Finance and audit standing committee for uh the purposes of the uh budget as mentioned this is our final day of executive session prior to approving the budget today.

Uh Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Indeed.

Councilmember Scott Benson.

Scott Benson I council member Legitia Johnson present.

Councilmember Denzel McCampbell.

Present.

Councilmember Renana Miller.

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero.

Present.

Councilmember Mary Waters.

Very water's aye.

Councilmember Adela Whitville Callaway.

Council President Pro Tim Coleman Young.

Here.

Council President James Tate.

Here.

Mr.

President, we have quorum.

Thank you, Abracorn, which means we're now in session.

I know Member Miller did indicate that she would not be present for a formal session as well as uh certain uh standing committee meetings.

There may be some confusion if she's going to be here or not.

So I just wanted to put that on the record uh in terms of a memo, but she did send the memo in advance indicating that uh she would not be present for those meetings that I just mentioned.

I am here, sir.

Nope, she is here.

You got call you gotta say I or here when they call your name.

Madam Clerk, you want to call her name again?

I was just promoted.

Oh, there we go.

We won't give you we're gonna give you a chance to say it officially.

Madam Clerk.

Councilmember Renetta Miller.

Here.

All right, there we go.

All nine members are present.

That's what I wanted to hear.

Good stuff.

Mr.

Corley, we got a new spreadsheet.

All right, and and I'm gonna say college.

Well, I'll talk about that in a minute.

Uh Mr.

Corley, floor is yours.

Oh thank you.

I'm right.

I couldn't resist.

Good afternoon, City.

Um Council President President Potem.

Yeah, city council members.

We're just about there.

Yes.

We're just about there.

So we got four pen items.

But before we go through those, let's go to page 28, kind of give you an overall status.

So if you look at line 251, column in one time, non-general fund items 2.5 million.

Column, yes, yes, sir.

Okay.

Page um 28.

252.

I don't have that starts on two on page 28, it starts at 260 on the document that I have in front of me.

Okay, so let's see if I now have the right version.

Page 28.

So line 252.

That that yellow, that yellow highlighted, you know, line.

Yes, sir.

What what line number do you have?

252.

Okay, so that's where I'm at.

Okay.

Okay, great.

Okay.

And again, just to be clear, in uh uh column C, it says council's consideration of changes.

Yes.

Yep, that's the one.

Okay, great.

So we're at um column in nine general fund one time, council items two point five million.

Um column O recurring non-general fund one point three million.

Um column P general fund one time, it went from about sixteen point five million down to ten point four million.

Um columns Q R and S represent council's recurring items, and so when you total all those up, that's a total of two million seven hundred and ninety-five thousand two hundred.

So the addition of condoms Q R and S is two million seven ninety-five and two hundred.

So when you go to column U, the total general fund uh changes that council is making to the budget is thirteen point two million.

That represents Mr.

President, uh a little under one percent more precisely that's point eight five percent of the general fund budget of 1.56 billion.

Column V is the total uh non-general fund items as 3.8 million, and that represents 0.25 percent of the non-general fund budget of 1.49 billion.

Let's go now to um page 30 um page 30 and we'll go we go to page 28 on the document I have okay so you don't have a page 30 negative sir.

We don't have page 29 either.

I thought we passed out delay this and the gradest.

It says here uh draft for uh from 47 2026 at the bottom.

I got a page 30.

Yeah, you have a page 30?

Yeah, oh the only cool kids.

Yeah, because okay, okay.

So maybe I made some more copies of this and hand it out.

Yeah, go make some more copies.

I see.

I think there's some extra right there.

Yeah, looks like we have two draft fours.

Ah and they look different, totally different.

Okay, so do you oh you know what?

Um, I think that it looks like there's two paid, no man.

It's different.

Do the other council members have for page 30?

Oh boy, yeah.

I think we're gonna make some.

Yeah, we're about to um sorry about that.

No, no worries, no worries.

No, this whole two whole they look totally different.

This is what I got for page 30.

Okay, we're gonna um make some copies.

Can you I don't know see this what I'm so sorry?

Can you please give us about two minutes?

So colleagues, we're going to so before we do that, yeah.

Mr.

Courley, we I know that there's been some conversation about media services uh and and looking to address that particular issue, and I wanted to um allow for a bit of a discussion on that uh as we move forward because I know there was again some some a number of calls I received uh regarding that particular issue.

We had a conversation with uh director Brittany Brown as well, and I wanted her to uh come before us and provide uh insight on some of the questions that council uh members had regarding uh media services and the way that it's executed in the past, current, and in the future.

And so uh while we look while while we await the documents, I think now would be an opportunity for us to have that discussion that conversation.

Uh so if we can um promote Ms.

Brown if she's available, she's not on yet.

All right, Miss Sullivan.

If we can get Miss Brown on, I did give a heads up.

Did we send her that link?

Yeah, we sent the link as well, so we can get that part of the meeting out of the way.

Sullivan or Mr.

Washington okay, colleagues.

We shall uh recess to the call of the chair as we await the document and uh Miss Brown's attendance.

Hello through the chair.

We are working on getting the director Brown on right now.

Um can you give us about five minutes?

She she's actually promoted.

We're we're being told, Ms.

Sullivan.

Perfect.

Apologies.

I missed that as I was connecting.

All right.

I was having some connection issues.

Good good afternoon, your honorable body.

Thank you.

Well now I'd like to call back to order the expanded budget, finance, and audit standing committee member clerk.

Would you please call the road?

Yes, Councilmember Scott Benson.

Councilmember Latitia Johnson.

Councilmember Denzel McCampbell.

Present.

Councilmember Reneta Miller.

President Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero.

Present.

Councilmember Mary Waters.

President.

President Councilmember Andrew Whitfield Callaway.

Council President Pro Tim Goldman.

Yeah.

Here.

Council President James Tate.

We have quorum.

Thank you.

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

And uh Ms.

Brown, as you uh know, I've we've been on the phone a little bit today.

Wanted to walk through some of the challenges that colleagues had regarding the way that uh media services has operated.

Um questions about how it will operate moving forward.

And I wanted to uh open the floor to colleagues to uh ask whatever questions are needed so that we can identify uh what or if there's any um financial allotment that would go towards media services again.

It receives a number of calls, but wanted to uh provide an opportunity of person for each member this this is a time where colleagues have a chance to ask a question if need be any issues member Miller anything.

Member Miller, are you there?

Yes, I am here, Mr.

President.

Okay, we have Ms.

uh the Director Brown available.

Hi, Dr.

Director Brown, how are you?

How are you?

Um Councilmember Miller.

You're you're you doing okay?

Um coming along.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Uh, I did speak with uh Mr.

President regarding uh the media services that I know when we met earlier in the month, I believe it was around March 13 or something like that.

Yes, we made it clear that you were intact, you're that uh you didn't have any intentions on bringing out any other people that you were had adequate staff.

And I think that was our last words that we spoke.

So I in turn have been uh I put a line item in to have for Detroit City Council to have their own media services.

I think that's what we're referring to.

Understood through the chair, and just for clarity, we are going to be adding additional staff members to the team.

Um the the conversation was more so referring to us having adequate funding as we have some additional funding that we are putting to expand our team.

So that was um just for clarification, our um understanding so we can re revise and make the media services servicing of how we offer that production side more robust to meeting all your needs, and so we are going to be allotting more team members through the funding that we already adequately have.

Okay, so during our conversation, we mentioned that there was only two graphic designers.

There was one videographer and photographer um to do the work of I believe you had 15 and 78 requests for one, and then there were like 500 and something requests for the other.

So I just wanted to know what would that look like and what would your numbers be to accommodate nine council people and two at large?

Understood through the chair.

Um, and so the 1500 amount that you saw during the presentation, that was a combination of all services requested through the full year of last year.

So not at one point in time, but more so from January to December of last year.

Um, and in addition to that, you are absolutely correct that we actually have three designers that are working on graphic design and we are expanding what that amount looks like.

Um, so we are adding to that so we can accommodate all council members to date.

In addition to that, for photographers and videographers, so we can adequately accommodate for council corners for cable television of content, what that looks like, um, as well as for supporting different departments, such as BLPC and CPPC CPC, of what we're aiming to do as well.

And so the numbers off the top of my head in terms of graphic designers, we're aiming to hire and bring more in of two additional graphic designers um to making it a total of five, in addition to photographers between two and two videographers, two as well in reference to what that looks like.

So we are working towards adding on to our team so we can have specific focuses on council member needs um currently.

So and we are adequately funded for that currently right now.

Okay, so how will the council?

Uh oh, I think you muted yourself.

So, how will the council members be prioritized with the new added numbers?

Um that's what I'm saying.

How does that will we have?

Yep, you have dedicated one of your director Brown, let it let her finish, please.

I was saying, will one of your three be set aside or uh set aside for council or uh one of your one of your add-ons, would they be accommodating us alone?

Just so we can have some type of you know, um, I don't mind working with you all.

I look forward to you're expanding your department, but we just need to be clear um what it looks like for us.

Absolutely.

And we will have dedicated members that will be um specifically dedicated to covering council member council corners and events and programming.

Um, so we will have that.

Um, and and just definitely want to make sure that it's understood and clear that we are working through that process and what it looks like in terms of making sure that we have the right people in place who hold a certain type of expertise manner of being able to serve every single council member.

Is this something that was done in the past prior to me coming on board to where there were specific people that were dedicated to covering council, as that has shifted and changed in the previous years?

And so that is something we are going to be bringing back and dedicated and making sure we have someone dedicated for you all.

Thank you very much, Director Brown.

No problem.

Thank you.

Mr.

President, I don't have any questions unless someone else would like to join our discussion.

Yep.

Um, Director Brown, uh, we had the conversation previously, and I think it's important just to make sure that uh the conversation you and I had uh because it deals with uh the questions that came my way, folks get a chance to hear it as well.

Uh, what is your commitment to ensuring that there is coverage at uh CPC hearings, uh, CPC uh meetings, excuse me, as well as Board of Police Commissioners meetings.

My understanding there may or may not have been at least one that wasn't covered.

Not sure if that's during your time or not, but wanted to hear from you uh what is your commitment to ensuring that those meetings are are covered, noting that CPC uh often meets when this body meets.

So uh we've got to figure out from your side how to ensure that someone is monitoring both or somebody's plural monitoring both.

Um understand that we're the priority.

Absolutely.

And so to answer your first question specifically, um I was not aware that uh a BLPC was not covered, and I do apologize, um, whether it be on the former administration side or leadership side or on our side, um, to where that is something that we would definitely address and make sure that it does not happen again.

In reference to the coverage of CPC meetings, I know we are working through submitting over expectations of what we'll need from CPC of understanding the dates and times as I know that they run um simultaneously, but then making sure that we will have someone or some bodies that will be assigned to making sure that it's covered while you're simultaneously doing these sessions as well.

And so that is something that we will be working through as I'm dedicating to doing that between today and Friday to making sure that those expectations are laid out thoroughly.

Um, I believe I answered your questions with um President Tate, if I miss anything, but I'll just to say for the record and right now, it is a high priority of just understanding and I know there are some challenges or some things that have been brought to me.

And thank you, President Tate, um, for bringing those concerns and challenges to me as someone who is very um very passionate about providing excellence.

That is something to where I will apologize because as the leader of media services and the director in this position, I have been inundated with some other priorities that came before me.

And so I have that time now that I'm dedicating the next two weeks of really firmly flushing this out and making sure that these expectations of where boss have been dropped from media services, that we are nipping them in the bud and making sure that we're keeping constant communication of how we serve you all as well as um different departments moving forward to where there is a peace of mind of that we can show up and serve you all from top to bottom with transparency as well.

Last thing for me, I know that there's a meeting that has been scheduled.

I think it's bi weekly with your office as well as council offices as well.

Talk a little bit about that because that does not cost any additional funding.

Um, but it could lead to solutions to any challenges or issues that we may have.

Yes, um, through the chair, and you're referring to the bi weekly production meetings, correct?

Correct.

Yes, so those are virtually held um bi-weekly, um, led by our production manager um Brittany Smith, as well as any other members of our team.

And so during that time frame, it is important that there's a representative from each um council member office because that is the time when we can really flush out your programming, your challenges, your concerns in that time frame.

