Detroit Building Authority Budget Hearing - March 12, 2026
Detroit Building Authority Budget Hearing - March 12, 2026
The Detroit City Council held the second day of budget hearings for the FY 2026-27 budget, focusing on the Detroit Building Authority (DBA). DBA Director Tyrone Clifton and his team presented an overview of the agency's operations, capital projects, and property management responsibilities, followed by questions from council members.
Discussion Items
- DBA Overview & Role: Director Clifton explained the DBA's statutory functions (acquiring, equipping, owning, improving, operating, and maintaining city facilities) and its role in supporting the mayor's economic empowerment initiative through equitable access to publicly owned property and bidding opportunities. The DBA manages the city's surplus property inventory, which includes approximately 7,400 properties (600 buildings and 6,700 vacant lots).
- Major Capital Projects:
- Coolidge Bus Center ($120M) is 90% complete and receiving certificate of occupancy.
- Detroit Public Safety Headquarters adaptive reuse ($55M from a $100M public safety bond).
- Relocation of the Michigan & 19 service yard to Russell Ferry (first phase approved at $17M) to accommodate development around the train station and soccer stadium.
- Property Disposition: The DBA processes applications for city-owned surplus properties. Sales are at fair market value, determined by brokers, with credits offered for nonprofits, adjacency, or employment creation. Director Clifton noted that the DBA does not discount prices automatically for city employees.
- Challenges: Council members raised concerns about speculative developers using new LLCs to avoid blight tickets (Member Callaway), high renovation costs for vacant apartment buildings and schools (Members Johnson, McCampbell), and confusion between DBA and Detroit Land Bank property pricing (Member Santiago Romero). Director Clifton acknowledged the need for better public education on processes.
- Specific Projects:
- Skillman Branch Library: Renovations (windows and roof) are still in development; an RFQ is expected within six weeks.
- EV charging station at Coleman A. Young Municipal Center: DTE is in the MDOT permit process; chargers expected by late spring 2027.
- Considine Recreation Center: Repairs fall under General Services Department; reactivating the pool would require a larger capital project.
- AI Implementation: Councilmember Pro Tempore Young suggested implementing AI for predictive maintenance, energy efficiency, and fraud reduction, citing potential annual savings of $35–55 million. Director Clifton stated there are no current plans for AI.
- Contract with Summit Commercial: Councilmember McCampbell raised concerns about responsiveness; Director Clifton noted regular team meetings and direct communication with applicants.
Key Outcomes
- Councilmember McCampbell made a motion to move discussion of marketed properties and broker relationships into executive session. The motion was approved with no objections.
- The DBA will provide additional written responses to outstanding council questions, including a list of successful small projects with discounted pricing and information on publicly owned apartment complexes.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone. We'd like to now begin the expanded budget finance and audit standing committee for today, Thursday, March 12th, 2026. Good morning, Madam Clerk. Morning. You please call the roll. Absolutely. Council President James Tate. Yep. Council President Pro Tim Coleman Young. Member Young is in the back. Okay. Councilmember Angela Whitville Callaway. Member Calloway indicated she's on her way. Okay. Councilmember Mary Waters. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero. Present. Councilmember Renata Miller. Renature. My apologies. Councilmember Denzel McCampbell. Councilmember Letitia Johnson. President. Councilmember Scott Benson. Mr. Chair, we have quorum. Thank you. We have a quorum, which means we're now in session. We are now set for our second day of budget hearings in this budget season. We will now have members of the Detroit Building Authority. Please come forward. Thank you for being here. Mr. Wood, if you have any opening words you want to provide before we get going. All right. He said, no, let's get it on. And for the public again today, we will be having the build Detroit Building Authority as well as the Detroit Eastern Market public hearings. After that, we will have uh abbreviated uh public comment sections. Uh we will then break, allow for additional committee uh work to take place and then have two additional uh budget hearings that will come following that uh and at the end of the uh second uh budget hearing we will have uh again another uh abbreviated public comment section. Noting again that the public will have an opportunity to provide full public comment during uh a public comment hearing, a hearing designed solely or session designed solely for public comment on March 30th. All right, Director Clifton, good morning. Thank you for being here. Please introduce yourself and your team, and the floor is yours, sir. Thank you. Good morning, council. Um Tyrone Clifton, director, Detroit Building Authority, and I will allow my team to introduce themselves. Hi, good morning, uh Council members. My name is Roger Short, and I'm the financial manager for the Detroit Building Authority. Thank you. Good morning, Donna Rice, Deputy Director for the Detroit Building Authority.
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