Yes, you did.

We did receive it.

Thank you.

Councilmember Renata Miller.

Madam Chair, there is no quorum.

Okay, seeing that we don't have a core, Mr.

Clerk.

Um I'm gonna go ahead and do the invocation, but we can proceed to public comment.

All right.

So do we have anyone in the audience for public comment?

And you'll have two minutes.

Anyone in the audience for public comment?

See no one in the audience for public comment, Miss Um Ellis.

Do we have anyone on the line for public comment?

Good morning, madam chair.

There are nine hands raised for public comment.

Okay, we'll go to public comment right after we do the invocation.

And I wanna thank um attorney Peter Rhodes for providing this word for the day.

And that's how we start every Wednesday with just a word of motivation.

It could come from the audience, it could come from someone from someone's staff, just a way to um keep us encouraged because sometimes um these jobs can be very, very difficult and all the responsibilities attached to them, and we know certainly the things that are going on across the country.

Um we certainly need the Lord to intervene.

So that being said, you absolutely do not have to bow your head.

But dear God, help us to remember to always put you first in our financial decisions.

Help us to be good stewards of the financial resources that you have placed in our hands to manage for your glory.

Amen.

And not the our own personal finances, but the city's finances as well.

So that being said, if the clerk can note that uh member miller has joined us at the table.

Clerk's own.

Okay, is there a uh motion for the approval of the minutes?

Okay.

Hearing no objections, the minutes shall be approved.

There are no chair remarks, and I don't see anyone in the audience for public comments.

So, Miss Ellison, Miss Ellis, who is first for public comment, and we have nine folks on the call for public comment.

The first speaker this morning will be Jante Smith.

Mr.

Smith, good morning, and you have two minutes.

Good morning, maybe heard.

Yes, sir, you can be good morning.

I just wanna I gotta ding you, Angela Wilfill Calloway, for the way you talked to Crennessana Anderson other day, talking about uh you gave her Scott Benson's phone number.

I did not like that.

That was very D class A.

I forgot to get you yesterday.

That's not nice, not okay.

Scott Benson doesn't do anything for district three.

I do more work than Scott Benson does.

I deserve a salary.

I'll say that, I'll come out and say it out of my mouth.

I deserve a salary.

I've done way more in the last six months than he's done in the last 12 years.

I wanna say to Renata Miller, Councilwoman Miller, I really appreciate your advocacy for district five yesterday.

You said some incredible words.

Hopefully you follow up on them.

Uh just words until I see action behind it, but I I love to have a meeting with you as soon as possible.

Um, I think we can work together.

You kind of grew on me yesterday.

And you you when you learn to get to know me, you'll see I really care about the residents.

And if you're a best of residents, I'm gonna support you.

But if you're not, it's gonna be a long four years.

I also want to say Conrad Mallard does not need to be reappointed.

And whoever decided to make the meeting to do reappointments tomorrow at 2 30 around the same time as the board of police commissioners.

That was a very that was a very smart move, but I'm gonna make sure I do both.

I'm gonna make sure I organize as many people as I can to call in to not get Comrade Mallory appointed.

He does too much damage to the city, he does too much ill in the city of Detroit to get reinstated.

The law department is terrible.

I'm gonna post every clip of every every single uh question that's been asked of Conrad Mallet, especially that 1.5 billion dollars that's not been collected.

We paid an outside law firm for five years to collect that 1.5 billion dollars, and we never got it collected.

They only collected 500,000 dollars.

When we switch it to another outside law firm, also I like to say it doesn't make sense how we have 15% compliance for VC and Colin Young is laughing and joking.

My man 100 grand and all this stuff.

All the money we're missing out on is terrible.

And giving out hats and gloves is garbage nice, but we need houses.

We need people places of people to stay.

Right now, I'm catching the bus down here because I know how to move around, but some people don't.

We need better uh so glad you're having a wonderful morning.

Um, and um Scott Benson's number again for Miss Brown and for you, Mr.

Smith, is 224121.

And my number is 224 4535.

The next caller is and please cut off um public comment, Miss Ellis.

Please cut off public comment, and thank you.

The next caller.

The next caller is Betty A.

Verner.

Ms.

Varner, you have two minutes and good morning, ma'am.

Uh good morning, uh, madam chair, and to all within uh the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Varner, president of DeSoda, Elsewhere Black Association.

Here today to give out the information for the uh health clinic, the Detroit Community Health Connection.

They have multiple clinics under their umbrella, but I'm going to give the information for the Nolan Family Health Center that's N O L A N is located at 11 West 7 Mile Detroit.

Their telephone number is 313-369-2600.

They also have dental uh dental services at 313-366-5200.

Now, this is not a free clinic, it's a clinic that provides uh services on a sliding fee scale.

You can come through the door and get services for $20.

They also offer counseling services.

Uh they have a social worker and a case worker on staff.

They will help you get um health insurance.

They provide all the services, they have a pharmacy, and they also have a uh 24-hour service so that you can reach a doctor, and that number is 313 822 900.

If you're having problems, you don't have health insurance, you can't pay for health insurance.

We all deserve to be able to take care of our health.

Please call the number and take advantage of the services.

They're there to help.

They're waiting on you, and so God bless everyone.

Thank you, Miss Barner.

Next caller.

The next caller is Cunningham.

Morning, Mr.

Cunningham.

You have two minutes.

Please excuse the bullhorn in the back.

It's talking about me giving up the hand warmers and etc.

So please ignore the background noise.

313-444-9114, 313-444-9114.

313 444 9114.

That number was made so you can remember it.

It is my cash app.

It is my Facebook.

It is contact information.

It is hardline number with a message on there.

313-444-9114.

Put that in.

Um, so I want everyone under the sound of my voice to keep prayer in prayer, Detroit Department of Transportation.

The buses are not on time.

Um, and they're not showing up.

In fact, the bosses should do undercover bosses.

The RTA should do an undercover smart.

Wherever the phone comes from, all city council should do an undercover.

Um also just do a ride-along again.

Since you've given the big graze to the drivers, which they deserve.

I'm still seeing problems being eastbird or so and etc.

Just as a reminder, district seven, nightly city council meeting at Kettish Baptist Church, February 17th, 2026, 7 p.m.

around that area to the bus folks riding the bus in that vicinity, so we can get some new callers to either zoom in or come in.

Dot needs to improve.

Um validated parking for voting with comments.

Um thank you, Mr.

Cuttingham.

The next caller is Ms.

Ellis.

The next caller is number ending in at 039.

Caller ending in 039.

You have two minutes.

You hear me?

Can you hear me clearly?

All right, you've been coming out your mouth like holding up papers in front of your face and screaming at your capital.

Uh aka.

AKA.

Well, now it's time for me to turn up.

Mimi coming to see me.

Because she wants to talk to me.

So I schedule made reservations for us to go out to desert February 18th.

That tag ain't up off her mama.

DPD, case number 20-11112.

But see, now I'm going to demonstrate on you.

I picked you.

You served on the city council your first term.

You know, we got TV and public officials.

You one of them.

Never voted in that election over in district two.

Her granddaughter told me that.

And years and years.

And years.

Now I can prove it and demonstrate it, but I'm going to demonstrate on you.

Because your words, remember, now we used to text on the phone.

All those text messages still on my phone.

And the praises you gave me.

Now I'm coming with the realness.

Mini won't what the F she won't.

You in the way you got to go.

I miss the root.

Yes, I am.

Young blood too.

And all them other monikers that I go by.

And you involve me the wrong way, lady.

District 2 representative.

TV being a public official.

And I ain't lying about sugar honey ice tea.

I say some slick.

See what happens.

Take it how you want to take it.

You're the lawyer.

If I said something wrong or I'm lying, sue me.

I want you to do that.

I love to go on a court because you sued me.

Thank you.

I'm glad all that was recorded.

I hope EPU was listening.

The next caller is the next caller is one moment.

The next caller is William M.

Davis.

Thank you.

Mr.

Davis, good morning.

Good morning, everyone.

Hopefully, all is well.

Can I be heard?

You can be heard, Mr.

Davis.

Okay.

I like to start off by saying that I can I think that Betty A.

Verner and um Brother Cunningham should both be paid uh community uh advocates for the city.

Also separately, just for you may not know this, but when I was aboard the police commissioner, I I advocated for your staff member, Mr.

Rose to be the board secretary.

I think we needed somebody better, you know.

And when I was also uh a board of the police commissioner, I was one of the few people that regularly voted against people that had bad records.

You know, I don't think we should be promoting people or letting people off the hook if they have bad records and poor community service, you know, if they uh flex their muscles on poor black people.

Uh also separately, you know, I think it should be a greater effort for all departments that regularly have you know lawsuits against them, and and you do demplications for you know, Florida, that they should have uh they should set up a plan where they're gonna reduce that number at least by 10% a year.

And uh, you know, I think the law department has been horrible.

I think uh Conrad Malice's leadership has been horrible, and I think uh it's uh it does the community a disservice for the Board of Police Commissioners not to have their own uh attorney like they did when I was on there.

Uh also I would like to see more community engagement.

I would like to see more reaching out to the schools and reaching out to the community, encouraging more people to vote, not telling them how to vote, you know.

I'm uh I'm on the 12th Congressional District Executive Board, but telling them to vote.

We need to get our numbers up, you know.

If we if when I was younger, because I'm always everybody there, that you know, Detroit used to determine who was going to be the governor or the senators and what have you.

We could do that again if we encourage more people to vote.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Davis.

The next caller is the next caller is number ending in 482.

Number ended in 482, you have two minutes.

Number ending in 482, you have two minutes.

EPU, I didn't make no threat, I told the truth.

You can take that caller off.

That's Mr.

Ruben Um Crawley Jr.

The next caller is vote no on mallet Bush and Snyder.

Caller, you have two minutes.

Uh good morning, and thank you for two minutes, ma'am.

You can't, Miss Warwick.

Okay, great.

Um, so you know, I know you all got your little one-off meetings with uh uh these department heads, but here's what I suggest, and I will send questions to my representatives and that I get to vote for, even though the other six cannot vote the three all day long that I get to vote for.

So we really need to go to the back at all large members, but to ask questions of these nominees from the residents because I have questions like I wrote Julie Snyder a question about something she wrote that I didn't think was accurate, she didn't write me back.

Uh I wrote um uh Alexa Bush, and she didn't fully answer my question and did a pivot.

Um, Mr.

Mallet.

Well, I I'm gonna have to go down to your offices and talk to you about that.

I've got numerous examples that he has not upheld the charter.

How about release that privileged confidential memo about the solar takings?

And if you don't want to do that, then how is this really about the safety of the people?

I also see you're wanting.

Um, I still see I think 42 seconds, 40 seconds.

Can you stop the clock?

Over Miss Umso, the um nuisance abatement takings are not legal.

I've been telling y'all this for years.

In case you didn't know, there's a federal class action lawsuit in the eastern district of Michigan right now against the land bank and the city, because the city council was not allowed to authorize the land bank to do stuff they were not authorized under state law.

So I think you need to cut their money for nuisance abatement, or you are incurring liability.

Thank you, Miss Warwick.

And the next caller is next caller is Michael's mama Michael's mama.

You have two minutes.

Michael's mama, you have two minutes.

Are you there?

Okay, the next caller is we can move uh Michael's mama to the end.

The next caller is the next caller is owner papa.

Own a popper.

You have two minutes.

Own and popper, you have two minutes.

Okay, is there another caller?

We can move that caller to the end.

Yes.

The next caller is Renard Montansky.

You have two miss two minutes, Mr.

Chomsky.

I'm sorry if I um mispronounced your last name.

Um, thank you.

Good morning, madam chair.

Uh, Renard Mishanski for the record.

Yes.

Um, thank you.

Thank you.

Um, I just wanted to elaborate for first of all, I'm asking Renar Moshewski, District Six resident and organizer of Detroit People's Platform.

And I just wanted to elaborate on my public comment yesterday.

I sincerely appreciate the time taken after the comment to discuss um some of the issues that myself and other people made in public comment um on this new council and um the concerns that you all have raised about this.

I'm gonna speak about this again because while I do appreciate having D dot there to answer to certain issues, GSD and DPW.

We're not asking for a phone number to call when we see snow bank up on a bus stop or in bus shelter.

I think also yesterday they pivoted over to bus shelters, and that was not the whole aspect of my comment.

It was the fact that if over we have over 6,000 bus stops, some of them are shelters, some of them don't.

The point being is that snow is banked up on all of them, and it makes it impossible for our ADA writers and seniors and able-bodied people to board the bus.

It becomes a legal issue and the access issue.

Basically, the city of Detroit is saying if you are senior or you're disabled, deal with the snow or stay at home.

And if I'm sorry, if I'm you know, I'm 36 right now.

I hope I get to 75 or 80.

And if I want to catch the bus, I'm 80 years old, and I don't have to deal with snowbank next um all cake up near the bus stop.

That's my right to do so.

I'm asking for a systemic solution, not a phone call.

Flooding the city's phone lines of 5,000 bus off that got snow and banked on them is not a systemic solution.

So we got need more coordination when they're removing the snow.

A phone number and the emails.

Okay, that's nice, but getting 6,000 calls ain't gonna do the job either.

So thank you for your time.

And I just want to thank you.

The next caller is next caller is Michael's mama.

Michael's mama one more time.

Michael's mama.

I see that the individual is off mute.

Um, but we just can't hear them.

Okay, so Michael's mom, if you can hear us, you can send in your um your um your comments or your questions to the clerk.

