The expanded budget finance and audit standing committee for the purpose of budget hearings.

Good afternoon, Mr.

Clerk.

How are you today?

Good afternoon.

I'm pretty good.

Good, good.

Uh, please call the roll.

No problem.

Councilmember Scott Benson.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson.

Present.

Councilmember Denzel McCampbell.

Councilmember Renata Miller.

Councilmember Gabriel Santiago Romero.

Present.

Councilmember Mary Waters.

President.

Councilmember Angel Whitfield Calloway.

Member Callaway did send a memo indicating that she would be absent.

Meaning that her absence is excused.

The clerk will still note.

Council President Pro Tem Holming Young Second.

Here.

Council President James Tate.

Yep.

Mr.

Chair, there's a core.

Thank you.

We have a quorum, which means we're now in session.

And we are back, as I mentioned, for part two of our budget hearings for today.

And coming up next is BC Building Safety Engineering and Environmental Department.

Come on down.

Thank you all for being here.

Um you get yourself settled.

Uh feel free to introduce yourself and your team, and the floor is yours, sir.

All right.

Good afternoon, Council President, Pro Tim, Honorable Body, Dave Bell, Director of BC, Building Safety Engineering, Environmental Department.

And on my left.

Raymond Scott, Deputy Director, BC.

And on my right.

All right.

I am proud to come before you for my 11th budget hearing representing over 320 hardworking dedicated B seat employees, and I could not do it without them.

I want to give you a high level overview of the department, an update on what BC has accomplished over the last year, and what Mayor Sheffield has in store for the coming year.

Let me first start by making uh by thanking this honorable body for the support and helping us improve the quality of life for the people living, working, and visiting Detroit.

In alignment with Mayor Sheffield's Rise Higher Platform BC will facilitate a comprehensive service review improvement and planning process in order to realign key priority areas, including but not limited to small business improvement, customer service streamlining, housing and quality improvement, senior housing compliance, and expedited infield housing development.

BC will transform Detroit's permitting and licensing experience to dramatically improve the quality of life for Detroiters by delivering faster approvals, clearer guidance, equitable service, equitable access to services.

We're going to be placing staff in the neighborhood base hubs to provide services in the neighborhood.

BC will send customer service representatives, liaisons to each district to provide real-time information related services related to services and enable neighborhoods to navigate and access BC services online.

BC construction division has initiated a robust inspection service process to ensure maintenance and repair housing on senior housing elevators in the city's effort to and commitment to our senior citizens' quality of life initiatives.

The property maintenance division has hired two additional housing inspectors designated exclusively for monthly inspection of senior housing and units to increase compliance and quarterly engagements of reg of educational resource fairs, webinars for property owners and property management companies to discuss code compliance and best practices for senior disabled persons building compliance.

Webinars for property owners and property management companies to discuss code compliance best practices, social media engagement, aggressive legal action for non-compliant owners with large portfolios and consent agreements for property owners and management companies outlining specific corrective actions and timelines for compliance.

And we're going to increase the certificate compliance issuance by 25 to 35 percent to protect renters.

Same day permitting, we're going to expedite permit issuance and allow qualified city inspectors to review and approve residential and small commercial alterations directly in the field at the time of the inspection.

This is going to impact business owners, homeowners, and landlords seeking to make simple alterations or repairs to their buildings.

Permit ready plans.

BC will be implementing the permit ready plans program aiming to lower the barrier for infill housing development in the city of Detroit by decreasing construction costs and permit processing timelines.

Currently in the discovery phase over the next three months, which will lead to the design phase, where over a course of two months, BC will participate in the process modeling workshops with our architectural firms, PDD, DLBA, and HRD.

A pilot will be launched in seven to nine months and the final evaluation phase validating final recommendations in 10 to 12 months.

The program includes single to two-family housing styles to provide permit ready plans for emergency emerging developers.

We are going to optimize user experience with our current technology.

This is going to upgrade and integrate customer experience to conduct business seamlessly across three existing technology platforms, Open Counter, Acela, and Avol, and this is going to impact all residential and commercial customers seeking to do business with BC.

In alignment with Mayor Sheffield's Rise Hire platform, our mission statement is to provide Detroit's safety to protect Detroit's safety, strengthen neighborhoods, and support economic opportunity by delivering clear, consistent, and modern regulatory services grounded in transparency, accountability, and public trust.

Again, in alignment with her Rise Hire platform, the mayor.

Our vision is to become a department where safety, service, and opportunity move together to build stronger neighborhoods and a more prosperous Detroit.

Our fiscal 2026 budget BC consists of seven divisions, 363 employees.

We've got an adopted baseline budget of 40.8 million dollars.

In administration, we deal with resource allocation management, planning, program development, possible policy implementation, and customer relations.

We've got six other divisions.

Construction handles all development in the city, all of the inspections, property maintenance deals with enforcement of the rental property ordinance, commercial buildings, dangerous buildings, and blight reduction.

The DRC handles the meetings with all the developers that come to town when they want to meet with the city.

James Foster pulls everybody into the meeting so that they the city is speaking with one voice.

Environmental affairs protects the Detroit's natural resources, environmental enforcement, brownfield redevelopment, and solid waste and legal dumping.

License and permits division.

They handle the trade permits, DAH, emergency show calls hearings, business license issuance, and 36 district code enforcement.

The zoning division handles zoning reviews, interpretations, site plan review, SLU hearings.

In 2025, we performed over 261,000 inspections, issued over 6,800 building permits, issued over 25,000 trade permits, issued over 400 400 certificates of occupancy.

We issued over 1,800 business licenses.

We issued over 6,600 certificates of compliance.

We closed over 270 illegal marijuana facilities.

We handled over 32,000 improved Detroit issues.

We conducted over two compliance fairs.

Trade permits.

We issued 160 boiler permits, over 5,400 electrical permits, over 400 elevator permits, over 200 fire alarm permits, 86 generator permits, over 7400 mechanical permits, over 10,000 plumbing permits.

We have increased business license issued for brick and mortar by 35% two years in a row.

And projects completed in 2025.

The community financial credit union in D1.

Orchard Village Apartments in D1.

Jerk at night in D2.

Dr.

Violet Lewis Village in D2.

Sorry, it's not a joke.

Moving on, shell gas station in D3, Key Bank Detroit in D3, Chick-fil-A Restaurant in D4, Culver's Restaurant in D4, um 60 Harper Apartments in D5, the residents of modern city in D5, GM World Headquarters in D6, Ralph Wilson Continental Park in D6, Christ Child House in D7, and the Ford Road mixed use building in D7, and projects in the pipeline for this year, Minoch Park Place in D1.

Benjamin O.

Davis Veterans Village in D2, Detroit City Airport Terminal in D3, Glea Pumping Station in D4.

The Cosm Detroit in D5.

And with that, I will answer any questions you may have.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you so much.

And we will begin with questions starting with Member Miller.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Yes, ma'am.

Hello, everyone, how are you?

Thank you for joining us today.

I have read your packet, and it appears that under the current Madam Mayor, this department is attempting to go in the right direction.