And unfortunately, in the past couple of weeks, we've had low attendance.

And so, for example, that meeting took place yesterday, and we only had two representatives from offices from council members on there.

And so typically what has been happening is we'll find out, or specifically, I'll be finding out challenges as they're happening or when I'm copying on the email thread versus during that time of that meeting where we want it to be a safe space in a productive lane to where we can flush everything out and we understand privacy is important.

So if there's ever a time that you want to discuss something offline or privately outside of that meeting, it can always definitely um be discussed and understood during that meeting, but they are um biweekly, and we do have a full plethora of um a whole agenda that we go over, as well as there was an email that was sent out to each of your offices representatives asking for your programming between now and August, as we are properly planning right now as we're going into the spring and summer months to help us navigate to making sure that we're not missing anything and there's not any discrepancies of overlapping with different events.

All right.

Thank you so much, colleagues.

Any additional questions, comments, concerns.

We're gonna start with uh member McCampbell, followed by Pro Tim Young, followed by uh member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh good afternoon, Director Brown.

Um, I just have a question around I know you outline uh around the council corner and ensuring that the meetings are covering as such, and I know different members have different capacities with what we have on staff when it comes to media and communications, and I think that's what brought up also brought up this conversation.

So I'm wondering from what we see that media media services does for other departments and administration, what is it in your view that you all won't be able to do for us?

So I think that's that's needed to be known so we can know moving forward um when budget could with budget considerations.

Director Brown?

Yes, thank you through the chair.

That is a great question, Council Member.

Um, is that is something that we are working to provide um for everyone next week, but just off the top of my mind, um, we don't provide and we have not historically provided social media management for your specific pages.

That is one thing um that we have not.

Um, in addition to that, anything pertaining to the core, um of an event, DJ services, management of music, um, anything on that more so kind of niche creative end under media services, we are specifically focused on the production piece of it.

And if there is a larger production, we have vendors that we have graciously had your support on that come through to make sure the management of sound, audio, things of that nature.

So, just off the top of my mind, um, right now, it is social media management, design and decor, um, and the management of music, DJs, anything of that nature.

And these are some of the requests that I've that are top of mind that I can think of right now, and we can definitely chat offline of that, or as a collective, so I can go over what we do have the capacity in-house for and what we can support in terms of giving different recommendations for vendors that we may know.

Thank you for that.

And just uh a follow-up on that, I know understanding not the social media management, but what are there any limitations on content creation or that and when we say content?

I know in our world, when we think of content, that's social media content.

So the content that we would frame as your content is your events and your programs that we are filming, and then we put that content on channel 10.

So that is where we see the the content per view in terms of how we support on that end.

Okay, so excuse me.

Nope, I cut you out if you have any more.

Sorry about that.

Nope, in graphic design, um, in terms of flyers and things of that nature when requested.

So that is the content that we do provide.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Thank you.

But for clarity, if there was content that members wanted for social media, you're saying that you're not able to create that content, not managing the social media pages, but creating that content that could go on a council members' social media that is managed by their own team.

You're saying you can't create that.

Historically to historically, that is not something that we with that we do under media services for council members per se.

Right, historically, but we got new everything.

Right.

New director, yeah, we do.

Yes, with the budget in front of us.

So what are we talking about?

Currently, right now, that is not something that our team manages or can produce for social media historically going off of what we have been able to produce.

Okay.

And if requested, what would be required, what would be needed to make that happen if uh members of the body were looking for some of that assistance.

Again, we're not talking about every piece, but just some assistance.

And that's and we can definitely chat offline for that because it's a little bit intricate when we're saying support of the pieces, and we can definitely support to some extent, but we want to just keep it clear in terms of what it looks like, and we can break that down a little bit easier of the support we can provide, but we can definitely um to a certain extent, and we can lay that out as well.

Okay.

Member uh Pro Tim Young, excuse me.

Thank you.

Uh good to see you.

Um always, I wanted to ask you the issue about uh content, and I want to ask you as it relates to artificial intelligence.

So let's say that one, I'll do it from my perspective, then I'll ask you from yours, but from my perspective, let's say I have a video, right?

Yes.

Created by AI that shows how exoskeletons can help people who are paraplegics, correct?

And while these are some of the businesses that are getting licenses through Transportation Innovation Zone, which I sponsored, right?

In past, right?

If I wanted to be able to display that on City TV, what is the process of that?

And can I do that?

Hmm.

Through the chair, that is a great question, council member.

That is something that I would love to flush out, as I believe it can get done.

It's an editing component to what that looks like.

Okay.

Yeah.

So we can definitely explore that just a little bit more in detail.

Yeah.

Um, but yes, that is something that we can look into how we can support to a certain extent of what that looks like to make it come to life for Channel 10.

Yeah, I appreciate that.

And then secondly, I want to ask from your end from an efficiency end.

Have you thought about using artificial intelligence to make certain videos to make certain things about priorities that city council or that the mayor would have?

Because, like you said, you historically are not in the of create creating content in terms of actually going out there using the video to record or do things that nature, but you could through artificial intelligence and prompts be able to create content in that way.

One is more efficient, one it's more effective, and secondly, it'll save money time.

Have you thought about doing that through your uh media or up through um through contract or through partnership and using that technology?

And have you done an analysis of what the efficiency rate would be if you did that?

If you so chose to do what I'm telling you, yes, through the chair, that is something that I have considered, and I'm still in process of doing that and what that looks like, and we will definitely explore that because it is something that will save time, resources, and energy.

So that is something.

And if you could also give me a dollar amount for savings, so when we come back to Mr.

Johnson and we ask for our priorities next year, we will have this amount of money available for us to be able to use because of the efficiency of what Coleman Young Jr.

told you to implement.

I really appreciate that.

Thank you.

Understand thank you.

Thank you so much.

Member Santiago Romero, followed by Member Waters.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Through you to our director, good afternoon.

And I just want to take the moment to really emphasize the importance of the process when requesting um uh requesting support from media services.

First of all, thank you, media services.

Our team loves and appreciates you for coming out.

Um, we've been working really well together and we follow the process.

We send our events months in advance, uh, but twice recently we've been canceled on.

Um, and thank you, director, for coming in and making sure that that you save the day.

Um, but we want to make sure that those miscommunications don't happen, that they are avoided because again, there's a process already in place uh where we're able to make your life easier with what we need, um, what's uh we we would hope to get help on.

Um, because the miss the miscommunication um I'm sure is frustrating on your end as well as as you're trying to make sure um that you're preparing for our events.

Um, but an R office, I know my team attends the meetings.

I know that we regularly share what we need.

Um, we did not ask for a DJ at one of our events.

I actually have one on staff.

Um, so so we don't need one, but we do need the support with AV setup and things like that.

Um, so just want to flag that as something that's um if we can all just make sure we're communicating um that we have a process and that the process is respected.

Um, because again, we have these contracts, the funding now to make sure that we support these services, um, and want to make sure that that we're able to to to follow that process.

Um, so thank you again, director.

I appreciate it.

Um, and uh want to make sure that we're able to to communicate those needs.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Member Waters.

Thank you.

Um I'm not sure if anybody has really addressed us this way.

But sometimes uh members have um events, yes, sir.

And um media services is scheduled to um to come, and then they get canceled at the last minute, and they say, Well, you know, we have to go and cover the mayor's event.

We can no longer cover yours.

So I just want to know uh what do you how do you plan to handle uh that um you know how you how you're gonna do both, you know, because the the council member needs their events to be covered too.

You know you have to cover the mayor's, so there has to be some way to make sure that whoever's assigned to that council member at that time, um, is not removed.

Um I'm just curious.

You have any thoughts on that?

Director Brown.

Yes, through the chair.

Um, thank you for um addressing that.

Um council member waters, and that is something that has come up.

Um, and we will definitely take accountability for the last minute cancellations, as that is something that is not acceptable.

And as I am working within the past few weeks, that we are adding more bodies to ensuring that that may not happen.

Um, just in the spirit of transparency, we know that sometimes team members may get sick, team members may have family emergencies that may come up.

Um, but I think transparent communication, as um council member Santiago Romero also mentioned as well, communication has to be tight tighter on our end as well as more clear.

And that is something that as a director, I would take ownership of what that looks like and making sure my team is um firmly adequate of making sure those things are communicated appropriately, as well as I know as someone, each of your offices you plan and you prep for these programs as it is important for you to serve residents and hearing that media services cannot cover an event, it can be heartbreaking, can be frustrating, and that is something that we would never want you to experience, as if you have in the past um deeply apologizing for that.

And it's just us understanding the notion of adding more bodies to making sure that we're having the adequate support of what that looks like, in addition to that, proper planning on on all ends in terms of not only media services, but on all fronts to where the more and the earlier we know, the better that we can accommodate.

And that is why those bi-weekly meetings are important for your teams also to be present and to making sure that we know in ahead of time of when these events are.

Now, if in the case that we have canceled something that you've put in in advance three months ago, we would take ownership of what that looks like.

And to answer your question, we are working to add more teams and more staffing to making sure that people are dedicated to you, and then if they can't cover, we will have a backup to making sure that it can happen to our top top priority.

Well, well, well, thank you for that.

Um I prefer to be a little bit more direct sometimes, my colleagues.

Some of them are kind of diplomatic.

I don't think it's one of those times to be diplomatic, just to be direct.

Um but I just um you didn't really give a direct response, not really.

Um you kind of danced around it.

Um so you I think what we're looking for is a solid commitment to say the we're gonna have one or two people dedicated to council members, however, however, you do that, and so that their events are not canceled for coverage.

It has to be a way to do that, and I know you say you're looking at it, and I hope that you're able to work something out.

Um, because it is important too when you're you have an event plan and you know, anywhere in the city or in your district or whatever the case may be, and and um you think you're gonna have some coverage there, and you don't.

So I I I just hope that and I'm asking that you give some very serious consideration uh to that so that uh members are covered.

Absolutely through the chair, and it's what's keeping me up at night.

So I I uh I'm I'm dedicating to understanding what that looks like, and we are the wording commitment.

Um, we will be committing about one to two people that will be dedicated to covering council.

What I want to make sure before I give any additional commitments is ensuring that we know timing and scheduling, and that is something that we sometimes cannot predict, and so it's a little bit harder for me to commit in full um because some things may come up, and then it may be overlapping of timing of events, and that is something that's transparently, you know, being direct if that has happened that has happened recently to where there are double overlapping of events that we may find out the day before another council member has put in requests.

And so that puts us in a position to where how do we decipher what we cover and what we don't?

And even if we had 10 more people, it still makes it a little bit harder.

And that's me just transparently speaking of what has been happening.

So that's why those bi-weekly meetings are so important as well as the proper planning piece of if you know a day, if you know a time, the earlier we can get it, we can place it in.

But then understanding we gotta accommodate everyone and we want to, but I think it's more so the planning piece of it is where it gets a little bit intricate, and then media services gets that backing of we got to pick and choose which council member we want to cover, but we don't want to do that.

So that's just the reality of in terms of me being direct too.

Like we're trying, but I want to, I don't give a no coming haul me to it.

Um, but I I am working through, we are working through it to adding additional to one or two people that are covering, and then I'm making sure that the people that we're bringing on that we're bringing on the additional members who have that expertise.

Well, let me just I appreciate your genuine response.

I mean, I I heard that in your voice, and and I can personally say that there have been uh events, different council members had different parts of the city, same time.

Uh yes happened from time to time.

So I appreciate uh that response, and I know that you'll try to work it out the best way that you can.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Member Johnson, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um and I appreciate the conversation, just listening to it, it does make me feel comfortable though.

Um, so can you talk a little bit more about cross-training within your department?

I know media services, it what you all just talked about this.

Um I I know that you know specific skill sets um maybe a little challenging to cross-train on.

Um, but just talk about that.

So if someone is out sick, because we have this happen within our offices as well.

If we're hosting an event and a team member is not able to make it there, we all have to pick up the slack to make sure the work still gets done.

So can you just share what cross-training looks like, what how you plan to move forward just to make sure that the bodies you have can fulfill the commitments and the coverage that's needed.

Absolutely.

Um, through the chair, we are working actively on cross-training, literally right now, um, making sure that team members we do have on staff have the appropriate training to be able to be nimble in terms of everything across the board.