The next caller is after Michael's mama.

The last caller is Owner Papa.

Ona Popper, you have two minutes.

Hello.

Okay, we're gonna have to move on because we do have a full agenda this morning.

So on and popper, you can definitely send your questions in to the clerk's office or my office, and um, we'll get you the answers to your questions, but we don't hear you on the call, and this is our second attempt.

Okay, is that the last caller, Miss Ellis?

Yes, Councilmember, that was the last caller for virtual public comment.

Okay, thank you so much.

That completes um public comment this morning, and now we will move back to our regular agenda, which is our 1020 a.m.

appointment.

And we're just gonna do um just a little swap here.

We had um Miss Charlotte Wright um to um interview to be re to be appointed to the human rights commission.

But we're what we're gonna do is we're just going to do a quick switch.

We're gonna have Mr.

Butch Hollowell to come before uh Miss Wright, and if you can take that seat right there, and once you take your seat, if you can hit that base of that microphone, it'll turn green.

And we are we have Mr.

Butch Holloway Hollowell here for reappointment to the public lighting authority.

Is that correct, sir?

That's correct, madam chair.

Okay, so we're gonna um interview you this morning.

If you can introduce yourself for the record and tell us why you want to be reappointed to the PLA, and thank you so much and good morning.

Thank you.

Good morning, madam chair, and um uh and may it please the city council again.

My name is Melvin Butch Hollowell.

I'm the managing partner of the Miller Law Firm, uh, formerly the corporation council for the city of Detroit, and I've been proud to represent the city council and the mayor uh for this past term on the public lighting authority board.

We're doing some incredibly important work.

I'd like to continue that work.

Um maybe just a couple of comments.

You know, one I was there when um the bonds initially got um issued for the public lighting authority back in 2014.

And uh at that time, I think as many remember, there were 88,000 street lights in the city, 44,000 were out.

And so those bonds uh enabled us to be able to put 65,000 new street lights across the city, moving from um the uh old LED uh for old sodium to the LED lights.

Um thanks to the Seaford brand uh shank uh efforts in late uh 2025, those bonds have been refunded.

And so um there's a real stable um uh there's a stable ability to deliver these core city services.

What I'd like to see um going forward, uh madam chair, is more lights in the neighborhoods, more lights, for example, in our mid-block lights.

There's been you know, in the um lighting plan that we have to submit to the city council on an annual basis.

I think you'll see that in there.

When we say we're lighting the um neighborhoods to the uh national standard, what typically we mean is that on a 300-foot block, you certainly are gonna have a uh a light on each corner.

But increasingly, I think um it would be incumbent upon us to add more mid-block lights to the extent that we can.

I think we can do it.

Um given the uh refinancing, I think we have the the dollars to do it.

It all the studies show that when you add more light, particularly in the um LED type of lighting, which is uh a brighter light, it actually improves not only the quality of life in our neighborhoods, but it also has an effect of reducing crime.

And of course, we're making really good progress on reducing crime anyway.

But I'd like to see that.

Um also, madam chair, I'd like to see uh rationalization of what we're doing for our alley block, well, our alley lights.

You know, I I think sometimes there's even a question about what is an alley.

And back in the day I used to have, you know, the um garbage trucks that would go in the alleys to pick up the trash.

They're not really doing that anymore.

But you still have some of those alley lights.

A lot of the neighbors like them.

And uh if you like them and they make you feel safe, that's something I think we need to present to this council for a plan to what are we gonna do with that?

I think uh more light the better.

I think the last thing um I would comment on is that uh I'd like to see continued vigilance as it relates to the elimination of arc wire and making sure that we're doubling down on our make or stay safe protocols.

So when we still have those remnants of um the old lighting when um uh at the top of those poles, and it used to be all copper, um, but you have miles and miles, hundreds of miles of that's still on top of our lights, and um it has to be taken down in a safe manner because when it's not and there's a storm and uh some of that arc wire sloughs off and touches a live wire, it can have catastrophic um uh uh uh effects.

I talked to the director yesterday um just to make sure that we were current on what uh our policies are, and that is that whenever there is a down wire, we want to make sure that we race to the scene, seal that scene off so that no one can approach it until that wire is fixed.

Um I don't have to remind the council about you know in the past there have been some issues that you know have not gone the the right way.

So I as a as a lawyer and particularly as your past lawyer, um that's one of the things that's most important to me, the safety of what happens when we have these issues.

So those I guess in general, uh Madam Chair, that these are some of the things that we've worked on that I'd like to continue to work on.

Oh, I'm sorry, one last thing.

I'm very proud of the Detroit-based businesses that we're using.

We we uh we've done a great job of uh lifting up our Detroit-based businesses and um are working getting our young people involved in some of these uh uh skilled trades around the uh electric electrical electricians work.

Um good jobs, these are really good jobs in skilled trades, and to the extent that we can open that more and more, I think I think we should be continuing to do that.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Um thank you so much, Mr.

Hollowell.

How are we working with the young people?

What is that?

How does that look?

If we have young people listening today or parents who are listening on behalf of their young people, how do they get in touch with those resources you were just referring to so they can get those good paying jobs?

First thing, that's such a great question.

First thing we should do is to anybody that's young that wants to participate uh in the skilled trades program.

We're online to you know, public lighting authority, um, but we please interface with us there because what we will do is once there is a desire uh um an interest in working with us, we will immediately pair them with not just the skilled trades um you know trade organizations to do the the train there there's math involved, there's other kinds of training involved, but there's a hands-on approach, and we'll connect them with our contractors.

Okay, so somebody could visit your website today and have some connections by the end of the day, or after that after that contact with your website.

Yes.

Okay.

All right, and my last question is what does what is the upliftment of Detroit-based businesses?

How is the PLA interacting with or engaging small businesses, minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses in the city of Detroit?

We um be feel that it's a very strong obligation that we have to make sure that we are lifting up our businesses that are here at home, the home team.

And so when I say uh we've lifted them up, I mean we're hiring them.

Uh, you know, there's certain contracts that we have to issue.

All those contracts are bid uh per the requirements of the city charter and our internal bylaws.

Uh, but what we do is we're we have the ability to add some points for um people who have businesses in the city, whether it's located just physically in the city or if it's headquartered in the city, get slightly more uh more points for that, and every bid that we have, whether it's for steel or for glass or filament or these other kinds of things.

When we put that out and we put those bids in, we want to see do you have a Detroit office?

You're gonna get an extra point.

Do you have a Detroit headquartered office?

You're gonna get an extra point, and that's how it should be.

Absolutely.

I I I uh agree with you a hundred percent.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Hollowell.

Um, member Miller, have any questions?

Good morning, Mr.

Hollow.

Good morning.

You pretty much covered um a lot of the questions that I had regarding the alley lights.

That's a a big thing for me in Detroit.

Uh thank you for mentioning it.

I'm sure you probably heard our conversation last week uh with the uh PLA person.

That was a big thing.

And as far as the union jobs, I'm I'm always union union base, and just bringing that up.

I appreciate you commenting on um the trades.

Because it is imperative that we give another alternative for our youth.

And um everybody don't want to go to college, but to have a hands-on for the city where we can actually maneuver and have some some input and guidance on that itself is a big for me.

Um right, you're so right.

And thank you for your guidance on that.

I I absolutely paid close attention to your discussion, and uh uh I understand what direction looks like, so I'm taking that.

Thank you.

Um you also mentioned this is a reappointment.

So I just want to say hypothetically, and so you've been there for four years, or this is a second year term.

Uh this is my second.

So in the years that you've been on this board, out of everything that you've hoped to accomplish, what percentage would you say that fall in under your outcomes?

Um well, 95%.

I mean, I I never say 100%, but it's well managed.

It is real well managed.

And and you know, I I think our sometimes we're the victim of our own success.

Okay.

I will say that.

Meaning that we you know, we coordinate very closely with uh GSD, with forestry, uh, with DPW, and whenever there's something that kind of needs to be done, we'll do it.

We we will just do it.

Now, when it comes to budget time, we hope that you recognize that we you know we respond.

When when there is a department that has a need, we will respond to that.

We're happy to do it.

Um so I I think the other thing I wanted to say is I'm really proud that when we did the refinancing in 2025, uh we hired uh Seaford brand Shank, which is the largest uh woman-owned investment bank and the largest black-owned investment bank, and they're uh headquartered here in Detroit.

Suzanne Shank is the CEO.

They're here in Detroit and in New York.

They did an outstanding job taking advantage of a better situation for interest rates.

Um I I would say I'm very proud of that.

Um I'll keep a sharp eye out for any other opportunities.

But I think if we continue to uh address the alley lights, mid-block lights, to me that's that's that's the next level.

My last question is oftentimes in our historical districts, we find ourselves um financing our own lights because there's always um we're always well neighbors are telling me they're always pushed aside because of the financing and the budget as a budget crisis.

But when you have homeowners, especially seniors that are attempting to maintain historical districts, and we know that calls for lightings, we know how those lights look like and a lot of times people from other cities are looking to buy our lights or emulate what we're doing.

I would like to see this department be a little more cooperative or even help with funding for some of those lights if we're gonna maintain our historic historic districts.

Um it's hard to fundraise.

Yes, some neighborhoods do have grants, but others don't.

But sometimes we're willing to they're willing to do match and match funding to get those lights if we're going to maintain our historical districts because it's all about what it looks like when you drive into you should see, even with the signage, it's a lot.

So um it's it's always a lot of pushback when it comes to the additional lightings or just a neighborhood want to just buy their own, it would be uh nice to have some support from this department regarding that.

You're right.

I mean, there may be pushback, but you're saying the truth, right?

I mean, the these uh um these his what you're talking about are the historic lights.

Yes so different than the you know the general lights that we have across the city.

But you know, we have we have some very significant um distinct neighborhoods.

That's what's so great about Detroit, isn't it?

I mean, we have such great neighborhoods, and some of those lights are different.

You know, they want to keep those those different lights.

So I I agree with you.

We should be working more closely with our um neighborhood organizations to make sure that all the cost is not for those neighborhoods that want to keep the specialty lights, that they have to bear all those costs.

We should be working more closely with that.

I'll just say this to end.

I remember getting an email when we had the draft here, and it went out to all historic presidents, and they were saying that there's an itinerary when you be off the plane, there's our itinerary place to go and visit.

And they're asking us to make sure we have our trash cans pulled in, make sure the neighborhoods are are pristine.

So at the same time, the city wants us to look good for our neighbors, but they don't want to pay the cost sometimes.

So that is that's that's one of the reasons why I brought it up.

Um, because it cannot be just single-handly on the residents.

The city often uses those neighborhoods to showcase the amazing city that we have because when you think about Motown, even if we look at some of the old films, you see those lights, the historical lights.

Yes, and they should be reflective of what history represents.

And I would like to see the continual relationship advance regarding that.

Thank you very much, sir.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

I I pledge to work very closely with you and our leadership on getting that done.

Uh it's a very important thank you.

Well, we appreciate you coming out.

If you can remember this, I don't see that you have a pen and paper.

Puritan from Greenfield to Southville, don't have any lights.

Okay, let me write it down.

I was driving down Puritan last night.

I'm like, okay, I know I'm gonna see a light.

Kept on driving.

I said, I know I'm gonna see a light.

So I get all the way close to Southfield Freeway Service Drive.

And Mr.

Hollowell, not one light.

They're all out on Puritan.

So from district two spanning to district one.

Uh, we need some lights over there, sir.

And thank you so much.

Do you have anything you want to leave us, leave us with?

Written it down.

You did have paper and pin.

I'm gonna report back to you.

Okay, I'm chair.

All right.

Well, we thank you so much.

Um, we do have a couple of other candidates, but you'll be hearing from our office um relatively soon.

Um, and before he ends, um, before we release Mr.

Hollowell, Mr.

Um Anderson from the law department.

We have two other candidates that I see on the agenda.

Of course, they're not here today.

What is our next move with respect to Mr.

Hollowell's um in interview?

The chair, you are correct, Councilmember uh Calloway Graham Anderson Law Department.

This is uh the mayor gives three uh uh selections for city council to choose from.

Um this is the first of three.

I I believe it's the chair's discretion.

You could uh send this forward to formal session with a recommendation to approve or deny as always.

And uh, or you could keep it in committee.

Of course, we would still want to have the two additional interviews before we move forward with the vote, but then it would be an uh council president's uh decision to uh move forward next week, Tuesday with uh this uh uh uh item.

Okay, so I think it the the the discretion is completely up to yours.

Okay, so we'll um exercise our discretion and I'm gonna ask for a uh motion to move um this um appointment reappointment to formal with a recommendation to approve.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

Okay, there's been a motion to move this um interview, Mr.

Butch Hollowell to formal session with a recommendation to approve.

Are there any objections?

No.

Hearing none, that motion will be approved.

Thank you, and welcome um back to uh continuing your service on the board and Puritan, don't forget about Pierre Ton.

Madam Chair, you I guarantee I'm gonna circle back to you on that.

All right, well, congratulations and thank you so much on behalf of the entire city council and the administration for your willingness to serve again.

Thank you so much, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Mr.

Anderson.

Okay, next on, and thank you, um Member Miller.

Next on the agenda is um Charlotte Wright, the reappointment of Miss Charlotte Wright to the Human Rights Commission.

If you can take the seat that Mr.

Hollowell just vacated, and I think that microphone is still should be green.

If it's red, just press the button at the base of it.

Okay.