I applaud her tenacity on jumping in showing our residents that she is actually for the people and is ready to take on some tasks that had not been taken care of previously.

I sent a list of questions over, and I want to thank you for the information provided regarding the current status because I have current rental property legislation before us that I have been working on diligently.

So the questions that I asked were pertaining to that, so we're just gonna get right into it.

I asked that you provide a current status of rental registration and certificate compliance programs on the program.

However, after reviewing what you sent me, the estimated rental universe and the subsequent language referring increases in compliance, I need to be very clear about the information I am requesting.

The data that I received gave me percentages, projections, and a strategic plans.

But because from what I seem to gather, my numbers come to 20 million dollars in oversight that's missing.

Your letter that was sent to me only claimed to be seven million dollars.

So the data provided that the city of Detroit estimates approximately 80,000 rental properties citywide, with 11,4749 current holding of active certificate of compliance and 25,014 registered properties.

By the department's own figures, this means that roughly 68,000 properties currently do not have a valid certificate of occupancy, and approximately 55,000 properties are not registered at all.

Reads as program projection and strategic narrative.

And if you multiply that, it came to exceed over 20 million dollars that is missing yearly from this department.

The report provided to council only listed 7,701, 232,000 dollars in outstanding obligations.

This would provide a methodology.

And without using percentages, projections, and strategic plans.

Because of the oversight in this department here of this, it leads us to safety issues and concerns.

And I know we're working hard to bring in people to check out our buildings and our rental universe as it was called to me.

But when we have oversight where people are not compliant, it not only is the lack of a revenue stream coming in, it leaves the door open for safety concerns.

And last night when I was thinking about coming before you I can only think about the Kamaya Davis situation where the baby fell through the floor and died in a puddle of feces.

The owner, which people do not know, the mother went to jail.

She got a year of in jail and four years' probation, but the homeowner actually got um, she had I think it was five to fifteen years in prison because she knew that that floor was open.

She continued to cover it up for a period of three years, and there was no oversight, no one came in and did inspections.

I know this department last year hired about 50 new inspectors.

I'm even wondering if they're from Detroit or not.

But when we fail to have oversight, we lack in our safety for our residents.

And that is bringing me back to the senior buildings because there's roaches and rats in these buildings.

That is a safety concern.

And as we try to tackle it now, I I question how we lose 20 million dollars a year in uncollected debts.

As residents, we cannot miss a payment.

We will be penalized with interest.

We are constantly in court, our residents, because of their own oversights and neglect for payment, because a lot of people do get over in the system, but when we continue to not address what we're supposed to do, and that even means putting money in escrow, that means uh alerting these property managers.

Everybody's saying that we're we're we're here now, but we have been wrong for so long.

So my question today is I only have one.

The people that have been neglected neglected for many, many years.

They knew they had to pay and they did not pay for many, many years.

I was at the King homes, and I was brought there to help two residents help form a tenants right council because they had flooded basements and their kids could not go down past the last step because the flooding was up to their last step for over three months.

The owner was there.

I looked around the room, and I saw this one man, and he was seemed out of place.

We know why.

He got up and said that he owned five thousand units in my district five that I am con that I am working with.

Five thousand.

And he said to me, I'm sorry if I let two get passed, but his two to those men, those mothers with four kids and three kids was like 10,000 to his 5,000 units.

But the audacity for him to say to me, what's the big deal?

I just two just got away.

But those young ladies, had they not paid their rent, they would be evicted.

But they're living in feces, just like the Kamaya Davis mom had the feces and the garbage from the sewer back up because she fell in a sewer in the basement, and we have not protected our residents, especially our senior residents.

So as we move the new department forward, I look forward to seeing those wicked property owners dealt with because it is not right.

I'm sure you know who they are, because they've been around a long time, and we can talk to the dons if we really want to know who that gentleman was that told me he owned 5,000, and that it was not a big deal because we first we were in the king homes, and of course they were all black, so people don't care where black people live, they don't care how they live, they don't care what condition they live in, but it's unacceptable that our department that is that is tasked with protecting them, that is tasked with making sure these homeowners, these I'm sorry, these landlords stand up while they receive their money, and even some of our departments.

We have a hood department, people we have hood, we have all these are responsible, and they have failed the city of Detroit.

It would not happen in any other city in this state.

So I am grieved by it, and as we talk about viable revenue streams, this should be the first.

And there need to be some oversight in those departments, but they need to register every day how many they they went in and how many they actually inspected because it's not right to have 68,000 properties with not a certificate of compliance.

It is not right.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you very much.

Any reflections, sir.

Yes, through the chair.

Um I I hear you loud and clear, Councilmember Miller.

We are gonna partner with a nonprofit that is gonna take a look at all of BC's processes from top to bottom.

Um I am not happy about the where we are with the rental pro with the rental program.

And I I take full responsibility.

We are gonna move the needle.

We are going to get at least 25 to 35 percent in the next year.

I I'm not happy at all.

And and we are gonna move forward.

I do believe that the question was if not, I I'm I I will I I'll admit that I'm wrong, but I do believe your question was how much money is owed to the city, and and the finance team looked at it and and looked at the books and said, Yes, um, there is approximately seven million dollars owed.

I understand now that you you were wondering about the money that is should be coming into the city, and I I'm sure your numbers are right.

I'm not happy with where we are.

I am gonna move forward and I'm gonna move this needle.

And I I said that to say we've had some productive conversations lately.

Yes, ma'am.

I look forward to partnering with you with this department here.

There was a resident in Lafayette Towers, Lafayette Park.

She said to me, You always talk about um home ownership.

You always talk about single family residents, you always talk about historical districts.

She said, Do you even care about renters?

Do you even care about what renters go through?

And we work every day, and our rent continues to go up every other month.

Every year there's an increase.

Well, inflation, whatever you want to call it.

She said, but you never speak about I told her, young lady, you just don't know.

I am really in tune with it.

I have rented a lot of people.

We you start off renting when you're young and you're renting and you're trying to save money to be a homeowner.

A lot of times the slum lords have these people, young people messed up and their credit is bad when they miss a payment, or for whatever reason, it could have been some kind of calamity happening in their life, and their credit is ruined because they're in court.

And a lot of times these home, these landlords are not compliant.

And I want to thank God for the few judges that reached out to me and said, Hey, let me help you with this, because it needs to stop at the courts.

And while we do have people that take advantage of it, you know, we have some scheme and conniving people that actually seek to not pay at all.

And we know who they are.

I'm not saying I don't support, I don't understand that, but we have to start with policies that are reflective that support our residents and that call the culprits out that take advantage of our residents.

And I'm glad that we're starting here with the rise higher.

I'm glad that we have um a new team of people coming in.

You did bring in 50 people last year.

Um I'm interested in seeing what do we need financially to get this done because it is sad to be 65 and over and to go in a elec to go upstairs with only with no legs on your behind with two arms because the elevator's been down.

My in-law just moved out of camper Stevens.

The elevator had been down for over since before Thanksgiving, and she is approximately 77 years old.