Um, in addition to that, we are providing professional development of modern technology um of what we have in-house that we are utilizing as well as what our vendors are utilizing as well.

So, to answer your question, we are actively cross-training.

Um, in addition to that, those additional staffing that we're adding on, we are ensuring that they have the capability of being able to be nimble and having that that flexibility to do everything under the sun.

And so those are a few things that we are working towards as well.

And within that, you I believe still have contracts for vendors.

So, how does that play into this?

Just to make sure that um you are not canceling providing support for a council member.

No, we are not.

Um, we they are we are heavily relying on our vendors um currently, so that is something that has not changed and it won't change um to what we are still utilizing our vendors, as well as some of our vendors are aiding in the cross-training of our current team members as well, so they can be accustomed to those things.

So in reference to the cancellations, I it wouldn't, it's not per se that we're not utilizing the vendors, it's a scheduling thing.

So even if if we have someone who puts in a request 24 hours prior to some of those vendors, we unfortunately do not have the capacity for us to call and say, Hey, can you do an event within the next 24 hours?

So that's kind of where it gets a little bit tricky.

Um, but we are still utilizing our vendors um heavily um moving forward.

So that has not changed.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

I will say I have not been on the receiving end of a cancellation.

Um, I hope that does not happen because it would not feel good.

It it it would it would probably make me really upset.

Um, because I think the work that we do, we're trying to communicate with our constituents, trying to communicate to um everybody throughout the district the work that we're doing that at least I think we all believe that residents deserve and that residents need they need that information, or else we probably wouldn't be doing the event.

Um, and so it does to me sound like a skeleton crew when you say one or two people that are dedicated to city council members.

Um so I I guess I don't have any um direct complaints or concerns because I've not experienced it, but um I would just encourage you to ensure that the one or two people have the skill set to be able to provide all of the support that council members need, but also to review uh and determine whether or not the one or two people are sufficient to cover council members.

I know um when you came in for your uh budget hearing, I kind of pulled back from the conversation because it was a conversation we had last term, but because you are new and because things were changing, I stepped back to see you know how the department was going to move forward before resurrecting the conversation.

So it sounds like it may need to be something that we revisit sooner rather than later.

But thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Colleagues, any further?

Uh member Miller, I see your hand up.

Uh to the chair, would be appropriate time to make a motion.

Uh we we certainly can, yes, ma'am.

I can make a well uh according to Mr.

Corley.

Do I need to remove my line item that I already have in place for council, or can I just move forward?

Uh I'm not sure which item you're speaking of, ma'am.

Which uh line item, please.

I think it's 138.

Well, I know I have one in 137 that I'm going to um put before us as well, though it has been approved.

Yep, 138, um uh member Miller.

Okay, there was no dollar amount that was attached to it.

Right.

I was researching the dollar amount.

I would like to make a motion that uh city council have uh uh media services uh with two rapid designers, two videographers, and two photographers, and the amount of three hundred thousand dollars.

Okay.

Right.

Um member Miller, are you talking reoccurring or one time reoccurring?

Okay.

There is a motion for 300,000 reoccurring uh for line item 138.

Any objections or discussion?

Um member Johnson discussion.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

So through you to Member Miller, it sounded like you indicated six six staff members.

Um I'm I'm not certain where the 300,000 came from, but that sounds pretty low.

Okay, I will go over that just one second.

Let me pull up my notes here.

Okay, I am back here.

Okay, my colleague just said I should have said 325, but I was just rounding it off to 300.

I know we're tight for cash, but it was with two designers, two videographers, and one shared system for just the nine offices alone.

This is not including the BLPC or the CPC or anyone else.

This is just for us to have our own access for every district.

And on the low, it was 275.

The target was 325, and our seeding amount came to 350.

I was trying to be modest and a little conservative.

But if you want to increase, I have no problem with that.

And then we could also uh continue a discussion on it.

But that's the numbers that I came up with overnight.

Okay.

With further discussion, Member McCampbell.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chair, and thank you, Member Miller.

Uh, just a question on this because I agree that there needs to be an increase focus and dedication to city council and coverage and having folks um ensuring that our message gets get out there.

I'm wondering wonder if we're dedicated more funding.

Is it a funding aspect or is it shifting priorities?

Um, what the budget does already there for media services.

So this is just me thinking out loud, but um, I just want to make sure if we were together to take more funding that we still won't be back here at the table with the same issue.

Member Miller.

Well, member McKendell, I've had a pencil in my hand since day one.

We've been adding and subtracting for 30 days, so it probably will be a discussion, but it was coming in around, I would say 54,000 for uh FTs.

And that's how I came up with that amount.

But um we could add 50 more thousands, but it's a discussion.

That was just something that I came up with over now because I did not put a live item on there, and I realized that we were running out of time.

Through the chair.

Yes, sir.

Floor is yours.

Thank you.

Um, through you, Mr.

Chair to member Miller.

No, it's not about the I appreciate you, it's not about the math.

I'm just trying to figure out through the conversation.

I'm still not at a point where I am sold on that.

This is a resource issue.

That's where I'm at right now.

But I'm just trying to continue to think through this on that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh through the chair to member McCamberd.

Member Miller.

Yes.

To the chair to member McCampbell, I want to say I truly understand where you're coming from.

Believe me, I have talked to several people in the last several hours regarding this.

I know that um everybody's new coming in, us too, and then the director for this department, even we have a new mayor who is trending daily, and I am amazed at how she's covered and continue to push her office.

And I just believe that um we're not going to be able to get as much coverage because that is a mandatory acts.

Uh we've already dealt with it for three months, and I know what I've experienced.

That the videography is a really big thing when we have those events monthly for at different districts or on Saturdays, there's only one team.

And numerous times, even with you can have the best calendar aspect of the world.

But if there's nine people and if three people have something on a Saturday, two people will not get service.

So my office being new, I'm not willing to make that.

I don't want to make that sacrifice.

And I noticed that um even with the uh D fraud, the D frag, that was that was countered out for every district.

But if someone else had anything in the morning or the afternoon or prior to, they could not get there in time.

That was one of the things that I experienced.

I remember we had an event that morning, district six had theirs in the afternoon, and there was another event in the uh early evening.

They can only go one place because it is it's a really big setup.

It's a really big axe or something to do with multiple events in one day.

Thank you.

Uh Director Brown, I want to give you an opportunity to uh respond um three events.

Uh this is I don't want to say worst case scenario because it could be four council members that had an event on the same day.

But three events on the same day, major events, how does that take?

How does that happen?

How do you execute that?

Um, let's say you learn about the events a month in advance, right?

All three.

How do you handle that?

Did she drop?

She dropped.

Just in time.

Yeah, right.

Right.

She'll be back, I'm sure.

Because she don't want to miss this one.

We're gonna give her an opportunity to uh rejoin us.

All right, she's coming back.

All right.

Sorry, my laptop died.

Oh no problem.

That's been a day.

Uh person in charge of Q and uh no, no, no, don't no, that's not it.

Yeah, that's not no, no, no, it's been a day.

It's been a day.

Yes, but it's it a day.

So that was uh you heard the question of you need me to repeat it.

Um pertaining to double booking on a date.

Uh triple booking.

We're gonna we're gonna add another one on there.

Triple triple booking, yeah.

So that's Saturday, and you've been made aware of the events uh a month in advance.

Uh what do we got?

Three events.

So that I think happening this this weekend from what I'm what I'm hearing.

We do.

We do have that happening this weekend.

And unfortunately, um I'm still in the process of kind of understanding how this just took place and occurred.

But um, to echo council member Miller, it is something that I am implementing and trying to understand how we can get it done.

Um I don't know if it's a even if we had we had nine people to cover everyone, if there is something that is thrown in the shifting of what that looks like is something that I will want to work with you all in partnership on of how to navigate that appropriately, because this is something that I know we are navigating through currently.

And so I don't know if it's a staffing thing.

I think it's more so of a planning thing, but then even if you plan it's a resource thing, it's uh it's just a little bit of that accommodation, as well as we can also offer um your offices if you have someone that's covering an event um or that is skilled in social media, we can support with that if some a team member can record it, we can edit it.

So it's thinking of different ways that we can support, even if we're not physically there, um, but it's just talking that through.

So it's something that we're navigating through because it it is a challenge to where I don't want to give an answer of how we can fix it because we're in process of trying to fix it literally right now.

So you're saying if there's taken out this weekend, because there may have been some scheduling uh or planning snafu that took place, don't know.

But you're saying that if in fact three offices provided uh notification a month in advance about an event uh taking place all three on the same day that you would not your team would not be able to uh schedule plan uh and execute those three events.

So no, we're not saying that.

What we're saying is we're going to be doing a due diligence of moving forward when those events are at it.

If we see a discrepancy in a double booking, our role is going to be immediately contacting that requesting party and is seeing if there can be a shift in a time, shift in a date or something to where it makes sense for us to still be able to cover it in addition to having additional staff members.

And I think in the case of what's happening right now, I don't think that that is what's occurring.

Right, but I think I think what was being missed is the council member can't change the date.

So there is no altering the date on this end because it's been communicated to the community.

There have been uh resources that have been allocated towards the council members plural events, um, and uh there is a uh you know a desire to have it on that day.

Uh and we are still talking about you know, um a month in advance, but still this this the uh council members have strategically chosen those days for reason, have reached out well in advance, you know, again a month.

I'm getting a scenario, three happening on the same day.

They can't move them, they have no desire to move them.

The question is again are you able to execute three events same day, a month in advance notice from council members happening at the same time, or potentially different times of day.

We will definitely work to figure it out as long as we have that prior notice in terms of we're currently doing it now.

So to answer your question, yes.

Okay, that's what I'm like.

All right.

So, colleagues, any further?

All right.

There is a motion on the floor, colleagues uh for $300,000 reoccurring.

Uh, there is further discussion with Mr.

Johnson.

Mr.

Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, so I think that council member McCampbell was headed down the the road um that I would prefer to go down as well, which is I think this is less of a need to add resources, and it's a more of a how does Director Brown work with the council and and the BOPC and the CPC and determine the plan to rick to allocate resources.

So currently FY27 Media Services is budgeted for 38 FTEs.

That's quite a large that's that's a decent, that's a sizable number of people.

I think it's a matter of sitting down and planning how those 38 people are going to be deployed um in order to cover everything it needs to.

As Director Brown was indicating, you know, with adequate notice.

I think folks, these these things can be taken care of.

Um, you know, this would be a large recurring additional large recurring ad to the general fund, which we simply can't afford.

In order to afford this, I will have to increase the reductions to the police department.

So I just want to make sure that's very clear.

Police department's budget, right?

It is a reduction to the police department's budget.

Okay.

Um that is which is the police department, they don't operate without a budget.

No, personnel.

Um, but um, you know, these are these are very large recurring general fund changes.

So I I need to caution against continuing down this road of large general fund recurring changes.

Um I would also note that there's a desire for so a larger engagement on social media.

Um Director Brown is correct.

Like historically, media services' role is not to manage social media.

The mayor's office did not manage social media.

They have their own staff within the mayor's office and paid from their own budget for social media support.

Media services, um, what we're what what this proposal is asking for is for media services to expand its scope of services outside the scope that it has been.

Um so media services has not been providing these sorts of things um historically, those have been funded via additional staff that were procured or that were hired via the department requesting department's budget, whether it was the office of the mayor or a particular budget.

Okay.

Uh with any further discussion, colleagues, Mr.

Chair.

The chair.

Uh I have Member Miller calling one second.

I saw Member Santiago Romero, then I believe was that you, Member Callaway?

Yes.

All right, then Member Callaway, then you, Member Miller, and then Member McCampill, did I see your hand?

All right, we're gonna go in that order.

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I it sounds like we have more than enough staff for this work, and it it really looks like we might need to, and there are nine members, one mayor.

Um, and I'm going to assume that our mayor was going to continue to have daily um needs for for media, but but we do as well.

Um, and there seems to maybe just be a need to divide, um, divide media services, focus staff for city council, and then focus staff for the mayor, and quite frankly, be equitable about it.

Um, there are more of us, we have more staff.