Good morning, Miss Wright, and thank you so much for being so amenable to having your interview come second.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

You want to introduce yourself and tell us why you're interested in serving again on the Human Rights Commission?

Um hi, my name is Charlotte Wright, and I served on um the Human's Right Um Commission for I think four years.

Um this last um session, I um was the bylaws chairs.

Um I um the reason why I wanted to be the bylaws chair is to um for us to have a foundation.

It was very important for us to start with uh uh a good foundation um paired with the um city charter because um everything was a little ambiguous.

So um we worked um me and four um four other um um human rights commissioners.

We worked together for like um six or seven months to get that foundation um uh for um the committee.

So um right now um the reason why I want to start um and be a re-elected is because I think it's very important to um and we still have a lot of work to do to go out and be exposed in the community.

A lot of people don't know um about the human rights commission.

Um so I think we need more exposure and need to um get out in the community um and let everyone know that um we're here and we're um able to take their grievances or just to discuss anything that they need um for the city of Detroit.

Anything else, Ms.

Ray?

Oh no.

Okay, I just have a couple questions and I'm gonna um defer to my colleague uh member Miller.

Um what's the biggest challenge facing the human rights commission today as you see it since this you're going into a second term of service?

Yes.

What do you what do you perceive its biggest challenge?

Um the biggest challenge um was um getting a quorum, um everyone coming together.

Um because I know um a lot of people on the commission um had um different responsibilities, but um that's why it was so important for us to um get a bylaws to make it um more um strict for um people to attend so we can have um uh um a quorum that was the most important thing uh so um we can get um you know residents still attend and for us to even have a meeting because um we didn't have a meeting for a couple of months and we thought that was um not satisfactory.

So um we came back and we asked um we worked with Creole.

I worked with the um law department to um try to make it um more stern for us to um come together for the city of Detroit residents.

Okay.

Um when do you meet?

When are your meetings?

Our meeting is the third Thursday of every uh month.

And where do you hold them?

Um on the 13th floor of this building?

Yes, across the hall.

Um are they also virtual?

Yes, they are.

Oh, so it's a hybrid.

You can do virtual or in person.

Correct.

We work with Creole.

Creole um actually um makes it virtual with us.

Do you think perhaps folks don't come down because of parking, maybe?

Is your parking paid for?

Um they do give us a a step.

Um parking is paid for.

Um so um that's not the issue.

I think more because it was um it was election time, and maybe um that was the um uh issue.

Okay, but um it's very important for you know, um it was only like five um commissioners coming most of the time.

So it was um it's important for because we had um the community come and we didn't have a quorum, and I think that was um very problematic.

How many members are on the commission?

Um 11.

Eleven.

Okay.

And you said sometimes you just have five.

Yes.

Okay.

Most of the time.

Yeah, well, thank you so much.

Um and member Miller.

Good afternoon, how are you?

I'm doing great.

You said the first thing you did was join the bylaws committee?

Yeah, I was the chair.

That is the first thing I shy away from on the committee.

That is the most that is the biggest task is bylaws.

I commend you for that even parliamentarian work, my hat go off to both of you.

So I want to say you probably need to stay on that committee because nobody wants that task.

I am uh concerned about not having a quorum.

I mean, if you're on this committee, why are they not showing up?

Maybe they need to be here to be replaced because that is the purpose of having the committee that's functioning to attend.

Do you take attendance?

I mean, is there like um so um that's why we had to um we had to revisit the bylaws because it didn't have enough meat on it, and that's why we partner with the um the law department to um make it more enforceful.

So um I think now we got it pretty much set that we can enforce you know um the rules of um getting the quorum.

Okay, so how do you identify the systematic discrimination racism in this committee?

How do you people just show up, they write in?

How do you know what topics or which way you're gonna go?

Because a lot of times when I'm dealing with human rights in my office, and I'm fairly new, we're dealing with seniors, returning citizens, uh, small business owners, um, uh what else?

Um renters.

That's the biggest thing in Detroit right now.

Because I'm often asked, you always talk about homeownership.

Do you care about renters?

Do you care about renters?

They just don't know how much I care about renters.

Yes.

And how renting can affect your credit when you are a victim of poor ownership.

So how how do you address those concerns?

So do people have uh, is there privacy clause?

Because I hate to see people that make a complaint targeted.

That's one of my biggest things, targeted, showing up to speak out against a discrimination.

How are what is some of your policies?

If someone is listening right now, what can they do to entrust that they will not be targeted or the secret or retaliation?

Okay, so basically um we work with CREO, and Creole has a process.

So we get them to fill out the um the um document, and then we um submit it to CRIO.

We talk to them about it, and um our the um the commissioners keep abreast of it, you know, so um we'll know if it's um it's if it's still a concern to make sure that um their um grievances has been addressed, basically.

So we work with creole basically um to we partner with them for all grievances, and they make a judgment on it.

Yeah, okay.

So what is as of to you say this is a reappointment?

So you serve for four years?

Yes.

Okay.

So what is the number one thing people come to your office for?

I'm just curious.

Um disability.

Disability.

Yes.

They can't get around the city.

So most of the time um they are complaining about transportation, they're complaining about getting around.

Um, some of the buildings don't have um accessibility.

So um most of the time um we have a lot of complaints with disabilities.

So um we give it to Creole um and um let them um process that.

And then um I also um I used to be a chair once, you know.

Each year we have different chairs.

So basically, um I'll send out an email to them and keep you know, keep in touch with them to make sure their grievances has been um has been solved.

Okay.

If you ever have any what you retain, any need help but that let me know.

I am an advocate for disabilities.

A lot of people don't know, but I didn't walk for three years.

I didn't have a knee for two years at all in my leg.

I was wheelchair bound.

Never took consciousness of the things that disabled people go through.

Right.

Never.

I mean, I you would be considered helpful, but to actually advocate for those sidewalks to I mean, even the bathrooms.

Yes.

I had a port in my leg, a tube, and I would go into the bathroom, the wheelchair wouldn't fit.

So I would have to have them carry me to the bathroom, and then the port would be snatched out of my leg, which was actually draining, because the stalls were so old.

And we have older buildings, yes, too.

So that's a that's a problem as well.

So um they um discuss about the older buildings, they can't get around, you know, mainly transportation as well.

Like right now, you know, the snow, they can't get around, get to the um bus um the bus um locations.

So um it's pretty hard for them right now in the winter.

Okay, last question.

Do you go?

Do you wait for people to come to you or do you all do you all go out into the community and advocate and look for things that should be up to cold?

Do you do any of the grassroots work?

Um we go out in the community um and work with like city council and stuff.

You know, if they have we have different meetings just to let um community engagement, let people know we're here and to come to the meetings and what days to come to the meetings, but you know, that was a little problematic because you know, when you come to you ask them to come to the meetings, and we don't have a meeting, then who can they have a grievances, you know, give their grievances to?

So thank you for your answers.

Thank you, Member Miller.

Um this is to um LPD.

Is there a resolution, an appropriate resolution that should go along with the reappointment of Butch Hollowell?

I neglected to ask you that before we sent it to former with the recommendation to approve, sir.

LPD?

A resolution, oh Edward King, LPD.

Good morning.

Uh resolution has not been drafted as of yet, but we can we can do that.

Okay, so do we need a motion for that?

Yes.

Okay, um, member Miller, can you make a motion just for them to um draft a resolution for the reappointment of Butch Hallowell?

I'd like to make a motion that we draft the that you draft a resolution for the reappointment of Butch Hollowell.

Um hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Thank you so much, member member.

Anything else, member?

Um, Mr.

King.

I'll guess the same motion for Miss Wright.

This is this is a reappointment, sir.

Yes.

Okay.

So can we just include that?

Does she have to amend her motion?

No.

Okay.

So the same assignment.

Same assignment.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

King.

Miss Wright, is there anything else you want to leave with member Miller or myself before you know?

Okay.

I have one question.

Is there is there a payment per meeting for the members who serve on the human rights commission?

No, it is not.

Nope.

Is there mileage?

No, it is not.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you so much.

Okay, thank you.

Okay.

Okay.

And I'm looking at the um agenda line item 11.1.

There is a resolution authorizing the reappointment of uh Miss Wright.

So thank you.

Thank you so much for that.

All righty.

Our next interview is going to be Osvaldo and forgive me if I mispronounced your name.

Osvaldo Rivera.

Okay, great.

If you could take the same seat that Ms.

Wright just vacated, once you take your seat, make sure the microphone is on.

It should be green, if not just press the button at the base of the microphone.

And if you can introduce yourself for the record, and this is for you to be reappointed, or is this an appointment?

Is it read?

Reappointment.

Okay, it says appointment.

It should say reappointment.

So our agenda says appointment.

So this is a reappointment of Osvado Rivera to the historic designation advisory commission.

If you could introduce yourself for the record.

So my name is Osvaldo.

A lot of times people know me more as Ozzy Rivera.

I'm a retired social worker, but currently teaching at Wayne State and also U of M School of Social Work.

The reason I want to be reappointed is that I've had a great opportunity to learn from and contribute, I think, to other members of the historic designation advisory board and the staff and working with them.

My own background is particularly about the historical history of residents of Southwest Detroit, particularly Latino population.

That's been uh of interest to mine, and I teach often at the college level on that.

Um we have taken on quite a few uh tasks in reviewing the current situation, let's say with the Ballis vote uh home uh the Lura Bell uh Stewart Center, the Rosal Park Center, and through each of those discussions I've learned quite a bit, and I think I've contributed a little bit to the understanding and the process in designating those areas as of uh historic importance in particular um uh one of my uh um interests has led to uh the national designation of the Bagley uh Werner or portion of the V Bagley Werner uh district as a nationally recognized historic district, and so um I would like to continue that work and learn more about the city that I loved and uh loved and grew up in.

Um originally uh born in Puerto Rico but raised in Corktown in Southwest Detroit and have been involved in a number of community organizations during my uh time here in Detroit.

So that's the primary motivation for me wanting to be uh reappointed.

Okay, and you live in District Six?

Uh no, I live in the Warren Evergreen area.

So you live in I think that's Dixter 7?

Yes.

Okay, you live in District 7.

All right.

Is your focus on Southwest Detroit or if you're focused on district wide?

Uh citywide.

Citywide.

Um I've taught a number of courses where we've covered city Detroit history uh at the U of M School of Social Work, but I as a lifetime resident uh for most of my life in district six, uh that's been a particular interest to me.

Okay, and I have a question and then I'll turn it over to my colleague, member uh Miller.

Um do you have any um involvement with um artifacts or um items owned by the city that are outside of the city now, i.e.

the Christopher Columbus Bronx bus that's now in a banquet hall in Lavonia that left the city, I think around 20, 2019, 2020 um during COVID?

No.

So do what how do you inventory the um the assets of the city?

Um I've not been put in that kind of position to kind of be part of any uh inventory process.

Uh so that's not been my role uh within the advisory board.

Um yeah, or nor in my personal or professional work.

What is your role?

What do you do?

Right now I'm retired social.

No, no, no, no, I'm saying on the board.

What is your responsibility on the board?

Be part of the general discussions and contribute to discussions about what way forward with all of uh the possibilities in terms of designation.

So we've gone through a process of discussion.

Okay.

Okay.

So I I um I'll have to talk to Ms.

Chapman because I know um that um was written up in the news right around um, I think it was Thanksgiving or earlier, that um the bus that the city owns is now in it could be back here, but hopefully Miss Chapman is listening.

Um I think it's a bronze bus, and um it was moved um from the city to Lavonia um to one of their banquet halls.

Um I don't know if it's on a loan purpose, I don't know if they've paid for it.

So um I will um put a memorandum to um Janice Chapman um and also a um a bronze plaque is also missing at Pet Park and was named after a Revan Reverend Peck and people think who move into the city that it's Gregory Peck, but no, it's after an African American um African American um Methodist episcopal pastor, and that bust is it was like a it was like a raised bust on a plaque.

I have pictures of it, and that was stolen.

So um I'm hoping that we will endeavor to do a better job.

Not that this is in your um part of your responsibility to make sure that we safeguard and protect our assets wherever they are, and if they're stolen, we need to uh make a report of it, just like the um Testigie Airmen's.

Um I think that bronze statute was cut down to its feet.

I think that has it was um it was found, it was uh located and then it was reinstalled.

I saw it recently, so it has been uh repaired and reinstalled, but we um are missing a lot of our assets, the Dodge Fountain.

There's just a lot of things missing that are become um that are coming to my attention.

But anyway, I don't know if your um commission has your advisory commission has anything to do with that, but I'll put all of that in writing.

Uh in the advisory board meetings, we haven't discussed those kind of things, and I agree with you.

Um that's part of my personal interest in elevating the story of different communities so that things like that, first of all, people are aware of and with more awareness, you can avoid some of those uh thefts or movements.

Yeah.

Okay, um, I don't have any other questions.

Member Miller.

Good morning, Mr.

Riviera.

Good morning.

Um, I know you said you did you're well, happy retirement is is awesome to see um people who have served in your communities for many years go into retirement and sit on some of these boards.

I'm sure you're um you're an asset to the Detroit Historic District Um coalition.

I did call around and I did ask about some of the appointments.

I am a lot of people that I know on that board, I'm a fan of it.

And they said that you have proven to be a real asset to that board.

Thank you.

Um having the experience and obviously the love for Southwest Detroit, it is imperative that we have every every district in the city representing on most boards because you always come with a different different approach or a different, you have more information so we can be um completely covered.

