Neighborhood Community Services Standing Committee Meeting - January 22, 2026
Neighborhood Community Services Standing Committee Meeting - January 22, 2026
The Neighborhood Community Services Standing Committee of the Detroit City Council met on January 22, 2026, at 6:55 PM. The meeting included approval of minutes, public comments from six residents, discussion of three contract items, and member reports. The committee voted to move all three contract items to formal session for approval.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the previous meeting were approved by unanimous consent.
Public Comments & Testimony
- William Davis (District 7 resident): Expressed support for more community services, neighborhood city halls, and resource centers. Criticized the lack of a recreation center in District 7 and urged renegotiation of the Belle Isle lease with the state, arguing Detroit owns the island but receives no revenue.
- Oma Papa: Voiced opposition to using $42 million in property tax surplus to subsidize wealthier residents while neighborhoods lack resources. Criticized the agenda item about motorcycles and raised concerns about misuse of federal park funds and lack of recreation centers in District 7. Referenced the 15-minute city concept.
- Betty A. Verner (President, Detroit Association of Black Organizations): Promoted the My Choice Waiver program, which allows seniors and disabled individuals earning up to $2,900/month to receive Medicaid-funded home care services to avoid nursing home placement.
- Cunningham (spoke from Considine area): Expressed support for free D-DOT and paratransit, and requested warming buses for people waiting at stops. Urged attendees to buy bus tickets and hand warmers for those in need.
- Caller (039): Made allegations against former Mayor and others, and demanded action regarding Kodisha Coleman and DPD issues. Did not specify a clear position on an agenda item.
- Jadante Smith: Expressed support for Council President Pro Tem Coleman Young II over Scott Benson. Criticized Councilmember Benson for not addressing a concrete plant (Kronos) in his district. Called for down-zoning Kronos and organizing residents. Praised Councilmember Miller's staff but challenged her responsiveness.
Discussion Items
- 6.1 – Motorcycle Repair and Maintenance Services (Contract 67290, Amendment 1): A $50,000 increase (total $100,000) to Arsenal Power Sports LLC (Harley Davidson) in Waterford, MI, for police motorcycle repairs. Vice Chair Benson questioned why the contract went to a vendor outside Detroit. Procurement staff noted it was a single-bid contract due to the requirement for Harley Davidson certification, and efforts to find a closer vendor failed. Councilmember Miller expressed concern about contracts leaving the city. The item was moved to formal session.
- 6.2 – Geese Management Services (Contract 67489): A two-year, $108,000 contract with Goodbye Geese LLC for geese management in parks. GSD Assistant Director Alex Weatherup explained the service is needed for public health and safety due to aggressive geese and droppings. Vice Chair Benson questioned the necessity and noted missing parks in the 3rd District. Weatherup clarified the list is not exhaustive. Councilmember Miller asked why the work is not done in-house; Weatherup said it requires specialized, certified border collies. The item was moved to formal session.
- 6.3 – MDNR Grant Amendments for Former Parks: Acceptance of amendments to convert three former parks (Wick Park, Weigel, Brush Adelaide) totaling under 7 acres to housing, with mitigation of 97 acres at Rogel Park for outdoor recreation. GSD staff explained that an in-house archivist discovered the deeds had been violated, and steps are being taken to prevent recurrence. Vice Chair Benson asked about title searches and prevention measures. Councilmember Young raised concerns about the manual labor and suggested using AI. The item was moved to formal session.
Member Reports
- Councilmember Renetta Miller: Announced District 5’s first community kickoff on January 28, 2026, at 6 PM at the Considine (8904 Woodward). Also announced the Skilled Trades Task Force kickoff on February 18, 2026, at 11687 American, Detroit.
- Councilmember Scott Benson: Reported on the Farwell Recreation Advisory Council’s changing of the guard event, honoring outgoing president Oliver Wilson and swearing in new officers. Also noted attending a meeting of the National Association of Women in Construction.
- Closing remarks: Councilmember Benson provided information on temporary overnight standby shelter sites at 7 police precincts, as well as the Detroit Housing Resource Helpline (866-313-2520) for homeless residents. A staff member confirmed warming centers are available at police precincts.
Key Outcomes
- The committee approved the minutes.
- All three contract items (6.1, 6.2, 6.3) were moved to formal session with recommendations for approval. No roll-call votes were recorded; motions were passed by voice vote with no objections.
- The meeting was adjourned without additional business.
Meeting Transcript
Neighborhood community serves the standing committee will now come into order with a clerk. Please call the roll. Council President Pro Tim Coleman A. Young the second. Here. Councilmember Scott Benson. Councilmember Renetta Miller. Mr. Chair, you have a quantum present. Thank you. I appreciate that. Um is there a motion to approve the minutes? Motion. Motion's been made. Are any objections? Hearing none of the minutes will be approved. Negative chair remarks. We will now move on to public comments. How many people do we have in the queue, Mr. Bo for public comment? Mr. Chair, we currently have six individuals with their hand raised for public comment. All right. Six individuals. Public comedy 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, the floor is yours. Two minutes. Good afternoon. Can I be heard? Yes, sir. Okay, I think the city should be a greater effort to have more community services in the community. Of course, I'm older than both of you guys. But I remember we used to have neighborhood city halls. We used to have resources more readily available. We need to have true resource centers in the community. We need to make it so that people don't have to go downtown to take care of business, which then they have to be concerned about expensive parking and getting a parking ticket. You know, so it would be good to blank, you know, bring services to the community. Also, separately, you know, um, I think it would be good if the city of Detroit was to try to exercise or renegotiate the contract as it relates to uh Bell Isle. Um the city of Detroit owns it, and the city of Detroit is not getting a penny from the state. And that was one of the reasons why the governor wanted to bankrupt the city of Detroit, you know, by not giving us our proper amount of revenue sharing for years, Governor Snyder, you know, so that he could take assets like Bell Out that he wanted. You know, so I think we should see about making sure it's more of a joint operation, you know, for as long as that lease lasts, and we should see about making sure the lease is terminated as soon as possible.
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