And they've they have been going up and they and a lot of them told they were gonna be able to come back.

We know they're not coming back.

We know the scam that's going on in Detroit.

I mean, look at the Leland House, they're never going back.

So people get over, and then they have the buildings are so bad, they move out because it's a hazard.

They never come back, and it'll never be uh income-based.

So while they're moving all those people to District 4 to those two buildings right there by you, member Johnson from the camper Stevens and the other building, they're relocated because the elevators have been down, but I just believe a lot of it is by design.

I believe that we have to get in and double check what's going on, especially with the elevators, because that's the quick tool to move low-income people out, which I understand.

If you've been saving having property for 30 years, and we finally got an influx coming in the city, it's time to for is a payday, and they do not want to work with low-income housing people, so they figure out ways to get rid of them.

Thank you.

Thank you, uh, you love and clear.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Good afternoon.

Good to see you all.

Um, my questions are going to be focused on our dangerous buildings process.

Thank you, Doctor, for reaching out.

I have not gotten back to you.

I apologize.

We're in the middle of budget, but um, I do want us to be able to sit down and talk about that process.

That's offline conversation.

I really do want us to focus on and it was talked a little bit earlier with the DAH, how there is a hearing process for residents that want to keep their property from being demolished and make sure that it's in compliance before it gets to dangerous buildings.

But at dangerous buildings, we still see some properties that we think might just need a new window, something simple, not a demolition per se.

So looking forward to figuring out what that looks like and how we can make sure the properties that we see are truly dangerous and need to be demolished.

But some of the issues that come up during that process is notification to residents and also just a confusing process of a property maybe was bought by the land bank, or maybe it was bought by a different entity.

And there's just confusion around property being moved, and then it still ended up in the dangerous buildings process and going to be demolished.

I share all this to say is as the council member trying to listen and figure out what has happened with that property, who they've been talking to, where they might be on the pipeline.

I don't have that information.

Is there a piece of technology?

And I can only think of probably a bad example, but when you order dominoes, it tells you your pizza's being made, it's warming up, it's five minutes before it gets sent to you.

Is there a way to see that this process has gone through the DHS or it has received these tickets?

It has already been um, you know, it's a it's a dangerous building's uh uh property just for us to get a better picture and also just be better.

Advocates, also on your end, or for the residents, whatever the case may be.

There's just a lot of information that we don't know.

And I just wonder if there's a piece of technology that can show us the history of that property, which hands it's it's touched, which departments it's been talking to.

Um that way we better understand how to help residents and also how to better support you in your efforts, maybe not send back uh a property to you if you have already tried to reach out to the property owner ten times if you know that they have not been doing things with good faith, right?

I I also don't want to make your job more difficult.

I just there's information that I that I don't have that I think would be really helpful for us to understand and to have while we're doing the dangerous buildings processing through the chair.

Um you've got some good ideas.

Um I'm looking forward to sitting down with my team and and addressing them.

I'm looking forward to sitting down with you and and seeing how we can make the dangerous building process better.

I I will say that I have seen some of the properties that that came before you, and I agree they should not have come before you.

And I've I've mandated to my team that they have got to do better at um making sure that we're sending properties up that that really need to be demolished.

So you should see a difference.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

And and as I say this, I and I'm thinking about my my colleague in D3 who who I know has properties that um have been up for a while, but I think that's also helpful to know, right?

This property has been burned now for three years, it's been sitting here, it should go down.

So we will have more of those conversations in that conversation.

Um, we should talk about resources as well.

Um, and maybe how we move our resources from demolition to preservation and what that looks like.

Um, I think that'll be a larger conversation that we need to have with the mayor because I I would really love to see if possible a fund to help residents that are in the dangerous buildings process, who frankly are seniors, our low income are not gonna get the money to fix the window, and we cannot demolish that house if it has a broken window.

And and if they're not gonna have the money to fix the window, I think that that's a way for us to preserve preserve the housing that we have.

Um so that's a uh a conversation that I would like to also have when we're talking about the process of a dangerous buildings.

My uh second question, um it's it's it's very much in line with with member Miller's question and and what we're seeing with the Leland and just larger picture of us getting to problem properties first.

I appreciate director that you said you're taking on responsibility, but you've been here for a long time.

What is different now?

What is the change now that we're gonna see because this is the responsibility of the city, and I understand we've gone through bankruptcy.

I get that.

But just tell us what's the difference now and why we are going to be able to address these problems.

Through the chair.

Uh the difference now is that we are currently meeting with the law department, and we're going to be forwarding them a list of the apartment buildings, the properties that are in um uh bad shape, and and that list is gonna be forwarded to them within the next two weeks maximum.

We've already had the conversation.

Um my team has a preliminary list that I have to look at, and we we know that we have to do better, and we have to work closer with the law department to to deal with these problem properties, and we are going to.

Okay.

I hear you.

I am looking for more.

Maybe you can tell me more offline.

But but we need to make sure that we are actually meeting the need.

And I I want to help do that.

So we can talk about this.

Thank you, Director.

Um, yeah, I I I quite frankly think that Leland could have been avoided, other issues that we're seeing can be avoided.

We have to be on top of it.

Um so looking forward to working on that together.

And just want to note briefly, it was shared.

Um, that COSM is in D5.

It is in D6.

Um, so just for all of us, downtown is not all D5, y'all.

Downtown is D6 as well.

And as the representative, I'm really proud of that.

Um, just want to share as as we share about what's in the city that we know our districts.

That's it for me.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

You're okay.

Thank you, Member Santiago Romero.

Uh Pro Tim Young.

All right, thank you.

Uh good to see everybody.

For my understanding, it's about 10%.

Uh what what do you have a goal of how much you want to increase that by and what number do we need to get to where we can have full coverage of the city or maximum uh coverage of that city, and do you know the costs that would be through the chair?

Um we are at approximately 14 percent compliance with rental properties at this point.

Okay, um again, our goal.

Thank you, sir.

So as I was saying, um, we are approximately at 14 percent compliance.

Okay.

Um I as I said earlier, the goal is to get a third-party nonprofit organization to do a deep dive into B seed and really look at all of our processes um to to see what what can and needs to be changed in order to to um to move the number.

Uh out of all of the initiatives that we've got going on, rental is my priority.

Uh I'm we we've got to move this needle.

And my goal is to increase the certificates of compliance by 25 to 35 percent in the next year.

That is what I'm going to do.

Okay.

That is what I'm gonna hold my people accountable for.

Do you do is that is is the cost of it, what's the cost of that?

Is that included in this budget?

It is, sir.

And do we know how many more inspectors that were require?

And are you and if you can't get more inspectors, are we using technology?

Are we using drones at all?

Are we talking about artificial intelligence at all?

Kind of really lay that on thick for me and understand what you're doing improved.

It is it is included in the inspectors needed is included in this budget.

Um we we do have we are in in uh upgrading the seller platform, which is not just permitting, it's all of our it's it's our online system that we use for enforcement in the city of Detroit.