So I just want to say thank you for serving thank you uh in your community, and I mean you have a vast list of things you've done over the years in Southwest Detroit, very impressive, and I look forward to seeing you on the board.

I have no questions.

Um I just know that I was told by multiple people that you would be a real asset and to um seriously consider appointing you.

Is that it?

Okay, well, thank you, Member Miller.

Do you have anything else you want to add?

No, I uh I welcome the opportunity to serve a second uh term because uh it's really enriched my own understanding of the city.

Well, we thank you for your love for the city, we thank you for the interest that you have and um protecting our historic um landmarks and um our artifacts, our buildings, our structures, and we thank you for that.

Um is do we have a resolution for this one?

Um Mr.

King, if not, um we can make a motion to attach or have a resolution drafted for this um reappointment of Osvaldo or Assie Rivera, Mr.

King, Madam Chair, we will be happy to draft the appropriate resolution.

Is there a motion?

Okay, there's a motion to LPD to draft an appropriate resolution for the reappointment of Assi Rivera to the historic designation advisory commission.

Anything else you want to add, Mr.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, and enjoy our wonderful weather.

Uh-huh.

All right, so do we have uh Alethea Carr, which is our last interview for the day?

Is Alethea Carr on the call on the phone?

Yes, I am, Councilmember.

How are you, Ms.

Carr?

I'm doing well.

Thank you for allowing me to uh join virtually.

Okay.

And thank you.

Okay.

As I said, I'm Alethea Carr, a lifetime resident of City of Detroit.

I actually live in the Green Acres community.

Um my background is that of public health.

I'm a dietitian by profession and have been retired from that for approximately 10, 12 years working doing some consulting in the interim, uh, where I've worked to promote the improved health outcome of women and children and specifically in the Detroit area, but uh really with a focus of all black and brown uh mothers and children.

I um have served on other boards.

Um I'm a member of my community association, the Green Acres Woodward Community Association.

I um also have served on the uh state Michigan's women's commission and now I'm an appointment a commissioner on the Detroit women's commission.

I was interested in um the position on the um board of zoning appeals, really uh personal interest to learn more about um the subjects of uh appeals that come before the city and really to um have a better connection with what's going on in the city of Detroit uh in terms of uh building and um requests that are being made.

So I I really do appreciate you considering me for the position.

Um as I said, I'm a lifetime Detroit resident, two grown daughters, um husband and a dog.

Okay, thank you, Miss Carr.

Um member Miller, you have any questions for Ms.

Carr?

Hi.

Good morning, Miss Carr.

How are you today?

Doing well.

I am a fan of the BZA.

Um, I believe everyone has a right to an appeal.

And normally when zoning appeal um denies, our applicants go to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

It seems to be that there's a misconception that once you receive your um we'll just say a denial from BZA, that there are developers in our city who do not respect the outcome of the BZA.

When we know that there's only two options to bring your plans back to the BZA for approval, that means you're gonna make some adjustments, or you're gonna go to circuit court.

But in Detroit, I find that developers are waiting a period of maybe six months to a year, and they come back and put a new application in.

I was told it's called a wraparound.

So it's called really, we're just gonna bypass the process and do what we want to do in Detroit because we feel that we have a privileged way to get what we want.

I would hope that you as a BZA person uh representing uh Detroit, uh it says district two, that you would keep an eye out on those developers because it is not fair to the process, and if it's denied, and because I respect that body, um we should not allow that.

We should not allow anyone to supersede the process, and I'm saying that from experience because BZA has a job to do, and when you do not obey the process, you're guilty, and those some of those cases should be just thrown out altogether.

So since we know the process is you have two ways to appeal.

A lot of times is getting by the BCA.

I've had a residents call and say, Listen, we know there was a denial, but the project is still moving forward.

I'm driving out to certain areas, and I see concrete being poured where there was a denial.

Just to find out there was a new application put in to circumvent the process, and it's wrong.

And in District 5, I am looking for anyone that is attempting to violate the process for the BZA.

This is an important aspect of the process.

I know a lot of people complain about all the steps.

Well, the steps are there for a reason.

The steps are there to protect our residents and to protect the city.

We cannot continue in this department to um give out these um permit certificates of occupy just because there's a process.

So I am excited about it.

I'm glad to see.

I'm I know you said you were willing to learn.

I'm learning as well, but I would ask that you would tone in, zone in on the denials because those names, there should be a database that once they are denied, and they should get a process saying this is the process.

If the name resurfaces is back in the system, there should be an alert because it's called a wraparound.

I've gotten some instruction from previous uh BZA directors over the years who have um helped educate me on some of the process, and I look forward to uh being a part of these meetings.

Our staff is um they've already been uh assigned to BZA hearings to zoning hearings as well as city planning.

And I look um and that's all I have to say.

Thank you.

Thank you, Member Miller.

Is there anything else you want to add, Ms.

Carr?

Well, I I really appreciate uh member miller's comments.

Um I I neglected to say that my focus in my work life as well as uh my current life is equity, and I've worked on worked with that in mind, um, working in the public health sector, and certainly bring it to this role as well, because um, you know, as I said, I'm a lifetime member of uh lifetime resident of the city of Detroit and feel like Detroit is often um may sometimes get the short end of the stick just because we are Detroit and a predominantly African American community, and um if equity seems to be uh inequity seems to be occurring, you know, in in the um work that BCA does.

I I would like to be aware of it and um really work to promote equity.

So it sounds like this the wraparound uh issue that you described uh is part of that and maybe a focus of that.

So I as I said, I'm I'm definitely willing to learn about this, and um look forward to a positive um resolution to my bid.

Thank you, Ms.

Carr for expounding on your um desires.

I just I was just wanted to be clear that each department have a responsibility, and we cannot disrespect the process or the entity that holds it.

So when the BZA make a decision, it's not to say that no, but no, they're welcome you to come back.

Let's make it right.

Hey, we will sit down with you.

Let's let's redo the plans.

Let's make it proper so we can't move forward.

It's not to just outright deny, but you have to obey the process.

And when there is favors granted to certain individuals, it it becomes a problem, and it is problematic for our city that that happens a lot.

I agree.

Thank you.

Okay, and Ms.

Carr, um, to that end, um, I want to thank you for your willingness to be interviewed.

And um, if you are um if your um appointment is approved, would you be willing to come to a district two meeting or if you or on a virtual call just to update us to to the point where it's no conflict, you're not sharing anything you shouldn't have to that you shouldn't be sharing, but would you be willing to at least come to a um a community meeting and just tell them a little bit about what you're doing and what the BZA does in the city because a lot of folks don't know about all these boards, they don't know what the human rights commission does, they don't know what the public lighting authority does, they just know that we have a lot of boards, commissions, and authorities.

And would you be willing to come and just talk about the work of the BZA, not specifically giving details, but just an overall overview of what the BZA does so residents, taxpayers will understand um the purpose of the BZA.

Would you be willing to do that?

Yes, I would.

Okay, thank you so much.

Um, is there any other discussion?

Is there now through to LPD?

Is there a resolution that we should be making a motion to get um written?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, is there a motion for a resolution um for the appointment of Alethea Carr to the BZA?

I'm sorry.

That's okay.

There's a motion, any objections?

Hearing none, we're gonna ask LPD to draft a resolution in support of the appointment of Alethea Carr to the BZA, the BZA commission or board.

Thank you, Ms.

Very much.

No, thank you, ma'am.

Thank you.

And you'll hear from our office.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Uh-huh.

Now we are on um line item 10, unfinished business, the status of office of contract and procurement.

I know we have a couple people here from HR.

If not in person, maybe they're online regarding the contract, um, contract increase of $50,000 for um Clark Hill PLC.

It's 100% city funding, amendment number four, it's an extinction of time and an increase of fund for legal services for our HB1 visa holder um employees.

And thank you so much.

Um when you sit down, if you can make sure the base of your microphone is um activated by just pressing the button, it will turn green.

And um, we'll start with the gentleman in front of me.

If you can introduce yourself, and good morning.

Good morning.

Uh and thank you very much for allowing us this opportunity to come up and speak with you, uh Honorable Uh Calloway.

Uh my name is Daryl Conrad, and I'm the chief recruitment officer for the city of Detroit.

And uh this uh program and uh the visa sponsorship is under my authority.

Okay, thank you so much.

I'm Mike Nolan.

I'm an immigration attorney with Clark Hill in Detroit, Michigan, right across the street.

Thank you for letting me uh appear today.

Thank you so much.

And this is member um Renata Miller, and thank you so much for coming.

We I did have a lot of questions.

Some of those questions were answered yesterday.

Um, and uh I'll hold my comments um after we hear from you, Mr.

Um Conrad, and then Mr.

Nolan from Clark Hill.

Okay.

We have uh uh 10 current employees that are under the H1B sponsorship.

Uh most of the work has been done uh at this point for them.

We currently have a hold on any new H1Bs, particularly under the 100,000 dollar uh new uh fee.

Uh we're going to continue to support with these funds.

Okay, um pull that mic down just a little bit.

I see a couple people in the audience and saying thank you.

Can you repeat that?

Because a couple of people are doing like this and saying they can't hear you.

Okay.

We're gonna continue to support our 10 H1B candidates with this uh these funds, and uh, but we are going to uh uh put a hold on any new H1Bs.

We're also gonna stop any renewals that hit the 100,000 dollar mark.

Uh we're gonna work together and and we're we're forming a task force now so we can actually replace this initiative, and we're very looking very much forward to that.

So hopefully this is the last time uh I do want to try to get a transition plan that could be for anywhere from 12 to 24 months uh to be able to say that we don't we no longer have to have uh H1B visa sponsors, that we can have uh Detroiters working and and doing the work that uh for do it and uh uh department of public works.

There's two primary uh jobs that these uh people hold.

One is uh engineering, uh civil engineering specifically, and the other one is anything related to systems, whether they work for do it or another department, they're generally working with software and IT.

Okay, okay.

Um thank you.

Anything else, Mr.

Conrad?

No, not at this time.

Okay, Mr.

Nolan.

Yes, so Clark Hill is committed to making sure that we are also very careful with the city's money, dollars that are spent to Clark Hill.

We understand our dollars not going to the residents of the city.

And so we work very hard to make sure that the decisions we make are fiscally responsible and that we really work with the city to make sure that the people who are hired on these H1Bs are those who have a skill that the city just can't acquire through uh local means.

So we look forward to the task force uh being successful.

And if that means that um you are able to source it domestically, then that's good for all of us, including my kids.

We're looking to recruit your kids.

Listen, um Pardon me.

If they live in Detroit, you say if they live in Detroit, listen, um, it was a joy um having the conversations with you prior to today.

Um we're not trying to unemploy anyone, but what we are focused on is employing Detroiters.

We are uh about putting Detroiters first, not to the exclusion of anyone else, not to discriminate against anyone else, but we're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on um folks from other countries to do jobs.

Some of them that I saw on the list, and I mentioned one that works in HR for um as I think a program analyst or program.

I can't remember because I left it on my desk, but we talked about that.

That did not require any advanced skills.

Um they don't have a degree in engineering, nor do they have a degree in IT.

It was just um recruiting.

They work in your department, and um, I know we can find someone um in Detroit or Michigan or the U.S.

to do that work that that individual is doing, not just like that individual, but similar work.

So, what my office has been doing, then I'm gonna turn over to my colleague, which I discussed with the two of you yesterday.

So I'm hoping I'll be a part of that task force, is we have built part.

We are in the progress in the process of building relationships with Lawrence Tech.

We are in the process of build building a relationship with Oakland University, Wayne State, Kettering, and then there was another one, Western.

And they're Michigan Tech.

Michigan Tech, and that's where Houghton Hooten?

Houghton.

Houghton, okay, Houghton.

Houghton, Michigan.

So you know we've had that conversation.

So I have um, and maybe I'll include the two of you if you if you're interested, but I have um virtual meetings with them next week.

They're on my schedule.

We just want to build that pipeline from those local universities that have engineering schools that have students who are um majoring in civil engineering and the other industries that are represented from the folks who are coming over from India.

So we're in the process of making that happen.

Our office also helped to establish at Wayne's um Wayne County Community College a class for home inspectors, because we were going to Westerville, Ohio with almost a over three point million dollar contract.

So what I did with um Curtis Ivory, the um the chancellor of Wayne County Community College.

We established a home inspection class.

We graduated 18 students this last fall.

So now Detroit is growing its own home inspector, so we don't have to go to Westerville.

We don't have to go to Southville.

We are building and growing our own talent right here in Detroit.

And that's what I I am anticipating and hoping that will happen from our conversations from today and from yesterday.

So those schools I will be meeting with them virtually, and I'll invite you to join the call because you are the recruiter.

Thank you.

And I'm not the recruiter, so you'll have all the questions for them.

But they are so excited about maybe even interns, civil engineering interns that could work with DPW, could work with our um our street team, our are um, I don't know what you call them, I don't know what kind of engineers they are who work on the streetscapes.

I don't are the civil engineers.

Civil engineers.

So the students, um, I'm looking forward to us helping our students who don't want to leave the state.

Your kids don't want to leave the state, but if they can't find work here, what do they do?

They have to leave the state, right?

So we're gonna help your kids stay right here.

And um, so I'm looking forward to the task force, sir, and I'm looking forward to the meetings that we'll be having virtually next week.

And I appreciate you, uh Mr.

Nolan.

I thank you, Mr.

Conrad.

We did have some good um conversation yesterday.

So I'm gonna turn it over to my colleague, Member Miller.

Member Miller.

Sounds like you pretty much handled everything.

No, I haven't.