Um, and and I think if we figure that piece out, we have dedicated staff, then we don't have to run around and and figure out who's being prioritized because we already have set staff for that work, would be my suggestion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Member Callaway.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and good afternoon, um, Miss Brown, and thank you for the Motown Sound on the Council Member's Corner.

It has um I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from that music, and thank you for um for listening.

Um, you said you have 38 full-time employees.

Do you have a uh org chart that you can share?

Are there any vacancies or all or are all 38 filled?

Because I just like to see a breakdown because I don't complain anymore.

Um we do we try to handle our own media when we get you guys to come out, that's great.

And when you don't, you know, we pull out our cell phones, we do the best we can, throw it on a tripod and call it a day.

Um, so hopefully we will um with with under your administration, we'll get uh more favorable um support services, but um we don't complain anymore.

Um so do you have a spreadsheet showing your org chart of the 38 full-time employees that we can see or you can share and we can just go in our email and look at it.

Can you share that?

Through this year, so uh no problem.

So we have some vacancies that have to be that are being restructured and filled.

I and that was from budget, um, to where there are some shifts made, but we will send over a updated org chart.

Do you we will send over updated org chart?

Yes.

Okay.

We can get that today because we have this budget in front of us, like um Mr.

Chair just said, the budget is in front of us now.

Is there any way you can get us that org chart?

So maybe some vacancies are right there that we can fill with the people that we need to work with the um council one-on-one.

We shouldn't have to beg for coverage.

Yes, through the share.

It and I do agree with you.

I think it's just a um all 30 of those members don't have an expertise in doing some of the requests and needs that you all are asking for.

So we have in embedded in that admin.

We have so everyone is not that is not their specific role.

So I'll just want to give that disclaimer as well.

And then with what we were doing in terms of hiring that additional staffing, that is what we were plugging in to fill in to making sure that it's adequate.

Um, and we are taking that number down.

So that is what we're um working towards.

So when we think of the 38, it's not 30 individuals who can do production and video and photography.

Um, it's more so the day-to-day operations all across the board of what media services looks like.

Okay, but I can definitely send over that org chart um detailing everyone's um roles and responsibilities.

You can do that.

Thank you so much, and thank you for being so accommodating and responsive.

Thank you, Ms.

Brown.

Thank you, Mr.

Chapel.

Thank you.

Member Miller.

Thank you, uh President Chair.

Mr.

Johnson, I I hear you loud and clear, but um I I tend to differ with what you're saying, and maybe you can help me with this because to me, communication is a form of support.

And we're in an age where we can no longer ignore communication as being effective when it comes to digital outreach, social media, content creation.

This is how we reach our residents efficiently.

We're not asking you to be a social manager for us or even offer the dis the DJ Disc Docky music portion or even be creative or bring the core to our pages.

But just like we have core services, constituent services matter too.

And with 38 staffers serving one entity, how can we not find a place where the city council has its own support system?

We're referring to nine individuals covering almost 700,000 residents, and everyone does not watch Channel 10 on Tuesdays.

Um everyone cannot afford to have the newsletters or have things mailed, which we can go in a whole nother uh category when it comes to mailers.

But I would think this would be the cheaper way to service nine offices, nearly 800,000 people through social media, and um mainly we can we can figure out ways to do it part-time, full-time, but I think we need to uh be a little lenient when it comes to this because we're we're looking at flyers, live streaming, event coverage, coffee hours.

These are things that we're doing on a regular basis because our residents already feel disenfranchised.

They already feel that they're not getting the proper communication.

I mean, they they they can't even comment until after these sessions is even over.

So if we can put some stuff, I I remember uh President Tate asking about could the residents receive these documents that we have right now, which is highly unlikely, but we have to be in the position to be informative and to educate and to make our residents aware.

And I would ask that you would look into that um a little of that vision and help us figure out how we can get there because it's it's not all about a calendar, sir.

It's it's not about a calendar.

And I know the offices that I've dealt with for the last three months, I know what I heard, I know what I seen, and everybody's new.

So everyone still wants to be visualized, and everyone that wants to be seen, and we want to.

I can't speak for anyone else, but it's imperative that the people in District 5 know exactly what's going on in this area.

They want to, I need to be able to inform them on what's for sale, what's coming up for sale, the new development, the um all the initiative that's coming for housing, all the things that's ran out in those press conferences are on the governmental pages.

Um, so I need to be able to have those things posted.

I need those flyers.

So I would hope that the council would support this initiative, that we have our own communication unit to support the nine council people that's doing the work.

And and and we're referring to the round of clock work.

Some of us do not go home to nine o'clock at night.

We're at community events, we're at neighborhood block clubs, we're at associations, we're at churches, and these and a lot of these residents and these people that's volunteering their time time through the nonprofits.

We need to capture them in the moment while they're doing the work.

Because a lot of them are not being paid, but sometimes just to see your face somewhere visually saying, listen, I was recognized.

We we we really need to move in a direction.

This is um as as counselor pro Tim Young would say AI, we need to go to the next level on this, and I would hope that everyone would understand and this be supportive of our own services.

Thank you, President State.

Thank you.

Um, member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and I know this is on the motion for the 300k.

I and I appreciate Director Brown.

Um, I know you are coming in trying to get a grasp on how the department is set up already and and where it needs to go.

Um, and and I appreciate the commitment to having dedicated folks for city council.

I I agree with my colleague um council member Sancho Romero.

I I think there do have there has to be a division that is solely dedicated to city council because I'm still not sold on that if there were multiple um events and there was administration as or mayor's office asked that we would have what we need there.

Um I'm still not sold on that.

Um, but also with 38 FTE positions, I'm not sold on just giving an additional 300K.

Um hoping that those things will be fixed.

So I would only be inclined to um support funding being separated out for dedication to city council and the BOPC and CPC.

So that's what I'll say there.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Colleagues, any further discussion with further discussion.

Um followed by Mr.

Johnson.

If we were to see separation uh funding dedicated to media for city council, how would that be implemented?

And can City Council have a say as we'd be directing the administration on how to do that to Mr.

Corley.

Is that accurate?

Mr.

Corner?

Mr.

President, I I think I have to agree with that.

You know, you probably want to hear from Mr.

Whitaker as well, but there's a separation that probably Mr.

Wittham wants to speak to in the in the charter.

Mr.

Whitaker, you have anything you want to add?

And would Mr.

President would be very difficult for council to put the money in the budget and media service and then direct there is a provision in the charter that will prohibit you from having any direct control over the staffing or the direction of that director.

And I'm talking about before bankruptcy, umia services was under my direction for council.

Um that was a long time ago though.

And uh but you had your own unit and it was part of of the old rad.

And at that time you had about six or six or seven videographers primarily um under your direction that focused only on council activity, but that was lost during bankruptcy.

Here's my question.

Then was were that was that media support under city council budget?

Under city council's budget.

It was in, excuse me.

It was under the old rad.

Okay.

But council directed where they went and what they did, but they were managed by by me.

Okay.

So then I want to address the concern of colleagues today.

Uh member Miller wants to ensure that city council receives an equitable level of support from media.

What I'm hearing from colleagues is that we have not seen that.

And I wouldn't suggest that we have what I would suggest is that we are at a at an impasse here.

The administration is concerned about additional reoccurring dollars.

We as city council are concerned about receiving the support that we asked for every year at this table, yet do not receive.

But you would have to obviously have the expertise and we'll require and equipment.

Acquire, yeah, equipment.

At that time, Mr.

President, at that time, the peg fees paid for a lot of that activity.

And it was, you know, I it's been a long time since I had to look at that.

So I couldn't really tell you off the top of my head.

But there was the money, the peg fees were shared between the the media services that primarily dealt with the administration and those that was dedicated to council.

The equipment was largely shared.

It was it was a sharing of equipment at that time, and you had uh John Hill and others you may know John who was who was um who headed up that section under under rad.

So you had expertise that you don't have now.

So you would have to really recreate, you know, there's a lot of recreating that that's necessary after bankruptcy because we lost so much.

But we were it would require recreating that whole section, and at that time it was thought that that if you merged it all under the administration that the that the the divvying up, so to speak, of media services would be fairly shared to council, and historically that hasn't proven to be the case.

Surprise, surprise, we find ourselves here today with this conversation.

Could a solution be without looking for additional dollars.

Could we at this table move media staff from the media department into city council department for us to deploy versus telling the administration what to do, which is not supported by the charter?

Could we move staff?

That wouldn't change any numbers.

What it would do is change FTEs to be report to a different department.

And then the other question I would add to that is who would manage that particular staff.

Yeah.

That's a question I can't ask.

So then through the chair to yourself.

That would be my suggestion then to not have to request additional reoccurring dollars.

Because even if we did, we would still be at the mercy of the media department.

And great to have new media department heads who are who are committed to supporting city council.

But this is a trust but verify space for me.

How could we do that?

It's an old saying God bless the child who has his own.

So when you have your own, you can direct your own.

And so it would require, I mean, this is the last day of budget.

Right.

It's sort of late in the evening to have the thought.

So it would have to be thought through.

And maybe this is something you want to plan for next year.

But but it needs to be thought through.

I mean, it's one thing to launch, but when you launch and you sort of have baked, it's probably not a good idea to launch.

Build a plane while we're going to do it.

You know, that's what Trump is finding out right now, I think.

So it's late in the day.

It's late in the day than Mr.

Chair.

And and before I I'll I have a motion, and I I see that um Member Miller has her hand up, and Mr.

Johnson is would like to speak as well.

I'm in the queue, too.

Oh, very good.

Yes, sir.

There's a lot of thought around it.

So I'll I'll come back, Mr.

Chair.

That's well, well, you see, this is why I wanted to bring this to the table because there was a lot of conversations that have been had uh behind the scenes, and I think it was important for us to have this discussion before we approve the budget or before you know items were thrown in, and then surprise.

We've got to react to it.

I think it's a very fruitful conversation.

I I'll just I'll just say that I I know that I won't be able to support $300,000 reoccurring um for the reasons reasons that we've already outlined, not just today, but uh throughout this budget as we've been chopping um uh along.

Um it's a tight budget, and I think we are aligned on uh a great number of things.

There are some areas where we have some uh separation for sure, but it I think it's more about the tactic as opposed to the actual uh outcome.

I believe there's a there is an opportunity for us to utilize, and we do have uh, I think that's uh was line item 324 or 234.

Uh it gives us the ability to uh hire within our offices individuals who can assist with that particular function.

I don't want us to bypass that whatsoever because that is again an opportunity for us to utilize.

Uh, I would be more in line for that.

I may be um you know solo in in that, um, but certainly not criticizing any c colleague who would like to do something different, just stating this is the direction that I think is more fruitful at this late stage of things right now because we're trying to create an entire uh division, if you will, that would fall under either the president's office or we slide it back under.

See how I'm sliding that out here, get it out of here.

Um, but either way, we would have to now create it, but also identify the the equipment and how much it costs.

And we're trying to do a lot of stuff on the fly.

Again, understand the the the tone and temper.

That's why I wanted to bring it here, but I just think at this at this moment, um, we're real little behind for creating that.

I I would prefer at this moment now, after having this dialogue, clear understanding, having director Brown on the record, um, and then there will put potentially be some language that can be placed into the administration's closing resolution as well, and we hold them accountable to that.

Um, and and and if we're seeing that there are issues that are not happening the way we wanted to see it, um, we start building that plane so we don't have to do build and fly at the same time, member Benson.

We can actually have that thing constructed by the time this new uh fiscal year rolls around.

But I just think at this moment um we're trying to create an entire division uh with a few hours left.

And um that's just not the direction that I personally would like to go in.

But again, one member, one member loan.

Mr.

Johnson.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

So I think you're right.

I think I think trying to suss all of this out today at the 11th hour is is really not.

I don't think we're gonna get the result that we're hoping for.

Um what I would say is yes, uh, we are absolutely willing to make that commitment in the admin resolution administrative um closing resolution that we will you know actually undertake these serious dialogues and a serious communications planning process with the council and the BOPC and the CPC and you know any other group that you know is by law required to have some sort of public um pro, you know, uh televised process or communications process.

I would note that uh your idea is the one that we were going, I was going to encourage that um uh you know the mayor's office would be supportive of, which is you if you're adding a hundred thousand, a little over a hundred thousand dollars to your office budgets, that's a comms director right there.