And so we believe that the budget in front of this honorable body is going to help us move that needle 25 to 35 percent for rental.

And we do have drones, and uh again, we believe we have everything we need.

Um we're just I just have to move the needle, and and that's what I'm going to do.

Okay, excellent.

Um I appreciate that.

Well, listen, I think that you also talked did that also include artificial intelligence at all, and you go into that for me.

Yes, sir.

Um I there has to be I've got to work with the IT department to make sure that um that we have uh uh policy, but once we we do that, we're going to uh we're gonna add artificial intelligence to our permitting process.

And this is not gonna be uh at the detriment of people losing their jobs.

This is gonna be helping our people do their jobs and and help us move on to the next project faster.

Um this will not involve anybody losing their job, sir.

Well, artificial intelligence does not replace jobs, it performs tasks.

I just want to make that clear.

This is augmenting existing jobs, yes, sir.

So if you were to take my advice, which I highly suggest you do, um the administrative costs would go down by 20 to 40 percent.

Your permit processing time would go down by 50 to 80 percent.

Your inspection efficiency will go up by 30 to 60 percent.

Your error rework costs will be reduced significantly because AI catches these things early.

Your permit volume will go up by 10 to 25 percent, faster approvals, more development, which which obviously you've been very busy with all these developments, so I just want to say that.

Uh your city revenue will go up, that's your permit fees, your property value growth, and your staff productivity without layoffs focus shifts to more complex cases.

So I will send you more of this information, but I just want to say that uh you would get a two to five return on investment within three five years, and the payback period would be 24 to be 12 to 24 months.

So I just want to say I appreciate that, appreciate all your work.

I hope you uh implement all the ideas and suggestions I just gave you.

And also I just wanted to say uh my staff is uh very much fans of Ms.

Eunice and all the work that you have done.

So I just want to say thank you and I appreciate you guys.

And with that, I am done.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Member Waters.

Thank you.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

So good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

I I uh first of all, I just want to say thank you for always being responsive.

I know that you have a tremendous load.

Um also want to say to my colleague from District Five, uh, and I thank her for also caring about rentals.

Um we certainly uh renters, uh we certainly have been uh working on that.

We we passed two ordinances um last year, the tenants rights commission ordinance.

We're still waiting for the for that to be properly set up so that it can help us address things that you brought up, Member Miller, uh, regarding um because we don't know where some of these landlords are, frankly.

And so we're hoping that renters will help to tell us uh who they are, where they are.

Um we are certainly behind what when it comes to other cities when it comes to having you know being in compliance.

Um so we also passed a compliance ordinance uh last year as well, all in an effort to address some of the concerns that you've laid out, um the in addition to that uh we have a sign with um Kamaya Davis, beautiful little picture on the on the 12th floor of the Kamaya Davis Family Resource Center is down there, and that's and and thank you for helping to lift up her name in terms of what happened to her, the 11-month-old baby falling uh through a floor uh hole in the floor to the basement laden with water and feces.

And so, yes, we have to continue to uplift her name simply to remind all of us that no child should have to live or die that way.

The other thing that we're gonna be doing real soon is that we're going to be naming a building after her, and it that's the whole reason to continue to remind all of us.

So uh I just wanted to um to say that to my colleague.

I appreciate her passion and certainly look forward to working with her on these issues because they are many, and it's gonna take all of us working together to to make sure that we get this done.

All right, so could you uh detail how the reorganization of positions in the property maintenance enforcement division with a net increase of two FTEs will impact inspections for blight, and if you could cover these two specific areas, how the shift of six positions from building inspector to house inspector will enable more coverage of privately owned properties for nuisances, and then compare the number of housing inspections that BC will have to the number that the Detroit Land Bank Authority has for its nuisance abatement programming.

So through the chair, I we received your questions today, and we are gonna get you an answer to them.

I will say that you mentioned the nuisance abatement program with the land bank.

And they're not handled by inspectors.

And so I'm open to having further conversations with you about the nuisance abatement program, but I know that the law department also handles separate nuisance abatement programs.

But I I am going to get you the questions to your answers in detail, ma'am.

The answers to the questions, I get it.

Yeah.

Yes, ma'am.

I get okay.

All right.

So I can I can hold off on that.

I'll we'll have them before you know, maybe some one day this week or something, right?

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

All right.

So could you identify uh what increase in the budget and personnel would be needed to absorb the entire uh Detroit Land Bank nuisance abatement program and into B seed, and um how long would that take?

Um through the chair, I I question whether because of what I've been told that primarily lawyers handle the nuisance abatement programs, I question whether or not that it would should come to B seed.

I'm I'm open to that discussion, but I I because I've heard that land bank um their name, their nuisance abatement program is handled by lawyers, and I know that the um the city of Detroit's nuisance abatement program is handled by the law department.

I I'm I'm I can get you an answer to that question, but that's my concern.

All right.

Well then uh let me just editorialize for a second here.

The in order for them to declare it as a nuisance abatement and as a nuisance in the first place, they they should have issued so many tickets in in order to do that.

Um of course there's a residents saying that they didn't receive such tickets.

Their lawyers, 60 percent of their lawyers' time is being spent on nuisance abatement.

Um there's something not quite right about that.

Why do you have lawyers doing it on the front end?

Why aren't we looking at at a department such as BC that will issue X number of tickets and decide whether or not this is in fact a nuisance, and if in fact that person should be fined, that person should be taken to court at that point in time.

Um I don't want you all to shy away from nuisance because that's all a part of what should be done in BC in the first place, and so I wanted to uh to lift that up.

I'm not done with my my own investigation as it relates to to that to that issue, but I also would like um to have a conversation um with you about that through the chair.

I'm looking forward to having the conversation with you, ma'am.

I will say that I doubt very seriously that there are any nuisance abatement actions that are taking place without um BC issuing tickets first.

I I hear what you said and and definitely with the law department.

The the law department is not uh uh taking on nuisance abatement cases without us first uh doing our our due diligence, and I I would bet that the land bank is the same thing, ma'am.

I I bet not.

Um maybe you guys, that's what you guys are doing on your end.

I I I see the reason that that I'm just so stuck on this is because I feel at a loss to help protect the residents.

I can't do that when it rests with the land bank.

I can't just a person can't just call me and say, hey, I got this ticket or whatever.

You know, I need that type of work and relationship, knowing that at least private properties that our residents own, it's being looked after by their own city government.

The land bank is like a foreigner for uh for citizens here for residents here in this city.

And and and and they are so far removed from what these residents need.

That's why I'm so passionate about it.

And I know you guys keep pushing away from it, but I also want you to know I'm not gonna give up.

And uh, we're gonna figure this thing out so that we can protect our residents.

I'm not saying allow them to get away with nuisance.

That's not what I'm saying.

What I am saying is that they've got to be treated with dignity and respect.

Some people have literally cried when they've lost their properties.

It's not right, and I want to fire all 60 of those attorneys that the land bank has.

Um this situation is very, very high on um Mayor Sheffield's uh agenda, making property safer, going after uh uh bad property owners.

