Detroit City Council Neighborhood Community Services Committee Meeting - January 15, 2026
Detroit City Council Neighborhood Community Services Committee Meeting - January 15, 2026
The Neighborhood Community Services Committee met on Thursday, January 15, 2026, chaired by Pro Tem Coleman A. Young. Councilmembers Scott Benson (excused) and Mernata Miller were present. The committee approved minutes, heard public comments, and considered several agenda items including special event permits, a tree trimming contract, and a grant application. All items were moved to formal session with recommendations for approval.
Public Comments & Testimony
- William Davis (District 7 resident) expressed concern about the lack of a recreational center in District 7 and called for more youth activities, noting that some districts have two or three centers while District 7 has none. He urged the city to focus on community needs beyond downtown, midtown, and Corktown.
- Caller ending in 039 made unsubstantiated allegations about various city officials and raised a claim regarding a death investigation (Nini), expressing distrust in the city's handling of the matter.
- Dante Smith (District 5 resident, vice president of a block club) threatened to initiate a recall petition against Councilmember Scott Benson unless changes are made in his district. He also criticized Councilmember Mernata Miller for a delayed response from her office and demanded expedited service. Councilmember Miller responded that she is newly elected (less than 14 days in office) and lacks an office, telephone, and staff, and asked for patience. She offered to attend his block club meeting once her team is set up. Chair recognized Dr. Powers to ensure the public comment period was not extended.
Discussion Items
- Item 6.1 – Cupid’s Underrun Event (Special Event Permit): Request to hold a Valentine’s Day run on February 14, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 47 East Adams Street, Detroit. Setup from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., teardown from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The committee moved the item to formal session for approval without objection.
- Item 6.2 – Big River Race Management D5K (Special Event Permit): Request to hold the D5K run on May 9, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Comerica Park. Setup on May 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., teardown on May 9 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The committee moved the item to formal session for approval without objection.
- Item 6.3 – Tree Trimming and Removal Contract (Contract #67613): Proposal for a three-year, $3 million contract with Tree Man Services LLC (1920 Pro Prevost, Detroit) funded by 100% major street funding. Discussion included prioritization criteria, cost controls, and performance metrics. Alex Weatherup (Assistant Director, General Services Department) answered questions:
- Prioritization: Trees are surveyed and prioritized based on condition and safety risk.
- Allocation: $3 million covers the first of nine planned contracts—one per district plus two roving contractors to fill gaps or respond to emergencies.
- Cost Control: No change orders; pricing is fixed at contract point; vendors must meet volume benchmarks with quarterly reviews.
- Equity: Districts with highest need (District 1 and District 3) will receive priority from the roving contractors; District 5 is in the middle of the priority list. Councilmember Miller also inquired about District 5’s ranking, and Weatherup confirmed it is mid-range.
- Performance: Quarterly benchmarks will be used to evaluate contractors. Motion to move to formal session passed without objection.
- Item 6.4 – Summer Discovery Grant Application (Resolution): General Services Department requested authorization to submit a grant application to the United Way for Southeastern Michigan for $1,040,000 (no city match) for fiscal year 2026. The grant would fund a summer program serving approximately 520 students ages 6–12 at a cost of $450 per pupil. Councilmember Miller asked about the number of students served, and Weatherup provided the details. The item was originally submitted as a report but corrected to a resolution; committee members were provided with updated copies. Motion to move to formal session passed without objection.
Member Reports
- Councilmember Mernata Miller:
- Invited the public to the Farwell Recreation Center (2711 East Outer Drive, near Haas) on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 5 p.m. to welcome new Advisory Council President Chris LaFleur and celebrate outgoing President Oliver Wilson. Dinner will be served, and citizens who contributed to improvements at Farwell will be honored. Councilmember Benson will also attend.
- Announced that due to extreme cold, effective immediately, warming centers are open: on the west side at Adams Butzel Recreation Center (1050 Linden) and on the east side at Coleman A. Young Recreation Center (2751 Robert Bradby, near Shane). Both centers will be open on Monday, January 19 (Martin Luther King Day). All police precincts and Detroit Public Libraries will also be open on MLK Day.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar items (minutes approval) were approved without objection.
- All four new business items (6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4) were moved to the formal City Council session with recommendations for approval. No objections were raised.
- The committee adjourned without objection.
Meeting Transcript
Pro Tim Coleman A. Young. Here. Councilmember Scott Benson. Councilmember Mernata Miller. Here. Mr. Chair, we have quorum. Thank you, ma'am. I'm clear. Um, I think we need to have an excuse absence for member Benson. The clerk will know. Excellent. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve the minutes? Motion made. Are there any objections? Hearing none. Minutes will be approved. Uh negative chair remarks. He will now move on to public comments. How many people do we have in the queue, Mr. Bo. Mr. Chair, we currently have three individuals with a hand raised for public comment. All right, three individuals with a hand raised public comment. Public comment is now closed. Public comment is now closed. Public comment is now closed. All right, who do we have first in the queue, Mr. Bo. Mr. Chair, the first caller is William Davis. All right, Ms. Davis, floor is yours. Two minutes. Good afternoon. Can I be heard? Yes, sir. I hope for the new administration, we have a better activities for District 7. Because as you may, I mean I know District 7 do not physically have a recreational center with our district being uh squeezed down uh you know what would have been a new recreation center uh the hella more center is now in district five, you know, in so much that we didn't lose as many people as some of the east side area. Uh so uh hopefully more could be done to help district seven to help us have more activities for young people, uh, especially like um a recreation center. Some districts have two or three, but we have none functioning at the moment. Uh also I would like to say perhaps y'all can arrange for some of the activities when I was younger. We used to have like uh a swimming bill and other things that would go on and we used to have actually play leaders at different locations that I because I used to pass out job applications for those years ago. Uh that we could do more to help to engage young people to help them give them something else to do, uh, to help to encourage them to be helped you know productive citizens. Um, as as you know, uh I basically grew up on uh grew up and started working for the city up under Coleman A Young. Uh the best mayor we've ever had. And I don't think the the most recent mayors we've had been as concerned about the communities, uh, because we need to make sure more is happening in the communities and stop having just everything going on happen in downtown and midtown and Corktown. Thank you.
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