I mean, you could get a pretty decent communications director, someone who's gonna really kind of be that um jacker jane of all trades that can kind of do all of those sort of functions.

And so I think that's really you know, there I think there's a lot of benefit in that having your own individual communications director position is is I think probably pretty revolutionary in the post-bankruptcy era.

Um, and I think there's no inherent opposition to the idea of a support staff that would be dedicated to council.

It's just I think we need to take time to think through what that looks like, how we set it up, how much it would cost, what kind of equipment's needed.

And so I would like to encourage us to just keep this as an again, put it in your closing resolution.

We'll put it in ours.

Um Director Brown has made her commitment, she will continue to do her best to deploy her resources more effectively and efficiently.

And then if what we determine after all of this planning is that, yeah, you know what, when we plan the 28 budget, we need to go ahead and think through a new process, or even if it is setting up a council-based communications division that's in the council admin budget or wherever we wish to place it, then that might be something we all agree on.

We're not ruling any of those out.

We're just saying we I think we need more time to plan and discuss it before we start changing, especially the recurring general fund budget um at this stage.

Okay.

So we're about to start landing this plane in particular.

We have member miller uh in the queue colleagues.

Any additional members who would like to speak?

Member Benson?

I'll go.

Okay, so we got member benz, member Miller followed by Member Benson, followed by Member Callaway.

Member Miller.

Okay, through the chair, I just wanted to say thank you very much for this opportunity and bringing this up.

I would like to keep the discussion going with uh Director Brown regarding um what she may be able to share with her FTEs and uh Mr.

Whitaker, I did not know that you were in charge of the city council social media.

I look forward to sitting down with you as well as we discussed this, and I'm a firm believer in God bless the child to have their own.

And we should have our own because then we would be in charge of how we're facilitated.

That is the ultimate goal for us here.

And with that being said, I will pull back the motion for the $300,000 for the city council's uh privately uh social media support system.

Okay, so we're gonna allow that to uh take place before we continue the round table because that may change the dynamics.

Uh colleagues, there's a motion to um withdraw the request for $300,000 reoccurring for line item 138.

Are there any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

We never actually put it, you know, officially on there, but I think it's appropriate.

Okay, uh Member Benson.

All right, thank you.

Um great conversation, and I appreciate the uh the look for a solution.

Um I'm going to make a motion to for an assignment to LPD to draft a plan for the re-establishment of in-house media services uh for city council and my staff will supply the requisite memo for that as well.

Teamwork.

In addition, I hope that we'll be looking.

I was gonna say there was a motion.

There's a motion on the floor, colleagues.

Any objections?

Seeing none, then action shall be taken.

Member Benson?

In addition, uh Mr.

President, I'll be looking for cost of the purchase of new equipment or the ability to have an MOU MOA with the administration to share equipment so we don't have to make that type of investment.

But I'm hoping that we can come to an agreement in the future, which will be equitable for covers to Detroit City Council.

And I know that people want to say we're going to try something new.

It just hasn't happened.

So I believe having our own managed uh support staff, even if it's a uh a bare bones that that partners with the administration's media department, that we at least have something in place to ensure coverage for our own events and our own priorities.

That would be my goal here.

Thank you.

Uh Mr.

Whitaker?

Yeah, we we'd be happy to undertake that.

Right.

And a motion to please add that to the closing resolution.

Oh, there's also a motion to add that uh the language uh as mentioned by member Benson to the closing resolution, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none, the action shall be taken.

All right, member Callaway.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um this question would probably go to Director Brown through yourself, Mr.

Chair, and to Mr.

Johnson.

Um in the event that a uh uh city council person has an event and they're there's not the available staff to come, they want to show a PowerPoint, some of the things they've been doing in their community.

Um can the city council purchase that type of equipment through their budgets?

Um, or can we borrow uh the equipment from media services so we don't have to expend those dollars on equipment through the chair to whoever can answer the question?

Um, I've run into a problem before with having not having a projector, not having a screen at one of my events.

So we just use the wall, and I brought a small projector from home.

So if I just need to know is that an through the chair, is that an unallowable purchase, Mr.

Johnson, or uh do we have enough equipment to loan?

So I don't have to use my butt.

We're gonna touch both of those issues, one from Mr.

Johnson from the financial purchase, but then also from Director Brown from the lending of uh equipment.

Uh Mr.

Johnson.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

Through you to Councilmember Callaway, yes, that would be a permissible purchase.

There would be you know no no bar on doing that.

Um I would also note that um, you know, obviously dependent on Director Brown's response as well, but I would also have you know no qualms ensuring that direct director Brown has enough equipment on hand so that there's a little bit of extra.

I mean, you you know, having two or three extra projectors, for example, so that if this we are in a situation where council members like, hey, do you mind if I borrow one?

We have that so that Director Brown's operations aren't affected.

These aren't huge dollar equipment, generally speaking.

I mean, they're not cheap, I mean, by any means for for for the average person, but they're not overly um burdensome in terms of cost.

So these are the kinds of things I think I can work with director Brown to you know find a little um you know a little bit of money um and maybe make sure she has a few extra pieces of equipment that could be loaned, but I defer to her on her preferences on how that might work.

Director Brown, yes, through the chair, thank you for that.

Um so we definitely will be able to um loan any equipment that you need um for that's anyone throughout the full department full city of Detroit.

Um so council member Callaway, yes, we will be able to accommodate that.

And if it's something we don't have, we can definitely request additional doubles so we can make sure that we have those things on um in our possession for you or anyone else to being able to rent as we are we do that now currently thank you, thank you so much through the chair.

Um one more time to Mr.

Johnson.

It is an allowable expense.

Is that correct for city council?

Uh through the chair to council, yes, that is an allowable expense.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you to um to both of you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

And that uh I think wraps up line item 138.

Uh, correct, Member Miller.

Did you have anything else you want to do with that particular line item?

No, sorry.

All right, thank you much.

So Mr.

Quirley, we can uh go to 137.

Uh and that was my item that I move for 225.

Uh Ms.

Brown, we do have 225,000 dollars one time placed into that um that area for that allocation.

Uh you are saying that there should be no issue whatsoever with re and that and that was to it was placed in the budget to ensure that we can cover BOPC, Board of Police Commissioners.

Um City Council is needed as well, of course, uh, and including uh CPC, City Planning Commission.

Uh so you're saying that no, we're gonna talk through the city council piece.

We've already kind of done that, but making sure that our uh other agencies are uh are covered.

Uh it is critical that they're covered.

CPC, City Planning Commission, as well as Board of Police Commissioners.

You're saying that uh you will have those covered as long as you have the uh the uh schedule in advance, correct?

That is correct, or the other representative.

Okay, Mr.

Johnson.

Um, can we get that in our in your closing results well?

The commitment to that.

Yes, Mr.

President.

All right, colleagues, I'm request uh a motion to remove the 225 and general one-time fund for line item 137.

Is there a motion?

Any objections?

See none that action shall be taken.

Thank you.

So he removed it.

Mr.

Chair.

Yes, ma'am.

Member Johnson.

Did um did your conversation include the Board of Zoning Appeals?

Uh no, it did not.

So, but we can now.

Um Director Brown, when is the Board of Zoning Appeals meet uh for anyone?

I'm not sure.

But the BZA.

The book Mr.

Chair.

Yes, ma'am, Dr.

Johnson.

The the Board of Zoning Appeals meets on Mondays, probably two or three times a month.

Okay.

Have they required or requested because they they I'm only talking about the ones who've actually requested and had those concerns my way, but I have not heard from uh BZA saying that they needed this request.

Yeah, I don't know that they've requested it, but I think we hear enough from the community about um their meetings.

So I'm not sure.

I guess we can reach out to Director Ribron to understand whether or not they are recording and posting their meetings on social media um or just online.

They have at one point in time talked about recording their meetings via Zoom.

We can reach out.

And uh Director Brown, how can you help the Board of Zoning Appeals, the BZA?

Yes, through the sh through the chair.

So it's funny that we just got some communication today at 107 p.m.

from director Ribron in asking for that support.

So what I'm gonna do is communicate with them today to understanding their needs and to see how we can support them on um what they're requesting.

Okay, member Johnson.

I haven't been able to review the request just yet.

Okay, Member Johnson, anything further?

No, sir.

Thank you.

Uh member Calloway.

Thank you.

This is this is my last question for um through yourself, Mr.

Chair, to Miss Brown.

Um, what what are your plans to bring?

And this all has to do with the budget.

Um more services in-house.

I saw Creative Day at the um state of the city address.

I saw their equipment.

Um, and we spent a lot of money on um creative day, and I've asked over the years when I um I cheer it now, but um a member of the internal operations standing committee meet.

And I've always asked why is it that we're not bringing um more of our AV services in-house.

So you don't have to answer today.

Just give us some thought, because I'm gonna still continue to um stress the importance of hiring Detroiters, doing stuff for ourselves with our own resources and not using our resources to hire other people.

We can do the work.

We just probably need some more equipment, but um we can do what Creative Day is doing.

Um I didn't see anything that they were doing that we couldn't do.

We just need the equipment.

So I'm gonna lay that at your feet and see what um perhaps we can have some future conversations about bringing some of those services in house.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Miss Brown.

Thank you.

Director Brown, thank you for joining us today.

Uh we have addressed uh if there's no other issues regarding media services.

Seeing none, director Brown again, thank you for your response and being here today.

Thank you for having me, your honorable body.

Have a great evening.

You as well.

Mr.

Corley, the floor is back in your hands.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

So your copy that has the 28 pages, that's the correct copy.

Okay.

It turns out you learn something new every day, right?

So it turns out I printed my copy from my computer.

And so depending on which computer that you use, you get a different printout.

So for some reason, my printout had the 30 pages.

So I'll make sure moving forward that we'll use one computer, one dedicated computer to print our documents from.

So if you would have followed Pro Tim's suggestion on AI.

Okay.

Mr.

Coral.

So I apologize for the confusion.

So you got you all have the right copy.

All right.

Okay, so let's go back this real quick to page 27.

I want to make sure we all are looking at this at the right in the same, you know, area.

So we're on page 27, line 252.

And I just want to just repeat this just real quick.

So in line um 252, column.

And I just stick with the general fund.

Column U, total console on changes is 13.2 million.

That's about um 0.85% or a little under 1% of the general fund budget of 1.56 billion.

Column V.

Point of information.

We got 12.975 million in column U after the removal of the 250,000.

He may not have calculated it.

Yeah.

Mr.

Corley, the 225 we were we just pulled out.

We're using paper.

Don't think you uh calculated that.

I haven't calculated that.

There we go.

Yeah, paper.

Okay.

There we go.

Okay.

Thank you.

So we'll we'll calculate that.

But there it's still gonna be roughly around the same percentage.

Um recurring, that did not change.

So that's 2,795,200.

If you add columns Q, R and S.

So when it went over that.

Um and going back to column V, 3.8 million, that's about.25% of the non-jural fund budget of 1.49 billion.

I just want to go over that real quick.

And so let's go now to page 28.

So when you look at pay um page 28, line 266, those are the funding sources.

And so our funding sources equal what we got in terms of changes.

Now I know we have to make a little adjustment, um, but what we have right now, the funding sources, you know, equal.

So I just want to go over where there were changes in the funding sources because of council's changes uh reducing by about six million dollars.

So if you go to line 262, um originally we were suggesting that council would take two six point five million from blight remediation, and so there's a three million dollar reduction.

So now you see 3.5 million um as a source, and then if you go down to line 264, excuse me.

We originally uh suggested that 8.5 million come from capital projects, and that was reduced by 3,420,000, and so that's why you now you see as a source 5 million and 80,000.

So I just want to point that out.

And um, Mr.

President, we can go over the four pen items.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

So the four pin items, that's page nine nine is the first one.

Page nine.

And that's line 81.

And that was you know, discussion about a 250,000 dollar rollover funding for language excess services.

We do show the 250,000 as a recurring, and um it's pinned.

So council member Santiago Romero.

Mr.

Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, again, just a reminder.

I'm looking to add this to closing resolution for myself and um for the mayor's office to recommit the 200,000 that we approved last budget session for CREO support.

Um there are a number of vacancies in CREO that we saw in the budget.

So this is just recommitting the 200,000 for language access services.

So there currently already we have approved an additional 72,000.

