Finance and Audit Standing Committee Budget Meeting – April 7, 2026

On April 7, 2026, the Detroit City Council's Finance and Audit Standing Committee held its final budget executive session before approving the FY2027 budget. The meeting focused on media services, budget line items, and public input. Council President James Tate presided; all nine members were present.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Betty A. Varner (president of the Soda Elsewhere Block Association) urged council to reconsider the $1,500 land use hearing fee and allocate more funds to the Fink corridor, which she said has been overlooked.
• William M. Davis (former elected police commissioner) complained about inadequate coverage of Board of Police Commissioners meetings and called for more Detroit dollars to stay in the community.
• Other callers (Mia, Ruben, and additional participants) raised concerns about animal control services, district funding equity, and the need for greater attention to the Aviation Subdivision.

Discussion Items

Media Services (Director Brittany Brown)

• Director Brown presented plans to expand the media services team to meet council needs, including adding two graphic designers, two videographers, and two photographers to achieve a total of five graphic designers and two photographers/videographers. She committed to dedicated staff for council and increased communication via bi-weekly production meetings.
• Councilmember Renana Miller moved to allocate $300,000 recurring for a dedicated council media unit (two graphic designers, two videographers, one shared system). She argued that current coverage is insufficient, especially for events on the same day.
• Councilmember Denzel McCampbell questioned whether the issue is funding or priority within existing resources. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero suggested dividing media services staff equitably between council and the mayor's office.
• Councilmember Mary Waters pressed for a concrete commitment to prevent cancellations, noting events are sometimes dropped for mayoral coverage.
• Council President Pro Tem Coleman Young II asked about using AI for content creation and efficiency, and requested a dollar estimate for potential savings.
• Councilmember Scott Benson moved to assign LPD to draft a plan to re-establish an in-house council media unit, including cost estimates for equipment and options for equipment sharing with the administration. The motion passed without objection.
• After extensive debate, Councilmember Miller withdrew her motion for $300,000 recurring, noting ongoing discussions with Director Brown and Corporation Counsel Whitaker about dedicated staff.
• Councilmember Johnson (Glen) cautioned against large recurring general fund additions, stating that new spending would require cuts elsewhere, such as the police department, and argued that existing 38 FTEs in media services could be redeployed with better planning.

Budget Line Items (Pinned Items)

• Line Item 81 – Language Access Services ($250,000 recurring): Councilmember Santiago Romero requested that the closing resolution reaffirm the commitment to hire staff for the Language Access Ordinance, noting that previous funding went unspent. The pin was removed, and the item was added to the closing resolution.
• Line Item 197 – Office of Sustainability FTE ($130,000 recurring): Councilmember Benson reported that the administration agreed to transfer a management-level FTE into the Office of Sustainability internally. The budget will reflect a net-zero FTE transfer, and the $130,000 will appear in Schedule B. The pin was removed.
• Line Item 237 – Economic Study for District 6 ($300,000 one-time): Councilmember Santiago Romero requested that LPD oversee the study, with funds allocated as one-time to prevent lapsing. Approved without objection; pin removed.
• Line Item 241 – City Council Administration ($100,000 recurring): Council President Tate moved to remove this placeholder for travel/COLA. Approved.
• Line Items 29, 26, 37 – Street Fund Allocations: Councilmember Johnson noted that these items (including street studies and funding) will be addressed through the administration's closing resolution, using existing street fund dollars. No additional funding needed; pins removed.

Key Outcomes

• Council voted to direct LPD to draft a plan for re-establishing in-house media services for city council, to be included in the closing resolution.
• Council removed $225,000 one-time (line item 137) for media services for BOPC/CPC after Director Brown committed to covering those meetings.
• All outstanding pinned budget items were resolved:
  • Language access: commitment reaffirmed.
  • Office of Sustainability: internal FTE transfer accepted; no new funding.
  • Economic study: $300,000 one-time approved.
  • Council admin placeholder: removed.
  • Street fund items: moved to admin closing resolution.
• The committee recessed at approximately 4:00 p.m. for a special session, then reconvened and adjourned public comment after hearing five callers. The full council was expected to reconvene at 6:00 p.m. to review final documents and vote.