We got a long way to go.

I missed my partner in uh session yesterday because we're on the IOS, and me being new, she was not there, and Mr.

Vinson was absent.

So I had to handle all the discussion for IOS, and I'm here to say I was alone into learning the verbiage that I suppose to say.

She handled it though.

She handled it.

But I just wanted to say it sounded like you have uh you've already met with the gentleman here.

I just wanted to for the record the visas, the city's paying, how much per visa for each one of the 10 people that we have on this um it would depend on where they are in the process.

So if people were brand new, there's there's immigration attorney, uh there's uh filing fees that go to immigration.

But if you want to know, we did move to a fixed fee structure with the city to make sure there was predictability.

Um so the answer is that the filing fees would differ a little bit.

Um but in terms of you want to know specifically the legal fees.

Just for one of the just for one of the workers.

Let's talk about the most recent one.

I know we have one from 2015 who's been with the city, so that's about 10 years that he's been he or she has been working for the city.

Then we have another HBV visa one holder who's been with the city since 2018.

Then we have one, I think three that are expiring right around 2027, which we said probably won't be an option for us because now um it costs a hundred thousand dollars to renew these visa holders.

And I know the city is not in any position to pay almost a million dollars to keep 10 people on the payroll.

So, Mr.

Nolan, can you answer member Miller's question?

No, I he's the expert, I just from what I've read.

So to be clear, none of the none of the people being sponsored would ever incur that $100,000 fee.

There's no way that we would have the city cover that or anybody cover that cost.

There's there's uh the way the application process is run, there's a way for us to avoid that fee.

So for a routine H1B extension, the people that you're talking about, the legal fees would be around 3,500.

The filing fees would be 780 and 600, especially for someone that we've done at least uh uh one extent one extra extension for.

So the the filing fees start to drop as people are with the city longer.

Immigration's filing fees.

What about we first recruit them?

We want to know all the fees because I got the chart, and it's much more than what you're indicating here.

There's a lot of um cost that goes with hiring someone from India, because we have nine from India and we have one from Nigeria, and one currently living in Naperville, Illinois.

None of them living in Detroit, mind you.

Not one of them lives in Detroit.

They live in um Northville, Canton, Novite, Lavonia, and Dearborn, but not, and I think Farmington Hills, but not one of the HB1 visa holders lives in our city.

They're working here, but not they're not living here.

So can you give us the the cost up front?

Yep.

All of them.

Of an initial of an initial H1B just for one person.

So the the filing fees are uh 780, 600, 1,500, and 500.

So those are the those are the fees that go to USCI go to immigration, and then our fees are 3,950.

And we we cover all those filing fees up front, and then we invoice the city.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Um I have a few more questions.

With the extension, what is the additional fee for extension?

Because I know um when I've read with the HBV with the H B one visa holders, they have an opportunity to get extended twice.

So after the third year, can they um get an extension for up to six years?

How does that work?

So H and Bs are limited to six years, but if they're far enough along in a green card process, they can be extended until they're able to get through the green card process.

For some people, it can be over a decade for them to wait to go through this process.

It's just a very long line.

Um and so those some people may need multiple extensions in order for them to continue working.

Of the 10 that we have, who's not naming any names, but have we had multiple extensions on any of them, more than two extensions beyond the six years?

I think we have, yes.

I can't give you an exact number, but yes.

There's about two, two or three.

So um we have two that are about to expire in 2027.

What do we do about those two?

Since we're not renewing any of this, we're not going to pay the um hundred thousand dollars that was implemented, I think, in September of 2025 under the um Trump administration, because they're trying to tighten up the program to make sure no U.S.

citizen is put out of work, right?

Um, or replaced.

So with the one that has had the multiple extensions, what are those dollar figures looking like?

Because people need to know, since it's the taxpayers paying this, what does just a ballpark figure for the ones who's gotten the multiple extensions?

So then we're we're around 4500 rough numbers.

Okay.

Yeah, that's that's what I had.

Mr.

Nolan?

I mean, I'm sorry, Mr.

Conrad.

Um no, the the idea would be to support these employees, but uh the idea also would be to put in a plan.

It's probably gonna take 12 to 24 months to put in a plan to make sure that we can get somebody up to speed.

Uh these are legacy software uh uh uh programs and that have been maintained for many years by these folks with uh uh in uh contractor capacity.

So that's our goal.

And so we'll continue to uh to support them, but concurrently we're gonna be working on the task first to find good people, so we're not gonna hire any more H1Bs, and we're also going to uh start creating plans that put in place uh you know a replacement for that individual eventually, okay?

Yeah, that sounds like a wonderful succession plan, and I I I encourage every department had to look at um succession plans and transition plans because once somebody with institutional knowledge, experience, and a number of years spending in the city working, once they're gone, all of that knowledge and experience and information is just gone with them.

So that's wonderful.

We have a succession plan in place.

Um I'm excited about the um the task force.

We're excited about uh Mr.

Nolan, your children applying for jobs with the city.

And I'm just excited because I wasn't so excited about a week ago when I started reading about all the fees um and um you know the number of folks who I know, especially two of those jobs.

I know for sure um about three of those jobs.

Detroit is really could um could have those jobs.

Now, from these ten, have any of them applied for and received a green card?

So there are two people that are very close to being done.

I don't remember whether any of actually gone through the entire process.

I don't I I don't think anyone's but there are two that are very, very close to being done.

So we expect them to be done by 2026.

Okay, and um Mr.

Nolan, I have another question.

With the H B fours, do we have any H B fours that have sprung out of these H B1s?

So H4s are for spouses and children who were foreign-born, and the city does not cover any costs for the dependent family members, the individuals cover that cost themselves.

Okay, but do we know whether or not any HB4s have sprung out of these HB ums?

So you mean do they have family?

And yes, almost all of them have family.

Okay.

All right, I have one question.

Yeah, member Miller.

What is what criteria are you looking for that we have not been able to accommodate with our residents?

Particularly for these jobs.

I mean, you say they're not, yeah, you weren't able to fill the jobs.

So what specifically are you looking for or were looking for that we just could not a civil engineer is uh is it the in most of the civil engineer positions that we hire, which these people occupy our uh professional engineers that take years of experience, and that's where the gap is.

Okay, and that's why we're starting different programs like GGRB, and we bring in about 20 civil engineers every year.

And some actually these people have come from that group.

But the idea is is that uh it's just a nationwide shortage that we don't have people that have about five to ten to fifteen years experience working on roads in street Michigan, the state of Michigan is in a bad situation.

Every state in the U.S.

is in a bad situation.

We can do better.

And we're we're putting down laying down that groundwork.

Sometimes that's how labor markets go.

They find a gap into it, and then you know, once the universities catch up, and once we start growing uh uh the state of Michigan, for instance, and um uh Detroit starts grooming their own and growing their own and training their own, then we fill that gap and it you know there'll probably be another shortage someplace.

Experience has always been the major mechanism for hiring.

It is problematic because when you're coming out of school, who's gonna give you the opportunity to get the experience?

Absolutely and then once you get the experience, do you want to be in Detroit with these weather?

The weather that's I mean, who really wants to be in Detroit?

So I see why they live, they don't live in Detroit.

If they're out of the state or other country, they're getting Detroit dollars, but they're probably in a warmer climate.

So we sometimes we have to like lower the bar and maybe not have 10 years, but maybe five years.

For someone that's homegrown who is gonna keep their dollars here, raise their family here.

So I I'm just an advocate for labor as usual, but it's some we cannot we lose so many young people because you have to have 10 years' experience, 15 years experience.

It's just we have to we have to give people a chance sometimes.

Give them the opportunity.

You never know what you what we might get.

I agree.

And the Department of Public Works is putting a lot of money into hiring interns to get them to that point.

So we're we're gonna put a lot of effort into it and we're gonna get to that point.

Well, I'll see.

Uh member Callum, I'll say thank you for the preparation for this section of our meeting today.

Because you guys came locked stock and ready to rock today.

You had all the answers like we're not doing this, we're not doing that.

We discontinued this, and I'm sitting here like, okay, if I can get a plug-in though, we we just started a program.

We're gonna hire our first auto mechanic uh diesel auto mechanic for the Department of Transportation uh within the next 30 days, and it's through Henry Ford, and they're gonna get eight weeks of training through a grant through DESC.

So this is the type of thing that you're referring to.

I love it.

I'm I'm supportive of it, and uh, you have my full support.

Thank you so much.

This is um this is what this is all about.

You guys come before us so the public can hear.

We have the public here as well.

Thank you all so much, and I'm looking forward to working with you both.

Um, and I'm looking forward to the establishment of the task force.

Okay.

Okay, thank you.

Anything else?

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Enjoy the warm weather out there.

Uh-huh.

All right.

Next on the agenda is oh, do we have a motion for um line item 10.1?

Motion to approve.

Motion to approve.

There's been a motion to approve line item um 10.1, which is the extension of contract number 63874-A4-R city funding, $50,000.

Um, are there any objections?

No.

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Thank you so much, Member Miller.

We got through that one.

Our next line item is the status of the law department to amend chapter 45 of the 2019 Detroit City Code Direct TV franchise.

And this was brought back by I do believe at the request of Member Benson.

And he is not here.

So we are going to bring this back, Mr.

Anderson, in another week to give uh my colleague an opportunity to get any of his questions and concerns addressed at that time.

So is there a motion to bring line item back?

Um line item 10.2?

Yes, uh, there's motion to bring back line item item 10.2 in one week.

Okay.

Any objections?

None.

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Now we are on line item 10.3, settlement lawsuit of Jimmy Lamar Robbins the third versus the city of Detroit in the amount of 32,500.

Um is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line item 10.3, which is a settlement.

Any objections?

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 10.4 is another settlement.

Um and that first settlement was for the department of transportation because we're gonna keep track.

Um that was for um D D dot.

The next one is another D dot settlement in the amount of let's see what this is.

We are on line item 10.4.

Is there an um yes?

Um attorney Anderson, line item 10.4 in the lawsuit of Mac Avenue HCLL C versus the city.

Through the chair, Graham Anderson Law Department.

This is one that uh we flagged last week because there needed to be a correction for the title.

Uh that correction was not made.

I'll make sure that gets addressed uh in the next week.

Things got a little crazy this week.

Okay.

Um so I just ask a one-week bring back to resolve that error again.

Okay, um, is there a motion to bring this line item back in one week?

Motion to bring it back in one week.

Okay, any objections?

None hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, um, Mr.

Anderson.

Line item 10.5, the status of the public lighting authority.

Um the interview for Mr.

Hollowell was today.

That um action was to send it to formal with the recommendation to approve.

We have two other interviews.

I'm gonna ask, I'm gonna defer to you, Mr.

Anderson, on these two uh additional interviews, Mr.

Robert Brown and Mr.

Keith Williams.

Mr.

Chair, I think a bring back would be appropriate in this matter.

Okay, a one-week bring back.

Uh, if is that the plan to have them scheduled uh next week, then I think one week would be perfect.

Okay, all righty.

So are we saying we're gonna go ahead and schedule these two um interviews for next Wednesday?

Um LPD is that we is that the action that we should be taking, madam chair.

It is it up to the discretion of the chair.

However, these three individuals were offered for one position, and if uh Mr.

Hollow will is confirmed that might change the situation and what you do next week.

Okay, all right, thank you.

So we'll just bring this back for further discussion.

I suppose for um line item 10.5.

Is there a motion?

Motion to bring back in one week.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you, Mr.

King and Mr.

Anderson.

Line item 10.6 is a submitting a memorandum requesting a formal legal opinion from LPD on the legality of paying stipends to members of the tenants rights commission.

LPD Attorney Phil Keller, LPD to the chair.

Um we're requesting one additional week for this item.

Is there a motion to bring line item 10.6 back in a week?

Uh motion to bring back in one week and item 10 item 10.6.

Okay.

Any objections?

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 10.7, um, status of the mayor's office proposed amendment to the executive organization plan, otherwise known as the EOP.

Motion to approve.

Motion to discussion.

Discussion?

Discussion.

Okay, discussion real quick.

Um, Mr.

Anderson, because we have the document, we have a copy of the executive organization plan.

Um, so are we just do you recommend that we just move this to formal?

What's happening with this one?

The chair, we actually just uh received a special session for tomorrow at 2 30, and one of the items for discussion is the executive organization plan.

So uh I figure this body might want to hear that discussion and then that might change how you want to respond next week.

Uh but so I would recommend a one-week bring back to fully uh engulf that discussion next week or tomorrow, and then see how that uh you want to proceed next week.

Your motion to bring this back in one week.

Yes, I had a question.

Okay, and um member Miller has a question first before um any motions.

He said there's gonna be discussed at 2 30 tomorrow.

Is that under the committee?

That is Mr.

Anderson.

I don't know what that is.

Through the chair, just um the clerks uh just sent out a special session uh tomorrow 230 discussion executive organization plan.

Under which so that goes under um well uh a special session is the committee of the whole, so that will be all members of uh the council are will be invited.

And that's tomorrow at two um 2.30.

That's fine.

Okay, all righty.

So we'll bring back in one week.

There we go.

There's a motion to bring line item um 10.7 back in a week.

Any objections?

None hearing none, that action will be taken.

Thank you.

Um Mr.

Anderson and Member Miller.

Thank you.

We are under new business, which is line item 11, 11.1 is the reappointment of Charlotte Wright.

Um, I'm gonna defer to LPD because I think there was a resolution already um already written for this one.

Madam Chair, this is the actual resolution that's attached.