We we look forward to sitting down with you and and addressing this, ma'am.

Um well, I I hope so.

We have so many issues when it comes to properties, and and I'll let this be it.

I mean, you've got the the scam artists and the and the thieves run around here taking property too through defraud.

I mean, that they're just so many.

We owe it to our residents to help protect them, and that's all I'm trying to get to.

I'm not trying to say let them just get away with having nuisance.

That's not what I'm saying at all.

But in some instances, when people say that their property was wrongfully taken, I do believe them.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh member Benson.

Thank you.

Uh thank you all for being here.

Uh Mr.

Bell, uh, Mr.

Scott, you all do a fantastic job.

You all are very responsive, and I appreciate all the work that you do within our communities.

Uh, one of my main calls to BC is blight.

Code enforcement.

My bosses tell me all the time.

That trash can hasn't been picked up in three weeks.

That grass is now 10 inches tall, hasn't been cut in several several months now.

They don't allow that in these other municipalities that I could move to where my cousins have moved to, and they say that quality of life is a bit better than it is here in the city of Detroit.

That concerns me.

We have to be competitive, we have to hold people accountable.

Looking at your staffing, and I'm hoping that my thoughts here are incorrect.

I'm looking at page Bravo 13 TAC 15.

And if I look at housing inspector, I see eight new FTEs.

If I look at building inspector, I see minus six FTEs.

And then if I look at environmental control on page Bravo 13 TAC 14, environmental control inspector, I see a reduction of seven FTEs.

Ms.

Wending, where are your code enforcement inspectors?

We put money in there last year to ensure we can get more accountability, more people out in our neighborhoods actually doing code enforcement.

How are we looking and how do these numbers impact that ability?

Through the chair, we believe that it was necessary to um to have the housing inspectors uh in the neighborhoods more so than the building inspectors.

Um we believe that the commercial uh we've got the commercial enforcement covered, and and we believe that we can it was a good shift to have the uh building inspectors have the housing inspectors instead of the building inspectors.

Um and and we believe that we're gonna be able to move the needle with uh the proposed uh inspectors.

I don't know I I'm I I can have to check into how many vacancies we have right now, but we are working diligently with HR to to get the vacancies filled.

Okay, and then let's talk about the uh the actual enforcement.

We just heard from the Department of Administrative Hearings, and they adjudicate your tickets.

There was I want to give a false number, but there was a sizable number of tickets that you all write.

What is that number?

Oh boy, it was a big number.

Of course I can't get to it right now.

That you all write that they adjudicate that are either well.

Here it is.

So blight tickets issued by BC DPD, 77,000 a year.

2025, 77,000 tickets issued.

Uh 60,000 were adjudicated.

What's your how are we doing with our tickets with getting into our neighborhoods, holding residents accountable?

And then that delta, that's 17,000 ticket delta, typically means they go back to you all and you all work something out and doesn't have to go to the Department of Administrative Hearings as per what was told earlier today.

So just I know that people want grace, and and these are to compel compliance not to generate revenue.

For me, it's all about accountability and compliance.

If you start taking your can in, then my neighborhood looks better.

If you cut your grass, prune your trees, pick up the wind blown litter around your house, then our neighborhood looks better.

Just what are we doing to make sure that we're compelling compliance in this space?

And are my code enforcement inspectors making their way through the third district?

That's my bosses want to know through the chair.

Uh yes, we are making our way through the uh third district.

Um 77,000 is a lot of tickets.

Um we are going to interject here, Mr.

Bell.

2024, you wrote 121,000.

That's a good reduction.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

So with that being said, this is something we've got to dig into further.

Um we we do need to hire more inspectors.

Um, and uh we do have vacancies that need to be filled.

Um I I do have to go back and look at that number and compare and find out what the difference is.

Um, but yes, we we are having inspectors go through your district and and we're gonna keep grinding away and we're gonna keep addressing these complaints in a timely manner.

We're usually out there within 24 hours of the and uh of the complaint coming in.

And so often people will say, Wow, more code enforcement.

You are terrible.

My bosses demand that, and so I had 20 block clubs stand behind me and say we want more code enforcement, which is why I advocated for that last year during the budget.

They say we want the grass cut, we want a quality of life that others say they get elsewhere.

We've been here for generations.

I've owned this home for 40 years, 50 years.

I cut my grass, I prune my trees, I paint my house, I keep the garage working, my backyard is not a shambles.

They want the same, they want a quality of life that they paid for and they pay their taxes for, and I want to give them that.

So that's why I advocate here.

I want to make that very clear.

And you have our residents who are demanding and want that as well.

So I'm hoping that we're prepared to continue to give that to them.

So motion, Mr.

Chair, is to place the entire BC budget into executive session.

There's a motion on the floor, colleagues.

Any objections?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

And then motion to place cloud in the to the closing resolution comments about the need for code enforcement and code compliance in the city of Detroit for a higher quality of life for our residents in our neighborhoods.

Colleagues, there's another motion on the floor from Member Benson.

Any objections seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, gentlemen.

I have additional comments in our memos to your office regarding the budget.

Mr.

Chair, I have to beg off.

I have parent teacher conferences today.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Um thank you, Member Benson.

So, Director Bell, I know you it wouldn't be a budget hearing if I didn't ask about Brightmore.

I know you're ready this time, because last year we didn't have a response.

Talk to us about the code enforcement with the uh scattered homes over in Brightmore.

Give us some numbers where things at because some of my bosses um are watching uh from district one in Brightmore.

So talk to us a bit about the uh code enforcement where things at status update on the Brightmore Scattered Homes.

N D Indy in particular, because we know the real T are in lawsuits right now.

Yes, sir, Mr.

Chair.

So um I I don't have exact numbers related to Brightmore, sir.

I I apologize.

Um I know that we are working with uh the law department and moving them forward.

Someone from your team get you though that information.

I will make sure before we wrap up this budget hearing, because again, this is this was the same issue we had last year, and I asked that question, and I've been asking Brightmore questions for three years now.

Can someone from your office provide you with those numbers?

Because it will make sure I have residents who are watching right now in particular for that reason.

Understood.

We'll make sure you get that before the end of the hearing, sir.

Thank you.

They're working on that.

Okay.

So I will ask the second question, and we'll go back to uh the Brightmore scattered homes.

So the third party entity that's coming in to assist, who who are they?

What do they do?

What's their focus?

Uh is there a contract associated with it?

We are we are in the process of looking for a third party, sir.

Um, we're gonna work on that, and and and uh we know that the department needs uh a new set of eyes looking at it, digging into our processes.

We do not have a uh we have not settled on a specific entity just yet, but we're but we're looking on making looking into making that happen.

So what would get us to what we all have been looking for I know we have a former council president in the mayor's seat which I sure helps a bit but you're uh a remaining factor in that department so what what gets us there what is this the this third party uh entity looking to do is there a contract that's going to be associated with it as well and what is that time frame upon which we'll see the end results of this third party um working with BC.

Yes sir Mr.