And that brings our total language access uh to 250.

So I believe that's the number that we're looking at.

So that is staying.

Um and and we're just noting um and and you know this is this happens often.

We put money and it doesn't happen.

This didn't happen and needs to happen.

Um so looking to put this to closing resolution for both to ensure that we hire the staff that's needed for language access.

So if if we can let's uh split those motions if you will, because you said for both.

Okay.

So uh the closing resolution colleagues, there's a motion on the floor, line item 81 closing resolution language.

Uh any objections?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

And again, tell us again that dollar amount or how do you want to do the allocation?

Looking to uh ensure that we identify the 200,000 uh for language access services for the traditional staff.

Okay, discussion with discussion and um Mr.

Johnson, is there anything in the um administration's closing resolution that will be needed to ensure that the rollover funding that is or we call it rollover funding, but the funding that uh has not been spent is uh connected to the 27 of fiscal year?

Uh no, Mr.

President, the 200,000 that was added last year is recurring dollars, so that was already part of CRIO's budget that was formulated for 27.

Gotcha.

Okay.

Um member Benson.

Discussion, maybe that question my question has been answered, and so there would not need to be any notation of a dollar amount in that line item because it's already a reoccurring amount.

But for me, if we're not spent the money in fiscal year 26, then we will have lost buying power for those services.

I'd like to see those services be made whole versus losing an entire year of funding.

Is that makes?

If you can expand upon it, please.

So general fund dollars are lost if they're not expended by the end of the fiscal year.

This is a reoccurring cost, so there shouldn't be a need to identify them in the fiscal year 27 budget, but that's 200,000 of spending power that has been lost.

Why not recoup that spending power and include that line item in and then bring those dollars forward basically by including 200,000 in that line items already reoccurring?

So what you're doing is basically on paper bringing those dollars forward to the next fiscal year.

Although we've I think we've done that in other ways here, but that will be the same thing.

So I just want to make sure my advocacy is not to lose that spending power, basically.

That makes sense, Mr.

Corley.

To represent the buying the um buying power of 2026.

Meaning that those general fund dollars would essentially be rolled over.

Yes, but they're rolled over, they're being notated to roll over.

Does that make sense?

You have to put the Mr.

President, you have to put the money in as a one time in 2027 as a one time.

So the one time um challenge to fund it is that's a lot easier.

Yeah, but uh but I don't know if there's anything to buy though.

Um if if there if there's if that's for staff, yeah.

And you don't hire the staff, then you can't go back in time and have them pay for them.

Right.

So that that would be the quandary there.

Yeah.

Um, Mr.

Johnson.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

So I think uh because these dollars pay for staff, the the we can't double hire, you know what I mean?

Like it that we wouldn't hire additional staff with one-time dollars on it.

So um I just yeah, I don't see that one as being workable here.

No, so I answered my own question.

Thank you.

Member Johnson, followed by member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

So could could we not just hire the staff members in the current fiscal year?

Is that not the plan?

Mr.

Johnson.

Um I I can't speak for Director Mathis, but I I don't know in I don't know if there a plan not to hire this hire staff.

Let me put it that way.

And and the funding is there.

Correct.

Okay, and so then through you, Mr.

Chair to Member Santiago Romero, is there a need for the 250,000?

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

Presidents.

Yes.

So what we are looking to solve here is staff support that is needed to make sure that we are enforcing the language access across the city, collecting data, evaluating, and then doing the work.

The 250 is for contractual services.

The 250 is what we use for the language line for the inter the in-person interpretation, and we're also working through that as well.

Uh so it's 250 for language access services, and then the 200 we put in last year because we passed the language access uh ordinance last year.

This was to support that.

Um, and unfortunately, our previous director did not do uh the the hiring.

Um so I I think really what I'm looking for today is that we added this to our closing resolution and the mayor's office.

Um, so that this does happen.

Um, because again, during public comments, one of the number one calls that people are asking is that we support with language access services.

Um so we need to make sure that we have staff to do so.

Mr.

Chair.

Um member Johnson followed by Pro Tim Young.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

So I just want to understand.

So the 250,000 that is currently being proposed, if this is for contractual um services, were these services not needed for in the current fiscal year?

So would if the two individuals were hired within CREO, would they have been able to provide language access assistance?

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, no, so the staff also are not the ones providing the translation services.

They are doing the programmatic behind the scenes, making sure that we have a program in in general.

The 250 that we have, we contract out with a line in California, and this is a line that every department, every office uses.

My staff included, if someone um needs French, Arabic, Bengali, whatever the case may be, there's a line that you call.

The staffing need that we that we have um in-house are all the requests that are sent to Creole for translation.

Um for flyers, for for materials, things like that.

Um we also do have a I believe a contractor that does that work as well, but there is so much um that needs to be translated.

There is an an immense amount of work.

I mean, we currently only have one staff member.

Um, and I believe um, no, I know that that that you need support to make sure that we are uh fully implementing the language access ordinance across the city.

Also, and just to be clear again, the 250 we have already approved.

This is already in the budget, and the 200 is also already in the budget.

Um, so I'm not asking for any additional money in any of these motions.

I'm only asking that we ensure what we already approved gets done.

This has happened already a few times at this table.

Um I'm just asking that that that we that we get what we approved um uh done.

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, um I support this.

I just want to know are we actually gonna have people that are physically there to do the translation?

Because I was told that we weren't, and that really rubbed me the wrong way.

Yeah, we need to actually have staff that is actually physically there to interpret.

Not that I don't like watching uh member Romero speaking Spanish, but I didn't think it was appropriate for one of our members to have to do the interpretation.

We got people who are on the payroll, that's literally what they're supposed to be doing.

So if we do this, are they gonna physically be there?

And how can we make sure that we like demand that happen?

Uh through the chair, Mr.

Johnson.

Uh through the chair to President Pro Tim Young.

So we have two contracts for language access services.

So we have language line as Councilmember Santiago Romero indicated, which is based out of California.

They are primarily sort of online video telephonic translation, sort of in a pinch, any department's got the hotline, they can call and they can select the language they need that connects them to a tran an interpreter.

Cool.

Say more local, it is a local organization.

Um and they can provide in-person services if required.

So um it obviously to the best of our ability, if in-person trans uh interpretation and translation is required, ideally you would have knowledge in advance.

That's not how things work.

We understand that, which is why we have the sort of more rapid, like telephonic and and electronic options.

Um to have like interpreters as like full-time staff members for the city is it poses a challenge for a couple reasons.

One uh a full-time employee has to fill 40 hours a week, right?

Um, and so it it may be the case that in-person interpretation services are only needed a handful of times a week.

So then I have an FTE.

Uh I have to fill that person's time, right?

Yeah, you're using taxpayer dollars to pay them 40 hours a week.

I need to fill 40 hours a week of work.

So um I think um that's sort of why we've shied away from trying to have our own in-house translation services because we're just could task work.

The time it's just the time, the use of the time.

It's uh it's not a constant eight hours a day type work.

It's sort of a as needed piece work, and that's why contracting it out makes a lot of sense because it's just as needed.

Absolutely.

Um part-time would work like part-time or tasks or something would work either because you they still would have fill those hours.

Is that what you're telling me?

We through the chair, we wouldn't know when they would be needed.

So they would still be sort of on call, so to speak, and we would need to be waiting for them to arrive to do something.

So that's what I'm thinking.

I don't mean to cut you off, but I just want to make sure just kind of put your side of my head for a bit.

That's what I'm thinking.

Like they are just there on call.

If they're used, they're used, if they're not, they're not it.

You know, it's like you know, like well, they say like the old American Express commercial, I'd rather I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it, you know, it's kind of the same thing in this situation.

I will you're saying financially that doesn't work.

Right.

Um, and through the and just from a staff management standpoint, but I will also note that a number of years ago um when um council member Santiago Romero was working on the language access ordinance, and there was some work as well done under um her predecessor, um Raquel Castanera Lopez, and she did a lot of work related to um language access as well.

And one of the things we did a few times over the years is a survey will go out to city staff and it will simply ask like do are you a native speaker of a of another language other than English, um including ASL, and if so, would you be willing to receive a call if needed in a pinch?

You know, we're not profess no one is a professionally trained interpreter, understood.

Um, but um, so we did do that a number of times.

It was one of the requests we had received is could we do that and find out because we have a very large you know, we have almost 11 over 11,000 people in the city government.

Many of them are there are many people who are not um uh that are not either native English speakers or they're fluent in another language or multiple languages, and so we maintained that list to make sure, like, hey, in a pinch, I know someone on staff who speaks Azeri, we can get them, you know.

Let's let's get him over here as quickly as we can.

Better than nothing, right?

In a pinch.

Um it's it's it's not quite the same as having a permanent on-call person, but it's a solution.

Okay, I see before we go forward.

Uh I do know that we have noticed the special session to begin at four o'clock.

So we'd like to recess the expanded budget finance and audit standing committee for uh to the call of the chair.

Now I'd like to call to order the special session scheduled at four o'clock.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Sure, good afternoon.

Councilmember Scott Benson.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson.

President, Councilmember Benzel McCampbell.

President Councilmember Renata Miller.

Here.

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero.

Present.

Councilmember Mary Waters.

President, Councilmember Angela Whitville Callaway.

Present.

Council President Pro Tim Coleman Young.

Here Council President James Tate.

Here.

We have quorum.

Thank you.

We have a quorum, but we are still in the midst of our executive session.

So we'll um recess the special session to the call of the chair.

We are now back at the uh expanded budget finance and audit standing committee.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Councilmember Scott Benson.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson.

President.

Councilmember Denzel McCampbell.

Present.

Councilmember Renata Miller.

Here.

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero.

Present.

Councilmember Mary Waters.

Present.

Councilmember Angela With Hill Calloway.

President.

Council President Pro Tim Colman Young here.

Council President James Tate.

Yep.

Mr.

President, we have quorum.

Thank you.

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

Corley.

Floor remains sure, sir.

So Mr.

President, we can remove the pin for line item 81, right?

Yes, there's a request to remove the pin.

Okay.

Mr.

President.

Um member Santiago Romero.

Just oh, we did approve the closing resolution.

Okay, so then um just wanted to say through you to our pro time.

Thank you for the questions and um hoping to once we get to this budget process with the immigration task force and with CREO and with community, uh, do a subcommittee where we're talking through language access needs to hear directly from them how we uh create our own.

So that's what we're gonna plan to do moving forward.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you, Mr.

Corley.

Okay, we can go to page 21.

And um line 197.

And we had pinned their um crease the budget by 130,000 for an FTE and office sustainability.

And we now show it for 130,000 in the recurring area.

And um Benson.

Member Benson.

All right, thank you.

So we've had a conversation with several members of the administration.

There has been a commitment to move a full-time specialist management level over to the Office of Sustainability Help Manage programs and move the uh the department forward, and that will be done internally.

And so through yourself, Mr.

Chair to Mr.

Johnson, I'd like to see that commitment in writing from the administration as part of your closing resolution, and then through Mr.

Corley, does the budget book need to be modified to indicate that FTE movement internally just to verify?

I trust, but I want to verify.

Start with Mr.

Mr.

Johnson, and you might be able to answer both.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

Through you to um council member uh Benson.

So um you're gonna get both.

So you're gonna get a closing resolution written commitment um from the administration.

You're also going to get Schedule B is going to show a transfer of one FTE because technically the groups are in different appropriations.

The the transfers being done across.

And so I would want to take the budget across with the position.

Normally, if it was just the position and I wasn't worrying about it, I wouldn't bother.

But in this case, I want to memorialize it in schedule B.

It'll be net neutral to the rest of the schedule B.

It it nets itself out, but you will see it there as well as our resolution.

All right, thank you.

And then through yourself, Mr.

Chair, Mr.

Corley.

Would that be considered belt and suspenders, sir?

Uh Mr.

Corley.

I I think we're fine, you know.

I just don't we just know need to understand where it's coming from the FTE.

That is building suspenders then to have all that information there.

Yes.

Okay, thank you.

All right, and so then through yourself, Mr.

Chair, to Mr.

Johnson, so then I can remove the 130,000 dollars for the FTE based on that person being there.

So let me keep that 130,000 there, Mr.

Johnson.

