Detroit City Council Budget Adoption and Approval Meeting - April 7, 2026
Detroit City Council Budget Adoption and Approval Meeting, April 7, 2026
The Detroit City Council met to adopt the fiscal year budget schedule, approve adjustments to the general fund, and pass various resolutions. The meeting focused on finalizing funding sources for council priorities, with the administration proposing alternative draws from surplus funds. Council members approved line items, granted waivers, and heard closing remarks reflecting on the budget process.
Consent Calendar
- Line items 2.1 through 2.4 were approved unanimously on a motion by Councilmember McCampbell without discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were heard during this segment; it was noted that public comment had already occurred earlier in the meeting.
Discussion Items
- Schedule B (General Fund Changes): Mr. Corley (Council Budget Staff) reported that the administration proposed different funding sources for council's budget changes: instead of $3.5 million from the Blight Remediation Fund and $5 million from Capital Projects Fund 4533, the administration sought $6 million from Blight Remediation and $2.6 million from Capital Projects, while keeping the $20 million fleet fund intact and utilizing parks surplus instead. Councilmember Benson questioned whether council should be concerned about the sources; Mr. Corley deferred to administration's prerogative as long as total funding for council priorities was preserved. Councilmember Johnson (member) confirmed that the total dollars for council changes remained the same.
- Impact on Parks and General Services Department (GSD): Councilmember Johnson (member) asked about the effect on parks and GSD. Budget Director Johnson (Donnie Johnson) responded that the impact would be minimal, noting unspent capital from previous allocations and robust grant seeking. He acknowledged a possible minor slowdown in neighborhood parks improvements. Councilmember Johnson requested that GSD provide information on planned District 4 park improvements for fiscal year 2027.
- Schedule A (Community Development Block Grant Awards): Director Todd (Planning Department) reminded council that Schedule A included adjustments to stay within the administrative cap as required by HUD. He noted that the federal entitlement has not yet been received, as has been the case for 10-15 years, and thus an amendment to Schedule A will likely be required later in the year. Councilmember Johnson asked if additional organizations approved after the initial list were included; Director Todd confirmed that groups within the cap were included, but others would require future reprogramming.
- Vacation Accrual Policy: Councilmember Benson raised a question about a provision in the closing resolution stating no vacation time will exceed 20 days. Budget Director Johnson confirmed this is not a new policy but has been in effect since Detroit's bankruptcy.
- Waivers: Councilmember McCampbell requested waivers for items 2.1-2.4 and 3.1-3.2; the request was later extended to all approved items (including 4.1) without objection.
Key Outcomes
- Approvals: Line items 2.1 through 2.4, 3.1 through 3.2, and item 4.1 (Schedule A) were approved by council. Waivers were attached to all approved items.
- Budget Direction: Council accepted the administration's revised sources for budget changes, ensuring total funding for council priorities remained intact.
- Next Steps: The administration will recirculate the corrections letter for item 2.1 and the tax statement for item 2.4. GSD will provide information on District 4 park improvements. A future amendment to Schedule A is anticipated when the federal entitlement is received.
- Closing Remarks: Council President Young thanked the budget team (Mr. Corley, Mr. Whittaker, Mr. Todd), council staff, and the administration for their hard work. Budget Director Johnson formally introduced himself and thanked his office team and council for their partnership. Council members expressed appreciation for the collaborative process and looked forward to implementing the budget.
Meeting Transcript
Councilman Scott Benson. Councilmember Johnson. Present. Councilman McCampbell. Present. Councilmember Miller. Here. Amen. Councilman Santiago. Present. Councilmember Walters. Present. Councilmember Woodfield Callaway. Council President Po Tim Young. And Council President Tate. Yep. You have a quorum, Mr. President. Thank you. We have a quorum present, which means we're now back in session, and we do have all of the documents in front of us. Mr. Corley. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. President. Good evening. Thank you for your indulgence and patience. He missed out on the hustle on the city council hustle. So we have before you the documents that's on the voting schedule. And so if we can talk about Schedule B, because that's the one that reflects council's changes to the general fund. And I would say that the big pieces there is that the administration wanted to reduce um these surplus funds differently than what we had on our spreadsheet. So we were suggesting so to subtract about $3.5 million from the blight remediation fund. That's fund 1003. They rather uh administration rather subtract six million from that. Um and then we were taking about five million from the fund 4533 as capital projects. Um they are only subtracting about 2.6 million from that. Administration rather not touch the pot relative to the the fleet. You know, there was 20 million dollars for fleet, and they want to keep that intact. So they're um taking monies from the parks and recreations surplus dollars that was in the capital project fund. Um so but and but in terms of the total money that you need for your changes, that's still intact. They're just changing the way that they're taking the money away, you know, from the different pots. So we're we're fine with that. You know, that's administration's prerogative, and you know, they want to they want to make sure that they're addressing their priorities. Um I just want to let you know that the the sources is this being used differently than what we had on our spreadsheet. Gotcha. Um so that's really the biggest piece. Um Mr. Johnson can fill in if there's anything else major, but I think that's the major one. Okay, we'll let Mr. Johnson go uh next, and then call do you have anything you want to add, Mr.
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