Chair we are looking to partner with a third party to look at all of our processes I'm gonna be guessing I'm gonna guess that we're gonna start with the rental program that is the the the initiative that is in in serious need of of help.

So the goal is to look at all of our depart divisions and and look at our processes from beginning to end and see where we can streamline where we can uh eliminate unnecessary steps and and and just move this forward and no at this time we do not have a a contract um the I would bet that um that before the end of the year there will be a contract it may be a nonprofit it may be uh some philanthropical uh uh investment into the city I I don't know at this time but I do know that we are looking for an outside set of eyes to come into the department and help us make it better.

So if it in fact is a a contract I mean I I'm hearing the overall umbrella of the third party but there may be a need for a contract which would require funding.

Yes sir what do you have allocated potentially to go towards a contract of this nature not understanding knowing right now how large and why because it sounds like if they're going department wide it's going to be pretty expansive.

I I don't believe there's anything in funding right now I I would not be surprised if they are looking I can't speak on that right now sir.

Maybe Ms.

Williams can help us that would be considered one time cost so we will be able to tap into our um prior year fund balance to be able to pay for that.

And what's that fund balance?

Currently in access to five million okay I'm gonna wait until the information comes for Brightmore for my my second question if you will and um for now I'll go to member uh McCampbell thank you Mr.

Chair good afternoon everyone um thank you for being here I my colleagues had asked about a couple uh no number of things that I've plan to follow up on on um with some questions and written form especially around dangerous buildings as um the chair madam chair phs has brought up I'm seeing a lot of those properties that should not be there as well so sharing that concern um and also uh around the enforcement and making sure uh you know having heard from a lot of residents that they they feel like that it is undue or imbalanced enforcement and that leads me to my first question in district seven um we have gotten quite a few complaints on businesses and the upkeep of businesses and and tries and trash and such and just just b basically disrespecting the district and the residents there.

And you know we also have an influx of uh auto lots and and yards there and I know there's been some efforts around zoning before my time um but we also hear reports of uh wrongdoing there of oil being uh discarded in in the wrong way and such in our water system so can you walk me through what's the process in which you all hold those folks accountable and those business owners accountable and is there what's the point or where's the threshold where it gets to that we have to look further for more um stringent actions or revoking of a license and such because uh I get a lot of I mean whether it's an aviation or whether it's in you know Rouge Park area or if it's in Plymouth Hubble a lot of folks have concerns about that and feel that the enforcement is just not there what it needs to be.

Um there's a business on the corner of Joy Road in Littlefield that will be shut down today with uh with the help of the police department because we have talked to them and talked to them, we've issued tickets, we've issued warnings, and it is they're they seem to be thumbing their nose at the city.

And so we're gonna be shutting them down with DPD today.

We're gonna work with the law department to get them into a consent agreement so that they understand that they have to come into compliance if they want to remain doing businesses in the city business in the city of Detroit.

Um, and and we're gonna continue to do that with the other auto-related businesses.

We want to work with uh businesses as much as we can, but when it seems like you are thumbing your nose at the city, and it is in this a lot as it relates to the auto-related businesses, and it's it's almost like playing whack-a-mole.

They they get into compliance for a second, and then the next thing you know, they're out of compliance.

And so we're gonna get to the point where we're just gonna start um shutting them down and and having them go into a consent agreement with the with the law department.

Um we we look forward to working with your office to um to address specific addresses and and and bring them into compliance.

Thank you for that.

That's good to hear.

And um if you could, yes, definitely looking forward to continuing the conversation if there's any way that you know, like our office with that Joy Roll Littlefield business, like things like that, when there is action taken, if you can let us know, that would be great, just so we could be aware of that.

Um, and I know you brought up all the related businesses.

I would just say it is across the board, across the industry.

Um, you know, family dollar, we've heard it from um other retail spots that's just uh seeing trash and just seeing um a complete disrespected community.

So I appreciate that, and I'll follow up with you on that.

Um, and you know, my colleague from the third district spoke about the need for enforcement accountability, and I think everyone at the table wants to see that accountability.

Uh, my question on that, especially around residential, as we hear about, of course, the trash cans, as we hear about upkeep on grass.

Um, we have a lot of folks in our district that may need translated uh materials or just are coming from areas that the the laws and codes may be different.

So can you talk about what is your process and the education standpoint of letting folks know is it in translated um in the translation of language access in District 7, we're talking about Arabic, Spanish, and French.

Um, and how is that process before we get to a point of taking it through the chair?

I believe that our website uh has the capability of translating the website to a given language.

I have to double check on that, but I believe it does.

Um if we run across people who do not speak English, there is we do work with CREO to make sure that we can speak to them.

Uh we we we have a number that we can call in which we uh we have a translator on the phone in which we allows us to to do business with that with that uh bus that property owner.

Thank you.

And uh I was just to dig a little deeper, I will say one thing that my office is planning to partner with block clubs and neighborhood associations to really go door to door with neighbors and have that translated material, just really uh FAQ on here are the code and and rules and such.

So I would love to partner uh with the department just so we can all be aware and maybe that also give insight for inspectors of areas that we have folks that need more access or translated services as well.

So would love to work with you on that as well.

Looking forward to working with you, sir.

All right, and the last thing is not a question I would just I know it's in the executive session, but I also just want to make sure as we are expanding the the focus on housing and and such that we do have the appropriate amount of inspectors.

So um we'll have that conversation exactly the session, but I just want to lift that up.

So thank you all.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and good afternoon.

Um so Director Bale, I want to start by saying um applauding Mayor Sheffield's efforts as it relates to streamlining processes.

I saw the press conference about um permitting um and streamlining that process.

I think the more closer we get to have developers, residents, anyone who wants to build, having like the old Sears catalog to point to this pre-development or this site plan, um, this type of project, so on and so forth, that it helps to reduce the cost of development and that it makes it a lot quicker for something to be built.

I think that's very important.

I do believe that if you listen to everyone's questions, I think your department holds the keys to how successful we will be in this city that relates to population growth, density in this city, and quality of life for our residents in this city.

I think your department holds the keys to a lot.

Um and so there's a lot on your shoulders.

There are great expectations of you and your team.

Um, and the first, I'm going to read this because I had to write this up so that it was a good question, and I expect a really good response.

Not what we're going to do in the future, us coming together and working out the issue.

Um, but I really want to focus on something that I've sent over uh to the city planning commission, and we've you've we've communicated about this particular issue.

Um so according to Section 50-5-75, non-conforming land uses can be removed if a property is presumed to be abandoned.

In alignment with the mayor's focus on strengthening our neighborhoods.

How can we use, and this is commercial property specifically?

Um, how can we use the yellow, orange, and red stickers that we see throughout this entire city to help determine and abandon use so we prevent non-conforming uses from continuing to reopen and to ensure instead from continuing to open and instead we get more uses that residents need in order for us to keep our dollars in this city.

So we have cover girls that we've talked about on Whittier.

Cover girls have been closed for a number of years.

The property exchange hands.

The new owner said, okay, we're going to reopen a strip club, non-conforming use, closed for years.

