Councilmember Scott Benson.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson.

Councilmember Denzel and Tommy Campbell.

Present.

Councilmember Renata Miller.

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero.

Councilmember Mary Waters, present.

Councilmember Angela Whitfield Callaway.

Council President.

Pro Tim Culminate Young a second.

Here.

Council President James Tate.

Mr.

President, you have a quorum.

Thank you very much, Madam Clerk.

I just want to say that president Tate as well as Member Santiago Romero's absences are excused.

Clerk will so note Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Well, the quorum being present, Council being session.

We will first start off with an introduction of our clergy.

The pastor of our invocation today is none other than the honorable Reverend R.

Patrick Johnson, who is the lead pastor at Mount Zion Baptist Church at 3600 Van Dyke.

And at MAC, and he is also the pastor at Greater Burnett Baptist Church at 16801 Schoolcraft at Aberton.

So he is uh was double portion blessed, blessed in the field, blessed in the city.

Uh so Pastor, will you please come up?

Can you get a round of applause to pass everybody?

He goes to two churches on Sundays and preaches a sermon at birth at both churches.

So, Pastor Johnson, we are thankful.

It's always good to see you, brother.

My man, always good to see you.

Good morning.

Our council president is absence and our president from brother.

All distinguished members of the council, honored guests, citizens of Detroit.

I am Ryan Patrick Johnson, senior pastor at Greater Burnett Baptist Church, located in District One, lead pastor of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church located in District 4, and I reside in District 2.

Let me get begin with a word that has guided leaders across generations.

Micah, the sixth chapter and the eighth verse.

What does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

That verse is not just spiritual guidance, it is leadership framework, justice in your decisions, mercy in your disposition, and humility in your posture.

In this place where policy meets people, where ideas become impact, and where leadership is tested, not just in public moments, but in private decisions.

Leadership carries weight because of this the decisions made in this room, don't stay in this room, they travel into neighborhoods, they show up in classrooms, they affect whether a family feels safe, whether a business can thrive, whether a child has an opportunity, leadership is weighted because it requires you to hold competing interests in the same hand, progress and preservation, urgency and patience, accountability and grace.

Because behind every vote is a conscience, behind every policy is a principle, behind every decision is a legacy being written.

But here's the encouragement.

Not to be perfect, but but to be purposeful.

Because alongside the weight, there's also the wonder of leadership.

Because leadership gives you the opportunity to make a difference that outlives you.

And the wonder of your position is this.

You get to be a part of that story.

You get to help write the next chapter.

You get to help shape the future that some may never see fully, but will forever be impacted by.

Never underestimate the power of a single right decision.

One vote, one policy, one moment of courage can change the trajectory of a family, a block, or an entire community.

What you do matters more than you may hear and more than you ever know.

So how do we carry both the weight and the wonder?

First, we lead with integrity.

What you do when no one is watching will always matter more than what you say when everyone is listening.

Integrity builds trust, and trust is the currency of leadership.

Second, lead with empathy.

Policies are not just numbers, they are people.

Every decision touches lives to lead well is to listen deeply and to care genuinely.

Third, we lead with vision.

Do not just manage the present but shape the future.

Leadership is not always about solving problems, but it is also about seeing possibilities.

So as you continue your work today, carry the weight with strength and embrace the wonder with gratitude and answer the call with excellence.

And remember this.

Every head bowed, every eye closed.

Gracious and eternal God, we come before you with reverence and humility, acknowledging that all wisdom, all authority, and all justice ultimately come from you.

We thank you for this day and for the privilege of gathering in this chamber.

We thank you for the city of Detroit, its strength, its resilience, and its people.

Grant them wisdom for every decision, courage for every challenge, and unity in the midst of diversity.

In moments of disagreement, give them grace, and moments of pressure, give them peace.

Bless this city, its neighborhoods, its families, and its futures.

Let justice flow, let equity rise and let compassion lead.

Protect those who serve master and strengthen every effort that uplifts this city.

Remind us all that leadership is service, and may everything done here contribute to the good of all of the people of this blessed city, Detroit.

We give you glory, honor, and thanks in Jesus' name.

We pray.

Amen.

Amen.

All right.

Um, I just wanted to say thank you, Pastor Johnson.

It is always good to see you, and we thank you for coming and praying for us today.

Uh, you can feel free to stay with us, but if not, we certainly understand that a man that pastors two churches is busy and must be on his way.

So we thank you very much, Pastor uh R.

Patrick Johnson.

We have a few presentations, and we're gonna start today.

