid?

What vacancies they're filling, which how many in do it, how many in we want to know where they are.

We want to know where, you know, we don't have to have an address, but I asked this to the degree that you can share information.

We want to see where our money is going because um I I just um I brought this up for the last couple years, and um just need to know that information and my recommendation that we bring it back at the beginning of the year.

That'll give you time to put the report together because I requested it a year ago and never got it.

Um so I want we want something in writing, sir.

We want to see a full report.

Um has has it been worth the investment, number one.

Um have we really gone out to Lawrence Tech and Wayne State, they have fabulous, outstanding um engineering schools continuing to expand, and we can't tap any of that young talent.

Through the chair, we we're actually very proud of working with those two colleges, particularly uh Wayne State and in and uh Michigan State, uh U of M with programs that concentrate in these particular areas, and we also partner with the state of Michigan.

So we're very proud of those programs.

So this is very this is uh we are we are working those for long-term goals of trying to uh recruit as many people uh that live in the United States and make sure that uh that uh that we're hiring um uh US citizens and Detroit residents.

Um and we're do I think we're doing a great job of that.

Uh once again, this is a very very small sector that fills just the gaps of what we do.

Well, I can provide all that information that you've asked.

I think it's relevant.

I think you need to know that, and I appreciate that, and we can provide that to you.

citizens and Detroit residents uh um and we're do I think we're doing a great job of that uh once again this is a very very small sector that fills just the gaps of what we do well I can provide all that information that you've asked I think it's relevant I think you need to know that and I appreciate that and we can provide that to you if I get a detailed um you know um the questions that you would like to I can prepare that report okay um you want me to send those quote through the chair to you in writing or you didn't you didn't capture the questions I just asked I think I got most of them but if I if I I don't want to leave out anything if uh you could send it through Malik and I'd be happy to or the law department will be happy to put it together for you that's fair because I know we've had a large number the um the group there's the populations that's been impacted by the layoffs from the federal government is black women yeah we have um true um so I would like to um the chair one of the requirements in um in hiring a foreign national is to to prove to the government that you could not fill it with any U.S.

citizen so people on visas that are working under H1Bs they can't displace a U.S.

citizen so that's one of the uh big uh barriers that you have to overcome in order to hire a foreign national and so um we do extensive um uh searches and uh on and have to demonstrate that through various uh filings uh in partnership with Clark Hill but that is one of the requirements you cannot displace a U.S.

citizen um madam chair um if the citiz if the United States citizen is not in the position already then you can't displace if it's an unoccupied position then that national can fill that position because it's unoccupied the only way you could displace um a United States citizen in a position if they're already occupying that position no through the chair so through the chair I I probably use the wrong words in in other words uh you can't hire even if you have a vacancy at the city you cannot hire a foreign national if the market and the uh the pool of candidates bears that there's a U.S.

citizen that's qualified yeah I I I I'm just uncomfortable through the chair using city dollars I could see if it was grant funded but we're using taxpayer dollars hiring folks outside of the country using our taxpayer dollars to recruit and to do so do we offer them through the chair benefit packages as well housing chair they they receive all the benefits that uh uh uh employee would receive okay and do through do we um also pay for their relocation fees from their foreign country uh no through the chair um um I wanted to make another point um some of our Canadian citizens do live in Canada but the four nationals that come from other countries they live in the U.S.

already live here so a typical situation would be if it's uh an IT software engineer uh whether they're working for do it or whether they're working for finance they're probably have a job let's say the uh automotive industry and we're gonna hire them they've applied for one of our jobs we've exhausted our means of trying to bring in a U.S.

citizen work uh we found a foreign national that qual is qualified we'd like to bring them in they would they would receive an offer but we would work in Clark Hill of transferring that H1B over to let's say Ford Motor Company to the city of Detroit all right thank you so much um I look forward to getting um the report and we'll make sure you get some questions um and I'd like to see how you've marketing the positions I like to see the website um I like to see what effort you've made to reach out to the students at Lawrence Tech.