So while code says there the use can be removed from the building because it has sat vacant, we haven't done that.

And so now the community is subjected to another strip club opening there because the use is still there, although non-conforming.

Talk to me about what we need to do.

How do we go through this process to ensure that our residents have the ability to weigh in to be involved in what happens within the commercial corridor in their neighborhood?

So through the chair, um I believe that we have to do a better job of uh making note of businesses that are vacant and and especially sexually oriented businesses.

Um we have to get them to the law department and and let the law department do their job, and we're gonna work with the law department to to address these businesses that are vacant.

Um it's it I look forward to working with you and your office regarding um cover girls, um, but I it it's it's not an easy thing to take to take a use and and and revoke it.

But I look forward to working with the law department on doing that.

So, if you can help me understand what a yellow and orange or a red sticker means, because I look at the stickers and I'm thinking, okay, someone from the building department has been there.

Yes, ma'am.

There should be there could be some indication by the inspector who sees who's laying eyes on the building when they put the sticker there to indicate whether or not it's vacant.

Through the chair, the the orange stickers are for closing a business.

The yellow stickers are for uh just letting you know that you have code violations on your property, and the red stickers are are dangerous building stickers.

And and I I would bet that my inspectors are noting that a property is vacant when they go out there, right?

Yes.

Yes.

So we are noting that it is vacant, ma'am.

So what makes it difficult to revoke the use, especially for a non-conforming use.

I I look forward to getting an answer for you working with the law department to get you an answer, ma'am.

This is this is a legal matter, and I look forward to working with the law department to get you an answer.

Um it's it's a legal matter.

Okay.

Um I am going to uh make a motion to add into the closing resolution for LPD to also be involved in those discussions so that LPD, the law department, and BC is working together to identify uses let me put it this way to identify vacant properties for then us to be able to move forward accordingly.

There's a motion on the floor, colleagues.

Any objection?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

And my other question is in regards to my other favorite property in District 4.

Um, I do want to note that during your presentation there was a lot of controversial district four projects that were listed.

I just wanted to note that.

Um the travel in.

Uh so I'm not sure if Deputy Director Scott is going to weigh in here because I know he responded to the most recent memo that we submitted in regards to the permitted use of the building and how the building is being used.

We asked a question about the use to understand whether or not they were operating legally according to the permit that they have.

Can you provide an update, share insight, what your thoughts are?

And and I'm going to say my bosses, my constituents, all the residents in the Ravendale community are listening and they are planning to come down next month.

And I'm going to make sure they come and uh visit the appropriate departments to have the conversation because I've been raising this issue for some time now.

So through the chair, I do know that the travel in does have a license.

The travel in does have a certificate of compliance.

I um I am looking forward to working with the law department to dig into uh concerns about how long people stay there.

I I I will get an answer on that.

But they are, as far as we're concerned, at this point, they are legal.

They have they have a license, they have a a certificate of compliance.

And and how do we because we all know that it has not been operating from a transitioning perspective?

People I have folks who have lived there for years, and I don't believe that a permit to operate a hotel allows for that.

Now, I understand that there is something that they can do to allow that, but they haven't done it.

And we haven't done anything about the fact that they haven't done it either.

Through the chair.

Um, I I haven't I personally my department doesn't have proof that they are that people are living there for months, and I I believe you when you say that.

And again, I look forward to sitting down with you and getting those details and working with the law department to to address your concerns.

I appreciate that.

What kind of proof do you need because I can bring it to you?

I'm gonna talk to the law department and and have them uh get an answer.

Okay, because I have residents who will share with you that they've been there for years.

All right.

Thank you.

And and I I really want to push on the fact that they have a certificate of compliance because I've been there.

I've seen it, I've experienced it.

I know we've attempted to pull in the health department as well.

Um, and I believe Member Santiago Romero, someone talked about coordination of efforts as it relates to the Leland House because of the position that you are in the building department.

I would anticipate that information comes from your department and gets disseminated to other departments when needed for support for backup.

The health department has been silent on this entire situation, and I'm not sure why, but I would love to see a greater coordination of efforts for us to address these types of properties.

Yes, ma'am.

I appreciate you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

All right, Director Bell.

Information, please.

Yes, sir.

All right.

Excuse the delay.

Sir.

Okay.

There are a number there are 123 properties.

88 of those properties have certificates of compliance.

123 are registered.

That leaves 35 needing compliance.

There is 31 over 31,000 owed to BC.

HR's report, HRD's report is that they are in regular meeting, weekly meetings about closing the loan modifications that would allow sales at Brightmore 2 and Brightmore 3.

They are targeting the end of they were targeting the end of January for closing.

Their goal now is to allow residents to purchase the LITEC homes that they have been renting.

And their the funding sources they are looking at are ARPA and CDBG, sir.

Okay.

So thank you for that information.

In terms of the uh 35 that still need to come into compliance, what's the expectation for those?

We believe, yeah, this 62% compliance as of right now.

We're going to keep pushing uh pushing them to to do that.

I I believe the issue is funding, but we're just going to keep pushing and uh the and working with HRD to move the needle, sir.

So I I I I guess that's part of the challenge that we have with a lot of the spaces that we have that are um the Leland House and others.

We we come against this issue of uh the cost of the repairs, so the thing that we don't want to do is kick people out, just put them out on the street.

To my colleagues' point, how are is your department working with others to ensure that um while these buildings, these um structures, uh while they're occupied, the people are placed in proper living um arrangements.

When needed, Mr.

Chair, we we do work with HRD to place them in uh temporary housing.

Um we are are going to take a better look going forward with the law department and moving uh property problem properties uh to the law department for for legal action in order to make sure that we don't have another situation like the Leland House.

So you've mentioned a couple of times about you know uh it feels like a renewed relationship with the law department, because you mentioned them quite a bit in your in your in your statements.

Is it that there was challenges in the past with the law department?

Is it uh again a new direction that's being uh laid out or the new game plan?

Well why because I'm hearing a lot more reliance on the law department to execute the things that you need need to be done.

Yes, sir, Mr.

Chair.

There were never any problems with the law department.

We just realize now that that we've got to to lean in as it relates to rental properties in the city of Detroit.

And that's what we're gonna do.

Okay.

Don't mean to be the dead horse, but why now?

Because this again is what we've been talking about for years.

Because of the what happened at the Leland House, and and because of the fact that we we've got to move the needle on rental properties.

So we're going to really really dig into this and and move the needle with the law department.

Okay.

So no, this sounds like this is like V point three of the rental compliance uh process.

I remember the first time it was laid out, it was a a pilot, and then it went city or went citywide, and now it sounds like we're looking to refresh and go about this again, and unless we're on V point four and I missed the one it's probably point three, sir.

And we're just gonna keep uh plugging away at it until we until we get to where we want to be.

I want to be at 80-90 percent compliance, and and I'm committed to moving the needle, sir.

And is there anything else that we can do to help you get there?

I always ask that question as well.

I appreciate you, sir.

Um, if you could we'll we'll take care of budget right here.