I respectfully ask that you reconsider the motion that assigned the drafting of a resolution to LPD and then move this forward to the formal.

Oh, so we need to make a motion to reconsider our vote on this particular one only on Charlotte Wright because this is the resolution here.

Okay, is there a motion?

Motion okay hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Member uh Mr.

Young, I'm sorry, Mr.

King.

Now, madam chair, you can move this this uh this actual resolution to the formal for approval.

Okay, is there a motion to move line item 11.1, which is the actual resolution for the reappointment of Charlotte Wright to formal with a recommendation to approve?

Motion.

Okay, all right.

That action shall be taken.

Hearing no objections, that action will be taken.

Line item 11.2, which is a submitting a resolution authorizing contract number 600 7299, 100% city funding.

Um is there someone on here from I guess this is IT?

This is a 1.6 million dollar contract, um, three years and eight months for company that's in Bellingham.

Um is that Wisconsin or Washington?

Washington for Haley.

Through the chair, yes.

Through the chair, we have Brandon Sledge Millen and Latrice Yelder.

Okay, can you promote those two individuals and make them panelists?

Oh yeah, you can come forward, both of you.

And then we have two panelists too on virtually.

I see a Miss Sullivan, and who else do we see that are on um that are on virtually because we have two in-persons?

Okay, all right.

We'll start with the two in-person individuals first, and if you can um introduce yourselves and you can click the base of that microphone, it'll turn green, and you can introduce yourself for the record and um your title.

Thank you, madam chair.

Uh, I am Brandon Sledge Mellon, director of Departmental Technology Services with Indo It for the City of Detroit.

Madam Chair, I'm Nicholas Clark.

I'm the IT tech manager with the Department of Innovation and Technology.

And who do we have virtually?

Anyone virtually?

Yes, madam chair.

This is Latrice Yonder with the Office of Contract and Procurement.

What's your last name again, Latrice?

Yoder.

Yelder, okay.

Okay, thank you, Ms.

Shoulder.

Okay.

Um, Mr.

Sledge Mellon is it, and then we'll hear from Mr.

Clark and then from Ms.

Yoder.

Mr.

Sledge Mellon.

Yes, absolutely.

So uh thank you for having me.

Um the you know, ITSM, which is IT service management, is really the guts of what we do, providing services throughout the city.

Uh, there are some ancillary uh products that function off of uh what we do and the services that we provide.

So to keep it really simple, you call into the service desk, you need to start a ticket.

Uh this is how we identify and triage and provide those services to you.

Um, and so we put uh our current system is actually being you know completely decommissioned its end of life at the end of this year, so we need a new system, and so we put this out to bid um and we selected you know the best response and uh the most cost-efficient um you know solution that we could find.

Mr.

Clark, I don't know if you want to add anything else.

Yes, thank you, Mr.

Sledge Mill.

That's okay, Mr.

Clark.

Yes, so not only is this uh solution used by do it, we also this solution is also used by public safety, is used by the uh payroll department for case management uh to track their issues.

It is also used by DWSD uh as well as um the Treasury Department We have a lot of departments interfacing with this software.

Yes, we do.

So with the previous system, what happens?

It's just obsolete, not gonna use it anymore.

That's that's correct.

We've been on that system for nine years.

So yes, the company, I'm sorry, through the chair, the the company was acquired.

Um, and so it's it's no longer.

It's no longer okay.

Um, Ms.

Yolder, did you want to add anything?

And then I'm gonna turn it over to my colleague, Member Miller.

Ms.

Yoder from Um Contracts and Procurement.

Yes, we did uh we did put this out to be it.

We sent it out to 715 suppliers and got 14 responses that we shortlisted down to the uh to four responses.

Um the four responses, Ms.

Yoder, were any from Michigan?

Any any from Michigan, any from Detroit?

No, ma'am.

I'm gonna always ask that question.

Um Member Miller, do you have any questions?

My question is this entire amount is paid for by the city of Detroit.

Yes, ma'am.

I know she said that you provide services for DS D S D.

Yes, yes.

As much money as they may, they couldn't pay their own or put a portion of it in there.

Um I'm looking at the lists.

I mean, should there be some type of match or contribution?

We can we ask to be reimbursed by them.

You do?

Yes.

So you already have.

Well, not yet, we don't have the contract yet, but yes, we can we can ask to be reimbursed by that.

Have you ever done it before?

Yes, we have.

Have you ever been reimbursed?

Yes, yes.

Yes, in a good way, or just uh it's hard, you know, as IT is hard for us to through the chair, it's hard to do that.

For that department because I'm looking at me when you see the DSD S D DWSD, that is why are we paying for their system?

They make more than enough money for our residents through the chair.

Uh, what we do, this system is set up on a licensing and uh they pay for their licensing.

And we also uh charge back any time that someone calls into the service desk and we have to transfer calls to DWSD, we charge them for those services as well.

Thank you.

Two uh member millers, that makes me feel uncomfortable.

Um we're not good as a city collecting what's due us at all.

We um are in the business of tearing down commercially um commercial buildings owned by uh millionaires, we tear them down and we don't recoup the amount that it cost us.

So I don't know if I'm comfortable with not knowing whether or not there's some some type of written agreement in place um holding GS GWSD um responsible for paying their fair share.

Um to say that um we ask them to pay.

Um is there a written agreement that we can see?

Um because like Member Miller said, they they have um buckets of money, they have their own resources, they have their own their own funds.

Why can't they get their own license?

How can they just pay for their license outright?

Through the chair, we do collect that every year.

So every year the license uh expire.

So every year we do collect money for the past nine years from DWS Dr.

1 million six hundred and eighty-one.

Okay, member Miller.

Anything else?

Thank you, gentlemen.

Okay, um, is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to move to formal session uh for approval.

Are there any objections?

None hearing none, that action shall be taken.

But I would like to see um some evidence that they are paying their fair share because they do, as member miller indicated, they have their own resources.

They should, if they're actually paying for the license, it would be good to see.

But the motion has been um has been made and um it has been approved to move to formal with the recommendation to approve.

Anything else you gentlemen or young lady want to leave with us?

No, no, thank you very much.

Okay, thank you so much for coming.

All right, thank you, Member Miller.

Excellent.

Line item um that brings us to line item 11.3, which is a um resolution authorizing contract 600 seven six three five is a hundred percent grant funding to provide community outreach services for eligible Detroit residents experiencing housing instability.

The contractor is the black bottom group off of East Jefferson, and the contract period is upon city council approval through 2028.

Is there anyone from law um that can answer a question?

Who and what is the black bottom group and what other groups do um do they represent, and what other um municipalities do they provide this service and what services are they providing?

Law, you want to introduce yourself for the record?

Yes, good morning, honorable council members.

My name is Diamond Conley.

I'm the executive director of the right to counsel program.

Okay, can you give us a little more?

Can you share a little more information about the black bottom group?

This is the first time I've ever heard of the group.

How long have they been around and what services are they providing with addressing the housing instability in our city?

Yes, madam chair, thank you for that question.

So um the Black Bottom Group has been around um for 10 or more years, and they are plugged into the community, which is why I'm excited to bring this contract um to you.

So through our procurement process, I learned that the Black Black Bottom Group has experience with helping residents with DHS and MI Bridges benefits, and so they've helped residents sign up for rent assistance, food assistance, different services that they may need through DHS, they're familiar with that process.

They've worked with 211 in United Way.

And so when residents needed transportation to medical appointments or social services appointments, they've had a contract where they were doing that sort of work already with the residents.

And so as much as I try to get out as the executive director of right to counsel and our my team tries to get out.

And they will uh go out and do some door knocking in our highest in the zip codes where the highest eviction rates are, they will target those areas and then develop posters and flyers to pass out in those areas.

They will hold more monthly workshops to teach tenants about their rights under the right to counsel and just their overall um defenses in um eviction cases.

Um but also the I think this particular group has thought about how to reach tenants on multiple levels, and so it's not just about door knocking, but this group is coming with a community organizer, a community health care worker, a certified housing counselor, and two bilingual case aids who speak English, Spanish, and Arabic.

And so not only will they be going to residents and saying, Hey, do you need eviction defense assistance?

But also, are you having a utility issue, for example, or um a food insecurity?

And can we help you sign up for MI Bridges benefits, or do you need a transportation um set up for court?

Those are the sort of like wraparound services that the black bottom group um already has connections to and is and is set up to provide, and so um that is really why why I'm excited to offer this.

And in an ideal situation, I would offer this to every resident facing um eviction, but I think this contract allows us a good place to start.

Um thank you so much for that.

That's a lot of services that they offer for $68,000 a year for two-year contract.

Yep, it's uh it's actually $136,000, I think the contract should say, and they it's very limited, right?

It's gonna be 300 residents.

It does say it does say 136,000 for two years.

So when you divide two by when you divide 136 by two, that's $68,000 a year.

Correct.

And I what that's what I was saying.

So I know it's 136 total for two years, but for one year it's $68,000, and that's a lot of services, which I can mend them.

They can do all that for $68,000.

Social workers, translators, all those other individuals for $68,000.

We need to find more groups like um the black bottom group, because I've not seen this before for a multi-year contract um for this low amount for all the services that they're going to provide.

So I I'm excited about it.

I look forward to them coming to my area and um working with those who are facing eviction.

Before I turn it over to Mill um Member Miller, where are the highest eviction zip codes?

What are those?

Do you have that?

Do you know?

Can you share some of those with us?

So I am actively working through um the 2025 um data for right to counsel at this time, and and this is a good and through the chair.

I'm sorry, madam um chair.

Um we are having our public meeting on March 5th to kind of give those updates on what we saw from Right to Council and um those data that data and demographics, but we know um from prior years that 48213, 48206, 48214, those are just some of the zip codes where we typically see um the highest rates of eviction, but we will update that um data within the next month or so.

Can you provide those zip codes again that face the highest number of evictions slowly?

Um it was 48213, 48206, 48214.

And there's there's probably a couple of other ones that should be added to that list, and so I will provide that information to you as soon as possible.

Okay, well, um, I'm glad this is grant funded.

Um, and um all that we're getting for sixty-eight thousand dollars a year, that is like incredible.

And thank you for all that you're doing.

Um, Miss Diamond Conley, it's been a pleasure working with you for the last couple years since you took over as the director of the tenants' rights, no right to counsel.

Right to counsel, right to counsel.

You've been doing an amazing job.

Um, member Miller.

Good morning, how are you?

I just want to say I am a fan of right to counsel.

Unfortunately, there's never not enough money in that budget for right to counsel.

But I do want to see if we can get David Bill on the line from BC.

Because right to counsel, because there's not enough money.

Yes, I found an avenue was already there that we can probably navigate some of these illegal evictions because a lot of the rent the owners aren't even compliant.

Yes.

And by law, they should not be in court, any courtroom, if they're not compliant.

And our judges need to know that they should not take and receive any cases when the owners are not in compliant.

Everybody have a job to do.

Not only the renters are supposed to pay, but the uh owners are supposed to provide adequate living arrangements.

So I asked Mr.

Bell yesterday, how many were not in compliance?

And I think a member Young said it was 15%.

He corrected it to be 30%.

So there is 70% of owners not in compliance.

That means our courts would be empty.

Yes.

There would not be anyone in court to be evicted.

Their credit would not go bad.

So I wanted to see if he got the number today because I wanted to know how much was the certificate of occupancy as an owner.

You have to renew this every year because I'm almost sure we're over a million dollars behind per year in collecting those fees when we're strapped for budget and we need money to fund programs and do different things in the city.

So I was just warning because that's a right to counsel the lawyers that work need to know that the city is behind them and that we are not going to continue to participate in illegal activity.

Um how do we do that?

Okay, we can do that right now.

Um is there anyone from the administration that can um ask Dave Bell from BC to join us online?

Is that Mr.

Washington?

I should be saying, or Miss Sullivan.

Through the chair, I am on, and I will reach out to Director Bell and see if we can bring him on.

Thank you so much, ma'am.

And while we're waiting for that to happen, um, do you want to add anything else, Ms.

Connolly?

No, Honorable Council members, thank you so much for um just your support.

Uh, Councilwoman Miller, uh, very nice to meet you, and I appreciate your support.

This has been an ongoing conversation.

Um I think we do have some law in place that says um some Michigan statute in place that says that the court does have to accept the filings from landlords, even if they are um they don't have no matter if they have the certificate of compliance or they're registered, and so that has been a conflict um between you know the city and 36th district court if they can accept those filings, if they have to at least allow the filing.

But then once those filings happen, um there is there's always advocacy around can we go ahead and dismiss these cases because the landlord is not registered and does not have the certificate of compliance and therefore should not have filed this eviction case or even be renting.

Um so I think there is a uh ongoing conversation between the city and 36th um district court that that can um continue, and I'm just so excited about your viewpoint on that.

And um just give me a second, let me read this.

It says, notwithstanding section 8-15-35 D of this code, this is under landlord tenant, and subject of sections E and F of this section, it shall be unlawful for an owner to allow any unoccupied rental property to be occupied or to collect rent from a tenant for occupancy of a rental property during or for any time in which there is not a valid certificate of compliance for the rental property.

Tenants of occupy rental property that lacks a certificate of appliance shall pay the rent that would otherwise be due in an escrow account, which is established by the building safety, engineering, and environmental department for a third-party financial institution.

Period.

And you just named 48214 in my district where I live.

This is my my area where I live.

So I'm going to, in my 48214, which is all district five, I will do that, but specifically in 214, put out a notification.