I'm sure they would be you know kind of hurt that we're saying they're they're not um talented enough because that's the message that we're sending to them anytime we hire someone with technical skills we're telling our folks who are getting these degrees in those same um programs that they're not highly skilled enough and that's that not the message I want to send to anyone paying all these student loans back for that technical degree that's not good enough to work in the city or to put in use so I'd like to see us try to work on hiring um detroiters and Michiganders.

So there's a motion to bring line item 8.6 back for the next IOS session at the top of the year.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

That brings us to line item 8.22.

Line item 8.22 is the attorneys the attorneys for ind indigent individuals.

Attorney Anderson.

Is there a motion to discuss?

Discussion.

Attorney Anderson, were you able to get any additional information?

Yes, through the chair, we are being joined by Attorney Rahm Lamondo, who will be able to respond to the questions in more detail.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Member Callaway?

Oh, okay.

Um others had questions too.

Just want to know which law firm or is it neighbor neighborhood legal services managing this program?

And what is the hundred percent grant slash city funding breakdown?

Because this is a um six five years, six million dollar per year contract.

Through the chair, I'll try to answer those questions separately.

Uh first of all, the uh this we within the city, the Detroit Indigenous Defense Services Department, which is part of the law department manages this program entirely.

It is in-house.

Uh we do not pay externally to manage this program.

Okay.

I think that answers your question.

Yep.

I just want to make sure before I move on.

Yep.

Okay.

Um and and could you just repeat the second part of that question so I answer it properly?

I I apologize.

Yeah.

Um, so we see that it's is it's handled in-house by the attorneys that we have on staff, so we haven't gone outside of this um our law department for these legal services, so that's great to know.

Then we asked about um the 100% grant grantslash city funding breakdown.

How much is city funded and how much is grant funded and where the grant dollars coming from?

Excellent.

Yeah, okay.

So I did understand.

Thank you.

Through the chair.

So uh the total program for fiscal year 26, as an example, is approximately 7.6 million dollars.

The uh city share is just over 1 million dollars.

So it's just over 14 percent comes from the city.

It is not a fixed percentage per se.

Uh the way the program works through the and this is all through the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, which was an act uh legislated in 2015 and was funded in 2018.

The city of Detroit came on board in 2019 and was fully up in compliance starting in 2020.

Um, as far as the uh grant money it comes from the state of Michigan through the MIDC, the Michigan indigent defense commission.

We apply for that grant each year, but it we are uh legally bound to have this program.

It is a it is a state legislated act.

Uh every jurisdiction in the state has one.

Um our share of the one million dollars is roughly a fixed rate.

It was an original rate that was calculated on three years of appointed attorney expenses.

It's roughly 80 percent of that from the years prior to the act starting.

It can adjust up to three percent from the original calculated rate based on CPI each year.

So we get that number roughly in January when we apply for the new grant um each each fiscal year, state fiscal year, which causes some confusion.

Our fiscal year for this program runs October 1 through Nov uh through September 30th.

So it doesn't quite line up with the city's fiscal year.

But it's the the city share this year's roughly 14 percent.

Overall, um the portion of this resolution is just under two percent of the overall budget uh of the 7.6 million for this fiscal year.

I and I'm I I probably gave more information than you asked for, and I apologize.

I'll be happy to clarify anything you want.

Uh thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Um, and I know we've seen this before.

Was written up that made it perhaps a little bit confusing.

Um, but we appreciate your responses.

Thank you so much.

My pleasure.

Thank you.

Colleagues, is there a motion on line item 8.22?

Motion to approve, madam chair.

There's a motion to send line item 8.22 to formal with recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

That brings us now to member reports.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, colleagues.

I do just want to say very quickly that it has been my privilege to serve as the chair of the Internal Operations Standing Committee.

Not really sure what's going to happen next year, going into the next term, and who will chair IOS.

I'd be happy to provide support to them as we move forward.

If it is not me.

Enjoy the holiday, everyone.