Uh, through the chair to council member, I would leave it there since I was gonna put it in schedule B, even though it's uh internally one.

Uh it's nice to show the dollars in the sheet.

Okay, okay, okay.

Any uh further action needed for line item one ninety-seven outside of removing the pen, member Benson.

Then uh we also in your spreadsheet, Mr.

Corley have total changes in positions.

So we add one FTE there, but it's a net neutral and so here's my challenge on paperwork-wise, but I'm not a finance professional.

We're adding the 130,000, which may not be the total cost needed for that position, I'm not sure, but we also need to indicate the the one FTE.

So Mr.

President.

This is on your spreadsheet, though.

Mr.

Johnson will have other accounting issues, Corley.

Ms.

President uh member Benson.

So we will show it on Schedule B.

Okay.

Um, we have our version and LPD of Schedule B.

Um, the budget department has their version.

And so we're gonna meet uh after this meeting uh and kind of merge the two, but we will reflect the one FTE coming from whatever area for the hundred thirty thousand or thereabouts showing it going to um this office sustainability okay for the same amount so it's gonna be a net effect.

Mr.

Chair, then I I should then we put a one here for belt and suspenders to make sure that all the paperwork ties at the end of the day.

I mean, this is not the document, it's approved.

Those documents get approved.

Yes, this is just for our own accounting and internal management purposes.

Do we need to put a one there?

One FTE.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, Mr.

Motion.

One FTE to the spreadsheet.

This is purposes.

This would be in column W whiskey on line 197.

Okay.

College has a motion to place one FTE in the column W for line item 197.

Any objections?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Benson, uh further request to remove the pen.

Uh Mr.

Chair, uh, remove the pen, please.

And this should satisfy everything for that request.

And to the administration, thank you for identifying and finding that solution to the need to expand and improve on the uh office of sustainability.

Thank you.

Colleagues has a request to remove the pen for 197.

Mr.

Clorley.

Yeah, so Mr.

President, so what's going to happen is that right now we show 2,795,200 total reoccurring.

That's gonna be reduced by 130,000 because we're transferring the 130,000 from one area to the other.

So I'm just saying that's that's helping the recurring total to go down by 130,000.

Discussion.

Uh member Benson.

That 130,000 that 130K will be sh will be identified in the final documents, not on the spreadsheet, correct?

It'll be it, it will be on this present on the final document.

Okay.

So because it's still on our spreadsheet, but the final documents will recognize that reduction.

Okay.

Yeah.

So we then we found another 130,000 dollar reduction then.

So we can are we good now?

We're good, Ms.

President.

Once they identify where the 130,000 is coming from.

You know, because they're gonna transfer the FT from one area to this office of sustainability.

Okay.

So I just need to understand where is it coming from.

Then you're gonna see you're gonna see on the schedule B a reduction in the preparation that they're transferring FTE from an increase in Office of Sustainability.

So it's gonna be a net effect.

It was a paper offset.

Yes, yes.

Mr.

Johnson?

Um, and yeah, I will note that it is it is already incorporated in um the office of budget's version of schedule B.

So um we maintain a schedule B as we work through these days um of hours.

So um, and then we like Mr.

Horley said, we get together and we harmonize the two.

So this one we do have the resource in there.

Um so we circulated a copy of ours um this morning.

Um I know LPD's been busy, they uh they have not had time to go through our draft, they're focusing on theirs right now.

Um, but it is in there, so we will be able to provide it to them this afternoon when we great okay.

Um page 25 and page 25 has the last two pinned items.

So we can go to line 237.

Um increase the let's say the policy division's budget by 300,000 dollars to in effect roll over the funding to continue the economic study that would be completed.

Um District 6 and potentially citywide.

Councilmember Santa Mamera, Santiago.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Would like to um as we discussed yesterday, and after checking in with LPT, want to keep this with LPD.

Uh so we'd like to see this also in our closing resolution and the mayor's.

Not sure if this needs to be in schedule B or anything, but the money is there.

Uh, we just want to ensure that we get to keep it for the economic study for this for this fiscal year.

So I'm getting nods.

If we can do that, that would be my motion, Mr.

President.

Mr.

President, there's a motion on the floor with discussion, Mr.

Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, so for this item, uh no objections to it, other than if we could make sure this is actually one time because we're gonna do the study and then it will be completed.

That'll also allow us to place it in like fund 4533, so that if it does take longer than fiscal 27 to complete, we don't have to worry about the lapsing issue.

Okay, yeah.

Understood, Mr.

President, through you uh yes, one time.

Uh this would be for one time.

Okay, president, we'll make that correction.

Okay, it's 300,000.

Yes.

Uh colleagues, there's a motion for one 300,000 dollar one-time allocation for line item 237.

Any objections?

See none.

That action shall be taken.

Thank you.

Uh, with further discussion, Member Benson.

This is just shifting from column Sierra S over to a column P Papa.

Yes.

Thank you.

All right.

I like that P Papa.

Uh Member Santiago Romero, any further action or is a request to remove the pen?

We can remove the pen.

All right, there's a request to remove the pen for line item 237, Mr.

Corley.

All right.

Last pin item, page 241.

Increase the budget by 100,000 for city council administration.

President Tate.

All right.

And we have that as recurring.

Yes.

We did have a conversation about that yesterday during committee during uh executive session.

I would like to uh motion to remove this item from the agenda or from the spreadsheet.

Discussion with discussion, Member Benson.

Thank you.

And then removing the 100,000.

We were going to be receiving something.

What are we missing now with that removal?

No, no, that was that was to kind of a placeholder for conversations to take place.

So that was pretty much it.

So it was determined that travel that's what this dollar, this is what this amount was for uh COLA, for our administration, uh City Council administration, also any uh potential raises, uh merit um uh pay as well in as well as travel, but as we've discussed, travel has been reduced across the board uh in administration, and we're going to um be the beneficiaries of that as well, um, unless there are some other uh opinions at the table.

So I'm looking to remove this item from the um the spreadsheet.

Any objection, colleagues saying none, that action shall be taken.

Mr.

Green, Ms.

President, so that takes care of all of the outstanding PAND items.

And so um in terms of one time, we're now at twelve million nine hundred and seventy-five thousand two hundred.

I think Consumer Minson mentioned that earlier, because we subtracted two hundred twenty-five thousand.

Well, and the one hundred as well, unless you did not under the recurring okay.

So I took that out too.

Yes.

Discussion uh with discussion, further discussion, member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh line item 29.

Um I had some conversation with Mr.

Johnson, and he indicated that there is no need for the additional 250,000.

That there are dollars within the street fund that can accommodate this.

Mr.

Johnson, can you affirm that?

Uh through the chair.

Mr.

Johnson.

Um I can.

Um, and in fact, thank you for giving me the entree here.

Um, so they're actually this line item plus two others that were changes to the street fund.

Um, and I was going to request that these three items be moved to the admin closing resolution commitment list, because again, I we can't increase the street fund.

The revenue, it's a it's a special revenue fund, and so what we're really doing is we're committing the proposed budget for 27 for specific earmark uses, and so um those would be items, and I know the motion is for um council member Johnson's item 29, but I would just note it's 2629 and President Pro Tim Young's item 37.

So these are all funds that already exist, they're part of the street fund already.

We're just earmarking them for these specific uses.

All right, thank you.

Uh allocation for line item 29.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

Discussion, Mr.

With discussion, member Callaway.

Thank you so much.

Um speaking of streetscape studies, line item 26.

Um, we approved 200,000 for the study on Schaefer and James Cousins, long overdue.

How does the decision on line item 29 impact the study that we've requested and was approved for um line item 26?

Mr.

Chair?

Uh through the chair to council member Callaway.

Um ideally we would treat this item the same way we just treated item 29.

Um we're really putting this in the admin closing resolution.

Um we're not adding funds to the street fund, we're simply allocating the funds that are proposed for the street fund in 27 um through the chair to yourself, Mr.

Johnson.

Um is that are you saying that the study will be done?

It'll be commissioned in 2026 or 2027, paid for.

How does that work?

Mr.

Johnson?

Through the chair, I it's a great question because I think um it's sort of either.

Um because realistically, we could allocate existing funds.

I think because of where we are in the fiscal year, it's probably prudent that we would just we could probably get procurement started for fiscal twenty-seven and then work through letting the contract after July 1st.

So my guess is it would probably be early in the fiscal year July 27th.

Okay.

And then thank you, Mr.

Johnson.

And through the chair to you, Mr.

Johnson, what funds the administration street fund?

Where'd those funds come from?

Is that state, federal, or are they captured through city taxes?

What funds the street fund?

And what is through the chair and what is in the street fund, the amount.

Um I will ask uh Matt, my deputy budget director sitting next to me to pull up the total street fund number while I answer the bigger question.

Um so the total um or the street fund funding is we we c we call it colloquially the street fund here.

It's really Michigan transportation funds.

So it comes from the state gas and weight tax plus any supplemental appropriations that are made by the state legislature.

So there's a formula, a funding formula through Act 51.

You've heard us call it Act 51 dollars before.

So State Public Act 51 allocates funding toward roads and the maintenance thereof.

And so we receive a a pretty somewhat predictable formula baseline of gas and weight tax remittance from the state, and then the state legislature themselves often will you know add money in um supplemental uh for roads, and that gets added on top of our allocation.

So when we uh forecast the street fund budget, we forecast using our uh a standard formula based on what we know the current Act 51 funding levels at the state are.

Okay, all right.

Thank you, Mr.

Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and I'll look forward to seeing what amount is in the administration's street fund.

Thank you under Act PA Act 51.

And I do have that number, Mr.

President.

All right.

Mr.

Johnson.

Thank you to Matt and thank you to Stephen Colbertson.

Um, four hundred and sixty-eight thousand one hundred and sixteen dollars is the total street fund um budget.

Through the chair to Mr.

Johnson.

Member Callaway.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

So there's a hundred and thirty-one million dollars for 2026.

Uh through the chair, for 2027.

So okay, for 2027.

There's nothing for this year, right here.

Uh through the chair, so the fiscal year we're in, um we can pull up the what the adopted budget was.

There have been some supplemental state funds that have come in for the street fund.

Um, and we can we could definitely look to see what's left in 26, but what we are, you know at least germane to the 27 proposed budget, um, it is 131.4 mil um million.

The FY26 adopted number was 108 million 952.

And uh just recall that um the state did do the supplemental additional road funding for 20 that will affect our fiscal 27.

Okay.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Before I go to uh Pro Tim Young, I know that uh in line item 29, the funding uh allocation was removed, noting that it would be uh addressed uh from the administration uh side of things uh and the uh street fund.

Uh is that also the request for line item 26, noting that it was indicated that uh you would address 29, 26, and 37 in the same way.

Uh uh yes, Mr.

President.

So that's how I would um treat those.

Now I I think it um to go to something Mr.

Corley stated earlier, um, I believe it was Mr.

Corley, um uh that um uh the sheet that we're working off right now is it's informational.

So if we if we leave the dollars amount in, that's okay, right?

I'm not I don't think my team's not sweating it.

I don't think Mr.

Corley and his team are sweating it.

What matters is just how we know what we need how we need to treat it when it comes to schedule B and the admin closing resolution language.

So um as we work through these, we're updating that as we've been updating these admin commitments.

I actually have the word document of the admin closing resolution.

I'm writing the sections along with um my principal analyst Steven as we do them so that we just it's real time and I don't forget what was said.

So um we're keeping up with it in that regard.

So however we want to treat the sheet we're in, we're okay with that.

As long as I know what the the intent of the legal intent, let's say for the budget, then I'm good.

Okay, so we'll just leave the amounting that it's understood.

Uh Pro Tim Young.

Thank you, Mr.

Burke.

Um Mr.

Johnson, you were talking to uh member um uh you're talking to uh Member Callaway you were talking about the road fund.

Uh there's a new fund within the State Transitation Department called the Neighborhood Roads Fund, and that is funded by uh the corporation uh income tax the corporate income tax as well as the marijuana tax revenue.

Do we know how much money we receive from that?

It's quite a sizable amount of fund.

I think it's 1.1 billion dollars in 2026 will grow to two billion dollars annually by 2030.

Uh has there been an analysis or discussion of how much money we receive from that and could it be used for that study?

Or for member Johnson's study for that matter?