Anyone that is being evicted should contact our office because it is illegal when we hold a 15 to 35 percent certificate of occupancy compliance in the CDB chart.

It's unacceptable and it's going on too long, and no one has addressed it until now.

So I just want to know what the number is, and I want to know how much it costs for the certificate of occupancy, and I'm waiting to get that, and then we can move further.

Okay.

Um Miss Colling, did you want to address um the questions that member Miller poses?

No, I think Miss Miller um read the letter of the law, and I really appreciate that.

I don't have any additional um comments um to to really say to that, um, other than I think 36th district court would need to be um, you know have a lot of people.

I look forward to meeting with them.

No, I will continue to get more information uh moving forward with the courts.

I'm sure they have their own laws requiring, but uh we as a city we have to stand our ground on what we have written, and that is sometimes the problem with Detroit is called oversight.

But this is really simple because it's affecting the livelihood of many people because a lot of them are illegally being evicted.

People do hold their rent.

If if your basement is flooded for three months and your kids can't go down the stairs, then you shouldn't pay.

But I had a uh uh owner tell me he owns five thousand units and one got away, and it's basically like and one got away.

Okay, but what do you hear?

But he wasn't saying anything at that meeting that he was gonna do to rectify it immediately.

So I was disturbed.

Um member Miller, we can always request before um the budget hearings for 36th district court to come before this honorable body to answer your questions, or they can come on Zoom.

We can make a request if you'd like I'd rather reach out personally first and try to um come to an understanding.

Okay.

All righty.

Um that yes, uh Graham Anderson law department.

I just wanted to brag about the wonderful work that uh attorney Diamond Conley and her team are doing.

They do a wonderful job.

Um the the only weakness that they have is not enough people know about them.

And and that's what I think is so exciting about uh bringing in this contractor that I think is going to get that outreach.

There's too many times.

Um I'm one of the more public-facing people at the law department that um I personally have to reach out to Diamond and say, can you help this person out?

And she always does an amazing job.

Always um, or you know, there are times I've been uh you know, sit in you get on a bite to eat, and you know, my regular waitress is saying, Oh, I'm having this problem.

I'm saying, well, we we have a law in place that will get you an attorney for free that will deal with that, and then Diamond takes care of everything, and then uh they they have an attorney ready for court for them the next day.

Uh but you shouldn't have to bump into me to have that access to uh the these um attorneys that this great piece of legislation that this body passed.

So I I'm really excited for this contract.

They're doing a fantastic job, and even more people are gonna be helped by this.

Thank you.

And I agree.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Anderson.

I know.

Member Miller, I know uh our mayor, as council president, she spoke about right to counsel often.

And she supported right to counsel often.

And when I last year looking through, I realized there was not the budget runs out for right to counsel.

And I know some of the lawyers they probably I don't know how much they charge, but um you probably need to get some pro bono lawyers or something.

But this is an initiative that the mayor pushed out, and it was it's been really a blessing to a lot of um renters.

And we intend to member Miller on that point to fund right to counsel and to re um hopefully fund it at its maximum level to um to still benefit even more people who um need these services and need that defense when they go to 36th district court.

Um, do we have anyone on form from BC?

Mr.

Washington through the chair, director bell is unavailable at the moment.

Um, but we can submit the questions to him in writing and maybe sure to follow up with you for those.

Member Miller.

Yes, the request was made yesterday in person.

I will wait for those in writing, but I guess we need to submit it.

I mean, I have to submit the request, or this body wasn't yesterday wasn't sufficient enough to say it in public comment in the session.

So somebody instruct me for the money.

Who's speaking?

Who's speaking from BC or is that Miss Sullivan from the um administration?

That was myself through the chair.

Brianna Sullivan.

Okay, Miss Sullivan, are you asking Member Miller to submit her questions to Mr.

Bell in writing?

If they've already had a conversation about it, then I'm sure that we can go from there.

Just wanted to make sure that he was had all of the details for in memo for member miller.

That okay?

That'll be fine.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you, Miss Sullivan.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you, Miss Conley.

Do you have anything else?

I do not.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your thoroughness, and we are looking forward to um meeting some folks from the black um bottom group.

Um they're gonna do tremendous work for folks who need it the most.

So thank you so much.

When you get the opportunity, I would like to meet with you also so we can discuss the lawyers that you use for this program because once we get the numbers from Director Bell, I'm sure we can navigate in some of the directions as well.

I'm excited about that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Conley.

And thank you, Mr.

Anderson.

Okay, we are on line, I'm sorry, line item 11.4 for the law department.

Mr.

Anderson, bowling alleys, fireworks, fruit and crop ripening.

What is all oxy uh uh oxidized sterilization, fumigation?

What is all of this?

Tell us, Mr.

Mr.

Anderson.

Okay, we've got to move.

Okay.

Yeah.

Thank you, Miss Thank you, Peter Rose.

Is there a motion on line item 11.3 for the black bottom group?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line item 11.3 for the back black bottom group to formal with the recommendation to approve any objections.

None.

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

And thank you, Mr.

Rhodes.

Back to line item 11.4 under the law department.

What is this, Mr.

Anderson?

Yes, through the chair to uh council member Calloway.

That this is an absolute mouthful of a large ordinance to make things uh short and sweet.

This is there were changes that were made at the state level to the fire code, and these are changes that we've made to stay in compliance with the state code.

We uh during the full public hearing, I'll make sure uh Detroit fires here, and of course the drafting attorney, and they'll be able to uh go through all the details and more specifics, but that is the reason for this lengthy ordinance is to make sure that we stay in compliance with state law.

Okay, so are we we should be moving this to formal session, um, Mr.

King with the recommendation to approve to set a um the setting of a public hearing?

Correct.

Okay, is there a motion?

Motion there's a motion to move line item 11.4 to formal with the recommendation to approve for the setting of a public hearing.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, memr.

Anderson.

Line item 11.5 settlement in the lawsuit of auto rehab LP, Charmaine Steen versus the City of Detroit, D dot in the amount of five thousand three hundred and twenty-five dollars and twelve cents.

Is there a motion?

Discussion discussion uh through the chair.

There is two different numbers on the amount five thousand three hundred and twenty-five is listed in the settlement portion, but on the letter from City Detroit, it says it's 4500.

4500 through the chair, Mr.

Anderson.

Um member Miller is pointing to two different figures for settlement amounts.

You want us to bring make a recommendation of motion to bring this back in a week?

Yes, that would be uh ideal to make sure we we want to make sure we have the the correct number.

Good for you.

Okay, is there a motion to bring this back in a week?

Motion okay, there's a motion to bring this back in a week.

Is there um any objections?

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 11.5 will be brought back in a week.

Line and thank you for that observation, member Miller.

Line item 11.6 settlement in the lawsuit of Dahomey.

Another lawsuit settlement for D dot.

I think this is the fifth one.

$52,500.

Um, is there a motion for approval or discussion?

Motion motion to approve.

Any objections?

None.

Hearing none.

This line item will be moved to formal with a recommendation to approve for the settlement of $52,500 in the matter of Dahomey, Abner versus City of Detroit.

Thank you, Member Miller.

Line item 11.7, settlement in the lawsuit of finish line physical therapy, Michael Shelton versus the city of Detroit in the amount of 12,000.

Another D dot settlement.

I believe this is the sixth settlement this morning.

Is there a motion for approval or discussion?

Motion to approve line item 11.7.

Any objections?

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 11.7, lawsuit of finish line physical therapy.

Michael Shelton shall be moved to formal session with the recommendation to approve.

D dot line item 11.8, another D dot lawsuit settlement in the amount of 450,000.

Is uh a motion for approval or discussion?

There's a motion to move line item 11.8 in the matter of Walker Dwight Walker for the estate of Terrence Reagan versus the city of Detroit for 450,000.

Um objections?

None hearing none that action shall be taken.

Line item 11.8 settlement in the lawsuit of Dwight Walker for the estate of Terrence Reagan.

Um is going to formal with a recommendation to approve no objections.

That action shall be taken.

Line item 11.9 D dot in the amount of 11,375 and seven cents.

Nicholas Morey versus the City of Detroit.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

There's a motion to move line item 11.9 in the matter of Nicholas versus Morey versus the City of Detroit for approval.

Any objections?

No.

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 11 point.

Let's see here.

12.

I'm sorry, line item um 10.

11.10.

In the matter of Richardson, Marquita Richeson versus the Detroit Historical Society.

Is there a motion to discuss or to approve?

And this amount is the case evaluation.

The liability amount is $30,000 if I'm not incorrect, Mr.

Anderson.

In the matter of Marquita Richardson versus Detroit Historical Society, is there a motion?

Motion to approve line item 11.10, the amount for $30,000 for Marquita Richardson versus Detroit Historical Society.

Any objections?

No.

Hearing that act hearing no objections that action shall be taken.

Line item 11.11 resolution in the settlement of the in the claim of Sean Murphy versus the City of Detroit.

This is DPW in the amount of $9,163.46.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Motion to approve line item 1111 and the amount of $9,163 and 46 cents in the matter of Sean Murphy versus the City of Detroit hearing no objection, no objections that action shall be taken.

We are now on line item 11.12.

This is a resolution for legal representation and indemnification for Lieutenant Michael Russell in lawsuit.

And the police department.

Can we have a motion for discussion?

Motion.

Can you explain what's going on here?

Yes, so through the chair, in these cases where there is a recommendation to deny representation and indemnification, the best way to proceed for this body and council, then eventually as a whole, is to move this item as a bring back to be determined.

We do that for a few reasons.

We do that to give this um one an opportunity for this body to collect all the facts, which we would move to a closed session to have that discussion.

Also per the union contract for the police officers if they are to be denied representation and indemnification per their contract, they have an opportunity to defend themselves first, which would be a part of the closed session.

They'd be invited to state their case and defend themselves.

Following that closed session, um in a vote is not made at that closed session.

A closed session is exclusively just for the purpose of collecting information.

Um following that closed session, we would bring this item back to internal operations.

Then this body would make a determination if they want to send it to formal with or without recommendation and move forward there, and then it would finally get to formal session, and the body as a whole would determine whether they want uh representation or not, and indemnification for the individual.

Okay.

Discussion member Miller.

Any questions?

Member Miller?

I have a question.

Why do these say versus Wayne County?

Did someone help me?

I don't understand.

Yes.

Um a lot of times uh the officer will be included.

It's verse one, the the caption will be a little bit longer.

Uh Wayne County is included, but also the um uh Detroit uh officer as well is included as a defendant.

Sir, are these Wayne County cases?

Um just well, yes, they are all Wayne County cases.

Um any case worth over $25,000 ends up in Wayne County if uh on the other side of the building.

Anything under $25,000 in the city of Detroit ends up in 36th district court.

Um but the just because it's Wayne County does not mean in the the caption there does not mean that the city of Detroit is uh not potentially still one of the defendants or one of our employees is one of the defendants.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um Mr.

Thank you, Mr.

Anderson.

Is this a reverse conviction clay case or bordering a reverse conviction or not?

This I don't believe this matter is a reverse conviction.

Actually, no, no, no, you you are at this this is a reverse conviction matter.

This um this one is um involves uh the the one fire um but I won't get into more details than that.

Okay.

So is there a motion to bring this back date to be determined for the scheduling of closed session?

Okay, there's a motion to um bring this back date to be determined for the scheduling of a closed session.

Any objections?

Hearing that none, that matter that action will be taken.

Thank you, member Miller.

We are now on line item 11.13.

Legal representation and indemnification for police officer Corey Pierce in lawsuit, Raymond Jackson versus the City of Detroit.

Mr.

Anderson.

Yes, through through the chair, one thing um actually I I want to state as well, is uh even if this body gets an RI with a recommendation that says um yes by law, yes by police department, it is still ultimately this body and then city council as a whole's decision whether you want to move forward with the representation and indemnification.

So you you're you're not bound by that recommendation.

Of course, it's the law department here.

I I would recommend that you you know listen to us, but uh it is ultimately your your decision.

And if there is a matter of an R and I that has a yes, but you still maybe you don't even um you don't necessarily know you want to vote no, but you want more information on the case.

Uh don't hesitate to uh bring this matter back for a closed session as well.

We can still have a closed session.

It's it's not that you can only have a closed sessions where the recommendation is no, we we can have a closed session uh above for for any of these matters if that is the will of the body.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Anderson.

Member Miller, any questions?

None for me.

Okay, is there a motion um to approve?

Motion to approve.

Okay, any objections?

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 11.13, legal representation and indemnification for police officer Corey Pierce in lawsuit, Raymond Jackson versus the city will be moved to formal with the recommendation to approve that action shall be taken.

Line item 1114, um legal representation and indemnification for poll police officer Malika Bennett in lawsuit of Shannon Dashawn Ezel or Ezel versus the City of Detroit.

Is there a motion for approval or discussion?

There's a motion to approve line item 11.14 for legal representation for um police officers Malika Bennett and lawsuit of Shannon DeShale Ezel versus City of Detroit hearing no objections that action shall be taken.

Line item 1115, legal representation indemnification for for police officer yesinia Vela Meva Weiba in lawsuit of Ramon Jackson again versus the city of Detroit.

And uh he was also in line item 11.14.

I do believe Ramon Jackson.

Oh, he was in line item listed in line item 13, 14, and now 15.

So is there a motion for approval or discussion?

Approval.

Okay, there's an act, there's a motion to approve line item 11.15 legal representation and indemnification for police officer um Vellanueva in lawsuit of Ramon Jackson versus the City of Detroit.