This is what what above and beyond?

I mean, if if that's the case, because we we end up like this all the time.

We ask, what is it that we need?

He said, what we have is all we need.

There's a good chance that we're gonna be coming to this honorable body for ordinance changes as it relates to rental properties.

Um and and I'm sure that's probably gonna come out of the conversations that we had with the third party.

I I believe that the um the fines for landlords are not high enough.

And um, and and I'm looking forward to really digging into the ordinances and and and bringing this body some suggestions.

Okay.

We're gonna dig into it more working with you.

I I know when we had this issue with Meyer uh over in District One where they had these shipping containers that were just sitting out there, didn't get per permission permission or permits to do so.

We gave them like 90 days to remove you know this just ugly, unsightly those on their property, but it's still uh a violation um of what is allowed.

Give them like 90 days to do so.

Now they did it.

Uh it it seems like based on the time frame that I have, but why so long?

When you're in such violation, um, and it's creating such an eyesore.

Why so long?

Yes, Mr.

Chair.

I I remember that situation vividly, and and from what I am told, I didn't I didn't go inside, but for what I'm told they used those containers because they were remodeling, and so they needed a place to to store materials, and and so they they put them there.

Yes, they should have come to us first.

They should have gotten a permit for that, and they didn't do that.

I believe that that's not gonna happen again.

But any time we have a situation like that, we um we we give them a a deadline, and sometimes they say, you know what, 30 days is not enough.

Can we have more time?

And and this is a a part of working with people when we know that the the request is legitimate.

Yeah, they should know better though, they're not mom and pop.

That's all I'm saying.

So we've got to also treat those who should know better better than mom and pop.

Yes, sir.

All right, colleagues.

Any additional before we wrap up, member yes.

Uh, member Miller, followed by Member McCampbell, followed by Pro Tim Young, followed by Member Waters.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I wanted to say uh Director Bell, every time you mentioned a lot of problem, my heart started palpitating like we cannot continue to rely on them for.

I mean, I know they're their official voice, but it's like a deterrent to progress.

Um it took three months for our corporation council to say I'm ready to lock the doors, I'm ready to open the doors right now to give your things three months.

I'm ready to do it.

Three months to do that.

So we would like to work with you and maybe circumvent that process if we have to, because I look at it.

So my last question was your one-day permits.

I know everybody's excited about the one-day permits, and you said here that you have qualified city inspectors to review and approve residential.

I want to know how does that fare with historical districts for a one-day permit.

Well, what type of products are they gonna do in one day?

It's like bathrooms, is it like um kitchen stuff?

But was it will it um affect exterior?

Are they uh trained in these things for resident for historical districts?

Um I would certainly hope you would not get a permit in a one day for historical district for anything on the exterior.

So and I see you're smiling.

Um I just wanted to know how does this one day permit affect historical districts?

Historic through the chair.

Historical districts are not allowed in the one-day permit process.

Woo.

Thank you very much.

I read.

Thank you.

I think I've had uh member McCampill next.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I just have two motions.

Um, the first, if we could put an executive session, a motion to put in the executive session, um, a conversation around code enforcement um related to education, outreach, and accessibility.

That's a motion on the floor, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none that action shall be taken.

Thank you.

And then a motion to put into the closing resolution, language around the need to have robust enforcement um for businesses with relation to co-violations and aggressive action against the habitual violators.

Colleagues, there's a motion on the floor.

Any objections?

See none that action shall be taken.

Thank you.

Thank you, Santiago Romeo.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

No motion, just a comment.

Um, member Johnson mentioned that there was no call uh conversation around air quality.

Just want to make sure that is top of mind for us too.

I welcome anyone to listen to PHS.

BC that's gonna talk about our air quality monitor system.

So we are working on that, and also want to share that.

I actually have a lot of those questions for the health departments.

I think our health department should be really working hand in hand with everyone, every department when it comes to air quality.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Member Waters.

Thank you.

I um I just want to say I want you to consider um taking on all of the residential properties when it comes to nuisance abatement.

I don't care what you do with the businesses.

I'm just saying because I'm I'm I'm I'm concerned about our residents, okay.

So I want you to think about that.

My other question, I have just a quick little question.

Do you um also go in to inspect schools?

Through the chair, yes, ma'am.

All right, good.

I'll be sending you a list.

Thank you.

All right.

All right.

Proto.

Thank you, uh, Ms.

President.

Uh, first of all, I just want to say uh Miss Williams, uh, Miss Eunice Williams.

We thank you for your service.

I mean to call it you need, so I'm sorry.

Charge that uh to my head, not my heart.

Um I just want to say I forgot to mention some uh costs in the structure that I forgot.

So I wanted to say this really quickly.

Your initial for artificial intelligence and distributed ledger technology, so forgive me.

Your initial implementation would be three million to ten million, your annual operating costs would be one million to three million.

Your integration, your legacy systems will be included, your training workforce transition would be 500,000 to 1.5 million.

Um, your fraud reduction would be one to five million dollars is the benefits revenue impact aspect of it.

So your fraud reduction as your permits and your inspections be one million to five million, your increased permit volume will go up by 10 to 25 percent.

Your permit fee revenue growth will go from five million to twenty million, your um faster development property tax growth would be significant long term, your legal dispute cost reduction would be one million to three million.

So just to reiterate, your total annual benefit would be 10 million to 40 million, your annual operating cost will be one million to three million, your net annual gain will be seven million to 35 million, your payback period would be 12 to 24 months, and your return on investment would be three to five years.

There'd be a three times to six time return on your investment.

Your speed will be three times or ten times faster for approvals.

Your efficiency would be 40 to 70 percent product productivity increase, your accuracy will be up to 80 percent fewer areas, your transparency be full real-time visibility deals.

And the reason why distributed ledger technology is so important.

That's um that is a digital, it is an immutable digital ledger.

And the reason why that's important is because when you're talking about licensing or you're talking about prior projects, people can actually track that project throughout its steps with that technology, and so I think that's important for transparency, and because it's immutable, it's also important for trust.

Because even though you might have a dashboard, some people think they can change, it can change time, you make mistakes, it's immutable, so it'd be it will increase that trust by a high stage as well.

Your auditability will be 100% traceable records, your revenue reliability near zero leakage, and your compliance rates would be significantly higher.

I will send you all this information.

I don't expect you to write all this down.

I just want to tell you the benefits of why this is and why you should do it.

So thank you.

I appreciate it again.

Ms.

Williams, from the bottom of my heart, I apologize and thank you for all your work.

Thank you, guys.

I appreciate you, Ms.

President.

That's the end of my time.

Thank you.

Any closing remarks?

Um, I I look forward to I hear this honorable body.

I I hear you loud and clear uh as it relates to compliance.

Um Mayor Sheffield um is is very serious about increasing the quality of life uh of our citizens and our business owners.

We're looking forward to working with this honorable body to to make things better in the city of Detroit, and I appreciate you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This will now close out the uh B seed uh budget hearing.

We'll now make room for Creole.

Thank you so much.

Yeah,