Uh through the chair, Johnson.

Uh through the chair to council uh President Pro Tim Ta uh President Pro Tim Young.

Um having flashbacks to last year already.

Um you ask a really good question, and it's one that I don't have an answer to, and frankly, uh the state doesn't have an answer either.

So they created the new road funding mechanism dependent on marijuana wholesale tax revenues.

And at this time, um, you know, we know that at this time the state hasn't even fully set up the marijuana wholesale tax enforcement mechanism.

Right now it's being done on a sort of good faith record keeping basis by the by the wholesalers.

Um and so we don't know, and at this time we are in almost weekly contact with the state to see like what the updates are.

At this time, they're pretty clear that they won't have updates for us on how much additional money we might get until into our fiscal year 27, because it'll be the toward the end of the state's fiscal year, which is offset from ours.

And so no, I I won't say I totally agree with you, and I and I think personally the marijuana tax is outrageous.

Uh person, I I don't even know how much the marijuana industry will probably still be here after that's implemented.

But I just want to say is there some severability between the marijuana wholesale tax enforcement being set up and the corporate income tax?

Because for what I've seen estimates about $680 million.

And what I think what you're telling me is until they set all of that up as a whole, they're not going to be appropriating any money from that fund until they set up all the infrastructure around it.

But I'll just add to ask just for curiosity's sake.

Is there some severability?

Will they be making money just from the money they receive for the corporate income tax until that's set up, or are they not sending any appropriating any funds until that whole system is designed properly and implemented and fully?

Mr.

Uh through the chair.

Um so through the chair to Pro Tim Young, so these are really wonderful questions.

Um so here's how the marijuana funding structure works currently.

Um the state has said that they will not allocate any funds to any recipient jurisdictions until toward the end of their fiscal year when they have all of their revenue collections known and kind of in hand.

So yes, so those are doing that.

The other thing to remember is the supplemental funding, the way the structure was set up at the state for the road funding supplemental, um, the way they set it up, the neighborhood roads fund, is it's sort of a waterfall structure.

So the revenues have to come in and they fill first one bucket, which is the primary MTF bucket, then they fill a secondary bucket, which is the state level discretionary road bucket that they created for themselves.

Then it flows into the third bucket, which is the neighborhood roads fund.

So if those funds are adequate and they flow all the way down to that fund, we may get it.

So we are continuing to keep a very conservative stance on how much we're expecting, which is why you don't see it in this budget.

I'm we did not propose to use any of those monies because the state themselves can't give us an estimate on it, so it would be imprudent to use them.

So it's one of those things where as we know more, that's gonna get reported to to this body, and it's going to be a conversation we'll have about okay, these funds have come in.

Here's what we're gonna do.

The plan is when those funds come in.

I think I've indicated this in earlier executive sessions, um uh executive session meetings were um that's really where the a lot of the streetscape funding is going to live.

There's a little bit, there's some streetscape funding in the current allocation of street fund capital, but primarily when that money comes in, that's when we're gonna sit down and have that conversation about streetscapes and which ones we do.

Okay, so so I see what you're saying.

So basically what you're telling me what I what I'm hearing is is that one there's no if come in that you're gonna assume in this budget one.

But secondly, what also is basically basically what I'm saying is right from the standpoint of you know, without being in the state yourself, uh we really kind of brilliantly broke it down, but basically what you're saying is that until all that money is received and all of it flows like it's supposed to flow in the proper direction, that's when that money will be available.

And right now, even if the money did flow from the corporate income tax side, that money has not flown yet from the marijuana side.

So there had to be a confluence of that flow for us and then the for the budget be fully filled for us to then assume what it is.

So basic basic sense is we're not gonna count it, we can't hold it.

Basically, what you're telling me, right?

Correct, yes.

The most rudimentary crude sense.

Right, correct.

And then there's a you know, uh the other complicating factor to the road funding mechanism in the in the current state budget, the one that we're operating under, is that they eliminated the income tax diversion.

So there was a portion of the state's income tax revenues that got diverted to go to the road fund to MTF.

They removed the income tax top-up to the MTF.

And so that's um, so that's what is being that's what the marijuana wholesale tax is meant to supplant.

Um so that's that's what we're keeping an eye on is exactly how that's going to work out um as we move through this current state fiscal year.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Mr.

Corley.

So Mr.

President, so to Mr.

Johnson.

So once those figures are secured, you'll come back to city council with a budget amendment, right?

To allocate those funds, the mayorana tax, the corporate income tax.

Once those numbers are secure and and you figure out how you want to spend them, you'll come back to the council with a budget amendment for uh that is correct.

Okay.

So um so basically we're done.

Um one time 12 million, 12 million seventy-five thousand two hundred and recurring two million five hundred sixty-five thousand and two hundred.

So that's that.

So if we can talk about outstanding um voting items, and then we can adjourn if you agree.

So read a letter that has been submitted to LPD.

So this there's a draft, and we'll be reviewing that um between now and whenever we come back together.

Uh administrative closing resolution.

Um, as Mr.

Johnson indicated is working on that as we speak.

So hopefully we can get that you know within an hour.

Schedule A for the C D BG NOF.

Um schedule.

We basically have a draft.

I need to I need to review it.

And Mr.

Gulag, I work with him in LPD.

Schedule B, uh, we'll be working, you know, with Mr.

Johnson and his team.

Um, hopefully, we'll have that in about within an hour, hour and a half.

Um, the tax statement that's done.

Excuse me, council's closing resolution.

Um, according to Ms.

Barcliff, she indicated it should be done about uh or draft will be available about 4 30, probably five o'clock now, since there's been a couple other changes.

And we need um the compensation book.

So I don't know if Mr.

Johnson has any um update on that, but I have not seen a draft of that yet.

Maybe Ms.

Johnson can uh thank you, Mr.

President.

Um uh yes, so we do finally, as of about 30 minutes ago, have a final we've agreed uh final there's some data issues that we needed to resolve with the file for it.

So um that is done.

Um I believe the PDF should be coming your way imminently.

Okay, wonderful.

So, Ms.

President, uh maybe come back at six.

Just again kind of give us all an opportunity to make sure we have all the schedules together and they're looking good and everything.

Okay.

And uh, Mr.

Whitaker, um, what else do you need from us at at this point?

Uh I don't believe we need anything.

We we will get you as Mr.

Corley has just indicated, another draft of the closing resolution as soon as we get it done.

I know that since I've been here, there's been uh requests sent to uh Ms.

Barcliff and Mr.

King, and I know that she's perfecting it.

I just got it.

We've been exchanging Texas since I've been here.

So we will get that closing the draft up as soon as possible, maybe by five, and then if we can, you know, if you can communicate to us before six, we can try to make the adjustments necessary in the closing resolution, and hopefully six o'clock will be a productive time for us.

So you're looking for us to in this downtime or the time between now and when we reconvene at six o'clock to review the language that you and your team is going to provide, uh the updated language that you're gonna provide to us so that when six o'clock when we reconvene, uh, we'll be able to hopefully have that language uh provided to you in advance, and we can move to the next stage of possibly voting.

That is the plan.

Okay.

All right, colleagues.

We still do have public comment.

Um so Mr.

Corley, thank you.

Don't want to hold you up.

I allow you to go ahead and crunch those numbers.

Uh, we're now going to uh do public comment.

If there's anyone from the public who would like to speak, please raise your hand now.

If there's anyone from the public who would like to speak, please raise your hand now, either in person or online, going once, going twice, going three times collection of public comments have now concluded.

I did not see uh hand in the committee of the whole.

Uh so we will go to our folks online.

As mentioned, we are having abbreviated public comment sections during the budget period.

And we will start with uh first caller.

How many callers do we have?

And who do we have first?

Team good afternoon, Council President.

We have five callers online with our first caller being Miss Betty A.

Varner.

This is Betty A.

Verner.

The floor is yours.

You have one minute, general public comment.

Uh good afternoon to all within the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Brown, the president of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association.

Again, asking for some consideration from the council and administration in regards to that land use hearing fee of $1,500.

Also asking that there be some consideration in the budget from the council for the uh corridors that have not been blessed with the same attention as other corridors throughout the city of Detroit.

I'm focusing on our Fink Accorder.

We've had some wonderful conversations in the past, but we need help.

We need monies for our Fink Accorder to help us achieve our missions and goals in this area for this community that we love.

We are doing the work, what we can do.

We need help.

Thank you for this time and your commitment on doing your job as with you, Ms.

Varner.

Next caller, please.

The next caller is Black Bank.

All right.

Ruben, the floor is yours.

You have a minute general public comment.

All right.

Are you there, Ruben?

All right.

We're gonna put Ruben at the end of the queue and go to the next caller, please.

Council President, our next caller is gonna be owner Papa.

All right, caller.

The floor is yours.

We have one minute general public comment.

Caller, are you there?

All right, we're gonna put the caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

All right, our next caller is going to be William M.

Davis.

Mr.

William M.

Davis, the floor is yours.

You have one minute general public comment.

Uh, good afternoon.

Can I be heard?

Yes, sir.

I like to start off by saying I'm a former elected police commissioner.

I've been off over four years.

And the Board of Police Commissioners get horrible coverage, and everything should be like a guide where you can know what's coming up too.

That would make it a whole lot simple, but they get cut horrible coverage.

People still call me and still think I'm a police commissioner from over the city.

And uh also separately, I was pleased to see some fire and a couple of uh council people today about making sure more Detroit businesses get more Detroit dollars.

I think it should be a greater effort, and it would help me as a city chart retiring and a resident if more of our dollars actually turned over in our community.

You know, that's how other communities do.

You know, you don't hear about Dearborn or Lavonia, these other communities, you know, reaching out to provide money to other communities.

We shouldn't either.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Council President, our next caller is going to be Mia.

All right, Mia, the floor is yours.

You have one minute, general public comment.

Mia, are you there?

All right, let's go to the next.

Let's place this caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Council President, we're now gonna be returning to Ruben.

All right, Ruben James Crowley Jr., are you there?

Going once.

Going twice, going three times.

We're gonna have to move on.

If you would like to provide your comments to the clerk's office, they will be placed on to public record.

Next caller, please.

We're now returning to our second queue caller, and that is owner papa.

All right, caller.

The floor is yours.

You have one minute general public comment.

Caller are you there going once?

Callerie there going twice.

Yes, good afternoon.

To the chairman Abby Heard.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

Um it's disappointing to see how people w up the money for their own personal districts.

I think money should be spent in terms of need.

And I think when you have a community that needs so much as the seventh needs, the aviation subdivision has been neglected for many, many years.

And uh, we have a lot of historical.

We had Mr.

Walker that lived there, we had Mr.

King who was played in in the Negro League.

We had Benny Napoleon, but nobody cares about the people who made up the city of Detroit when they're you know, of my hue or of my background.

But you you should care.

You should care that it was a black stronghold for a long time, and people should care about maintaining it.

And people should care about maintaining it.

I see Warrendale, but I don't see anything about aviation subdivision.

And Warrendale was the place that ran the Malcolm X Academy out.

And the woman called me an N-word one in the 1980s.

So I don't know what kind of next caller, please.

Yes, may I be here?

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Um so my comments is about um animal control.

I'm not for sure if you all um, you know, spoke about animal control during the budget meetings.

I haven't heard, you know, from the ones that I have attended.

So I would like to see animal control 24 hours.

Um, I do appreciate the recreational centers um being longer hours, but you know, animals, they don't, you know, have a watch, so they're not, you know, uh getting loose at certain hours of the day.

Um, so that definitely needs to be uh 24 hours for safety issues for the community.

Um we also need to have these um employees of animal control maybe patrolling um you know in the community um because uh within a 10 minute period, a dog could travel, you know, maybe uh a half a mile, so you know, let alone an hour of their response, you know, that that animal could be in a totally different uh location.

Um, and I agree that you know, certain districts, such as district three, you know, need more attention.

Thank you.

We can actually close out, we can adjourn this special the um expanded budget finance and audit standing committee, correct?

All right, colleagues, is there a motion to adjourn?

See no objections that action shall be taken.

Please note that we do have uh food in the um conference room for those who would like to partake.

I should have told him we would come back at six.

I kind of said it.

Kind of said it.

Yeah, like saying it before we leave.