Any objections?

No.

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 11.16, legal representation and identification for TEO Taisha Scott in lawsuit of Bashir Husan versus Progressive Marathon Insurance Company.

Um this is involving, I think D dot at a crash at Michigan and Schaefer.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

There's a motion to approve line item 11.16.

Um any objections?

None hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Line item 11.17, legal representation and demification for transportation specialists.

D.

again.

For specialists, Daryl King, Keith East, um, in the lawsuit, in lawsuit, all state property and casualty versus Daryl Keith East and City of Detroit.

Um again, this is D dot.

I think this is the tenth case for D dot this morning.

This is for um representation for I guess the bus driver, if I'm not mistaken, Mr.

Anderson.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Motion to approve line item 11.17.

Legal representation for transportation specialist, Daryl Keith East.

Hearing no objection, the action shall be taken.

Line item 11.18.

We are now with human resources department.

These are just cat classifications and compensations.

Updating their schedules.

Is there a motion for line item 1118?

Motion.

Motion has been made to approve line item 11.18, which is a request from the HR to amend the 2025-2026 official compensation schedule.

Hearing no objections, that line that action shall be taken.

And line item 11.19 from HR.

Request to amend line the 2025-2026 official compensation schedule for our transportation equipment operator students.

Motion.

Any objections?

No.

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

And we are almost at the end of our agenda.

Line item 1120 offers office of the inspector general.

They have submitted their 2025 fourth quarter and end of the year report pursuant to section 7.5-306, subsection two of the city's 2020 twelve charter.

Is should there be a motion just to receive and file, Mr.

King?

Or Mr.

Attorney Keller?

To the chair, yes.

Is there a motion to receive and file this report?

Motion.

Okay.

Any objections?

None.

That action shall be taken.

There's nothing under.

Well, I guess there's miscellaneous line item 1121 with Mary Waters.

Member Mary Waters submitting a memorandum requesting a legal draft of ordinance to mandate law enforcement identification in Detroit.

LPD, do you have any information on this one?

Uh Madam Chair, can we have four weeks on this item, please?

Okay, there's a motion to bring back line item 11.21 in four weeks.

Is there a motion?

Motion.

There's a motion to bring line item 1121 back in four weeks.

Hearing no objections, that action shall be taken.

Line item 1122.

Um council member Callaway submitting a memorandum request for report concerning Rule 15.5.8.

Is there an update, Mr.

King?

Madam Chair, can we have two weeks on this item, please?

Is there a motion to bring back line item 11.22 in two weeks?

Motion.

Okay.

Hearing no objection, that action shall be taken.

Now we through the chair.

Through the chair, we do have Arthur Russian on from BC.

Um if he still wanted those questions answered.

Okay, give me one minute, just put them on standby because we're going to do you want to do your members' report or do you want to hear from Mr.

Russian first?

Oh, and we also have a walk on.

So before we get to Mr.

Russian, we're going to address our walk-on and then after Mr.

Russian, we'll do our members' report.

So Mr.

Russian, just be patient for us.

We do have a walk-on from um council member um young the second regarding the appointment, the reappointment of Maria Mohammed to the Board of Tax Review.

And the reason why we're doing it because on Tuesday, we approved the appointment of Miss Castone to replace Miss Mohammed.

Um and Miss Castone is member Miller's appointment, and that was approved yesterday without an interview.

So we will um also offer offer this particular candidate the same deference.

So we are um walking this on, it's being walked on.

And is there a motion to approve the appointment of or move it?

Are we moving this to formal session with the motion to approve?

How are we handling this attorney keller?

Madam Chair, uh the item needs to be walked on.

Okay, so before you take action on it.

Okay, so is there a motion to walk on the reappointment of Maria Mohammed to the Board of Tax Review for a five two-year term?

Approved.

Motion to approve.

Okay.

There's been a motion to um approve the walk-on of Miss Mahomet Maria Muhammad's appointment.

No objections, that action shall be taken.

Attorney Keller, now what?

Uh now you would if if the intention is not to have an interview, you would just move it to formal with the recommendation to approve.

Okay.

Is there a motion to move this appointment of Ms.

Maria Mahomet to formal with a recommendation to approve?

I make a motion that we move uh the appointment of Maria Mohammed to a formal for a recommendation to approve.

Okay, hearing no objection that action shall be taken.

Thank you for your guidance, attorney Keller.

We see you out in the audience member young.

All right, so this has been approved, and we are foregoing an interview because she has been serving.

I just want to say thank you.

Oh, you're welcome.

I appreciate you.

You're welcome.

Thank you so much.

You look at mighty debonair.

And you're strict.

Yes, Mr.

Mr.

King.

Mr.

King.

Madam Chair, we just need a motion to draft the resolution for the appointment.

Is there a motion to draft the resolution for the reappointment of Maria Muhammad to the Board of Tax Review?

There's been a motion for the um for the drafting of a resolution by LPD for the reappointment of Area Muhammad to the Board of Tax Review.

Any objections?

No.

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, Mr.

King and Mr.

Keller.

All right.

So we have Mr.

Russian on, and um, I'm gonna turn it over to my colleague, Member Miller.

Good morning, Mr.

Russian.

How are you?

I'm doing well.

That's good.

Thanks for joining us today.

I just had two questions for the BC director.

Thanks for standing in.

The first question was from yesterday.

I believe uh member Young mentioned that there was a 15% compliance of owners in the city of Detroit, and Mr.

Bell said there was he believes it's 30 percent.

And I was wondering, did we get the accurate number of how many are actually in compliant?

He stated that they had collected six thousand dollars and sent out fifteen thousand um tickets through the through the chair.

Yes, Mr.

Russian, yes.

Um the chair.

So the question um that we were asked as far as compliance, yes, we are at about 15 percent uh compliance as far as uh rental properties within the city and I believe the other question that was asked as far as enforcement.

Um I believe um yesterday, I think it was we've we've written roughly about 15,000 tickets uh for non-compliant uh rental properties.

So the question was what is the number?

How many what is our number of rental owners in the city of Detroit?

Because um member Young said it was 15 percent in compliance.

I believe Mr.

Bell said it was 30 percent.

So you are confirming that member Young was correct at 15 percent.

15 percent compliance is where we are right now.

Okay, and it's an estimated 82,000 uh rental properties in the city of Detroit.

Okay, and how much is it to get that uh certificate of compliance?

82,000.

The certificate of compliance of the process involves a an inspection, and so for a single family home, the cost is 195 plus a 20 uh processing fee, so that totals out to 215 dollars for a two-family the inspection fee is two hundred and twenty-five dollars plus a twenty dollar uh processing fee, which is a total of two hundred and forty-five dollars, and if they have a um passing uh government inspection, uh then the cost is seventy-si.

So their price could go anywhere from three to eighty five to three hundred per unit or per uh building.

I just property is a well-maintained property, they can pass the inspection on the first go around.

So the total cost of a CFC would be 215 for a single family home and 245 dollars for a two-family home.

The property is if it passes inspection on the first go around that's a lot, and you're saying well, 15%.

So I'm calculating right now.

If someone's faster than I am, feel free.

We're looking at 82,000 minus 15 percent, and then if someone could total that percentage to 300.

I have 12,300.

I could be mistaken though.

When we let me just ask him this.

So you're saying there's 82,000 properties that need to be inspected?

In compliance.

No, there's a projected 82,000 rental properties in the city of Detroit.

And of that number, only 15% are in compliance.

What does that figure look like?

What is 15%?

I don't know what that is.

What is that?

About 9,000.

About we're roughly around 12,000 properties that are in compliance.

Okay.

70,000 three hundred.

My colleague got me working up here.

Times what?

70,000 times 300.

That's that couldn't be right.

71,000 times 300.

That couldn't be right.

21 million?

That couldn't be right.

70 71,000 times 300.

That couldn't be right.

21 million.

What what what so Mr.

Russian help us because I'm not a mathematician and I'm just um putting my numbers in from somebody's asking what kind of math am I doing?

70,000 times 20.

At the highest number, 300.

Times 300.

If there's a if there's a um double occupancy, if there's a dugout flat.

Yeah, two family flat.

On the low end, on the low end, it's running to be with the extra fee.

Uh 285 dollars.

285 times 70,000.

I don't, I think my math is off.

Mr.

Russian, can you help us?

Because I have I have large numbers, and I know these numbers are totally incorrect.

If they are, they're mind-boggling.

Member member Miller.

I prose the question because our our department, our staff is in the process of getting the numbers from LPD.

We've been working on this for the entire month of January.

Because I know finance um the budget is coming up, and I really wanted to be effective in trying to find finances to help fund some of these budgets.

And I know this is one of the biggest failing departments because there's no inspections.

Um the seniors are complaining, and I've been in and out of these buildings sometimes at nine o'clock at night.

And I know these owners are not in compliance when elevators don't work.

This has been one of the biggest things I've been dealing with with the last four years.

So, Mr.

Russian, did you have a number for us?

Because I know what our number says 21 million.

It couldn't be right.

This time I do not have a number uh because um the the question that you're asking um is is asking us to to look at uh properties that may be multifamily, which is a different charge.

No, one and two families, which is a different charge, and the number of um properties that may be HUD uh HUD subsidized, and so to to give you a rough number, um feel free to take the lesser of the numbers that you provided for the single family.

I mean, even if you want to cut it in half to make it sound good, it doesn't matter.

I just need a number from you, sir.

Well, we can do is take a look at um take a look at that and provide you with a response in memo form.

Member Miller.

Thank you, Mr.

Russian.

That will be sufficient.

I'll look for the memo.

Thank you.

Mr.

Rush, anything else, Member Miller?

Members report, Member Miller.

I just wanted to remind LPD if they could get those numbers for us expeditiously.

We did put in a memo yesterday.

Um actually it's been the fourth, we've been working on it.

Um I don't know if the memo got lost or if it wasn't received or we didn't go through, but this has been something that we've been working on for uh the last 30 days.

This is my first initiative coming into office regarding the neglect of our residents.

And um I'm glad the mayor is actually starting her task force on it.

I support her 100% in getting this done.

I'm sure she probably realize it as a uh council person herself, but this is uh something that's really dear because our residents are not being treated fairly and being thrown in the streets because of non-compliance, and if you have 70,000 units that are not in compliance, it says a lot about our city, and you don't have to you shouldn't have to live in the suburbs to get the proper representation from City Hall or in court, and I would hope our judges will feel the same way and would join us in protecting our residents and make sure they get a fair fair trial and representation in court regarding our neglect of our residents.

Thank you.

Thank you, Member Miller.

Um I want to invite everyone out, and thank you for that.

I want to invite everyone out to um District 2's first coffee and conversation of the year.

It'll be February 9th, 8 a.m.

at the Northwest Activity Center.

It is not a D2 thing, it is a citywide um coffee and conversation.

We encourage everyone to come out.

It'll be at the Northwest Activity Center, which is located on the corner of Myers and Curtis.

Again, that's Monday, February 9th, and that is from 8 to 9 a.m.

And then the grant applications for the Detroit Legacy Business Projects are now open.

I'm gonna repeat that.

The grant applications for Detroit Legacy Business Project are now open, and that's for all businesses across the city.

That um the applications will start being accepted on February 9th.

And if you want more information, you can call our office at 313 24 224 4535, 224 4535.

That's the Detroit Legacy Business Project, and it has been an amazing project.

I have attended for the last two years.

And a lot of the small businesses, if they've been in business for over 30 years or more, they're eligible.

We have Dixon's barber shop, been in business 62 years, they were a recipient.

We had a roller rink from the east side, they've been in business for like 42 years.

So there are a number of businesses that are that need help and they they were here, they stuck and they stayed.

They didn't cross eight mile, they stayed in Detroit and have been doing business for over 30 years.

You are what we call a Detroit legacy business.

Please call 224 4535 to get more information.

But the application process off opens February 9th.

And then lastly, on Tuesday, February 10th, back at the Northwest Activity Center.

Um, there will be a Goldenhearts A Valentine's Social from 12 to 2.

The dress code is elegant red or pink in recognition of the uh American Heart Association month, and then February 6th is wear red day.

If the best dressed person will win a $25 gift card, that is February 10th at the Northwest Activity Center at 12 o'clock.

It'll go until 2.

Wear your best pink or red, and then um on February 6th this weekend, I think it's Friday or Saturday, I'm not sure.

That is the official Wear Red Day in recognition of American Heart Association.

There's nothing else from me.

Is anything else, Member Miller?

I don't have a report, but I will just I don't have a report, but I will say that we have a lot of dates coming up.

We're trying to squeeze in the calendar.

I feel like I mean squeezed out by all the task that my uh members that are my colleagues have, they have a lot of um events.

So I'm trying not to bump heads, so just stay tuned.

We're getting in line with the media services.

We're trying to get our calendar filled out with at least three dates is coming up, but I don't want to um intrude on anyone else's events between member Callaway and uh member um waters.

We have so many things going on.

I am having a hard time uh getting a date that can be just my date.

So as I continue to work with them, um I know Member Waters has and Member Callaway, they have the D fraud going up.

They're hitting every district.

I realized yesterday that my district did not have a date with the two ladies.

And I saw that, and I also realized that um that also I have joined the task force with the councilwoman at large, Mary Waters for the uh skilled trace task force.

I know that's coming up.

She gave her plethora of events yesterday, and I look forward to continuing to serve District 5.

Thank you so much, Member Miller.

Without objection, internal operations standing committee will stand adjourned.