I'm gonna start with one that I have, so I'm gonna go up to the podium, and I will invite uh Miss Mary Culler to come to the poem as well.

Can give her a round of applause, everybody.

Okay, let's see.

Now, before I begin, I just want to explain to the residents of Detroit why we are honoring the Children's Center today and their history in the city of Detroit.

So bear with me for a little bit.

In 1929, Senator James Cousins and Henry Ford founded the Children's Center.

Ford Philanthropy has continued to support the center for the 97 years that the Children's Center has existed.

Thank you.

The Children's Center states our legacy is shaped by generations of children and families who found strength, courage, and possibility within our doors.

While much is changed, our commitment remains the same.

We exist to help children and families shape their own future.

They have existed for 97 years.

Thank you again.

I please remind me that uh thank you, later teammate, right?

There's my team here.

Quietly helping children to be confident, supported, and fully themselves in strong families.

And I just want to take a little million personal privilege as someone that has attention deficit disorder, and someone who, you know, as my family would say, baby or bad, I needed special attention.

I needed people to be able to be patient with me and love me despite myself a lot of times.

And it's places like the Children's Center that allowed me to fully develop.

And so everything that I am, everything that I become is because of people and work like this.

In 2025, 15,483 families were supported.

231 children found safety and stability.

41% of children served found improvement in their depression through the children's center.

Their mission is when a child heals, a family strengthens, when a family thrives, a community grows.

This is the heart of the children's center's mission.

So thank you for the children's center.

And with that, it is my honor to present this Detroit City Council testimonial resolution to the president of Ford Philanthropy, the Children's Center of Wayne County, Mary Culler, everybody.

Whereas Mary Culler is president of Ford Philanthropy, a role she assumed in January 1st, 2020, overseeing the company's philanthropic investments through community partnerships and programming in more than 40 countries.

She is also the chair for Ford's Michigan Central Station Project, overseeing the strategic direction of Ford's Historic Train Station Redevelopment and other Ford properties in Corktown.

Whereas Mary Culler, prior to the aforementioned roles, Mary Culler served as Bill Ford's chief of staff for eight years.

She was also the director of the United States and local government relations, where she managed Ford's engagement with policymakers nationwide on a wide range of automotive and community issues.

Her team also negotiated investment and job creation incentives in states where Ford plants are located.

And whereas Mary Culler worked for Chicago Mayor Richard M.

Daly as manager of the city's industrial development program prior to joining Ford in 1999.

In that capacity, she worked with businesses on economic development and job creation initiatives.

Mary Culler also held several positions at the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., including deputy director of the National Brown Fields Program, where she launched the national program to remove regulatory barriers regarding the cleanup of abandoned industrial properties.

She's also worked, she also worked at the United States City or United States Senate on Energy and Natural Resources or issues for the chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

And whereas Mary Culler attained a bachelor's degree from Indiana and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University.

She lives in Birmingham, Michigan, with her husband Andy Norman and her three children.

Now, therefore, be it resolved.

The honorable Coleman II, Council President Pro Tempore at large, with all the honorable members of the esteemed Detroit City Council, do hereby honor the dedicated and devoted work of Mary Colour, president of Ford Philanthropy, supporting the Children's Center of Wayne County and the phenomenal service provided for the Detroit families and children for 97 years since its 1929 founding by Senator James Cousins and Henry Ford.

Thank you, Mary Cullen, everybody.

Thank you.

Last but not least, we also want to take the time to honor the president and CEO of the Children's Center of Wayne County, uh Desiree Jennings, everybody.

Okay.

Well, Miss Cutter says she's doing the heavy lifting, everybody.

So just in case you didn't know.

Whereas Desiree Jennings is a consummate professional who is passionate about serving the community and facilitating positive outcomes for those who serve.

She is currently the president and chief executive officer for the Children's Center of Wayne County and strongly believes that the organization's mission cannot truly be driven forward to its full purpose without the constant thread of the leaders' personal compassion and knowledge of the community systems that are able to improve the trajectory of the lives of the children and families being served.

Whereas Desiree Jennings previously served as the Children's Center's chief compliance office officer, where she led two successful national accreditations, achieving expedited honors.

This great success was a result of establishing collaborative relationships with the program and service areas of the organization, formulating consistent forms to review output and outcome data to identify quality improvement initiatives focusing on the organization's mission to help children and families shape their own futures.

Whereas, thank you.

Thank you, yeah.

Whereas Desiree Jennings attained an MBA and a BA in psychology from the University of Michigan.

She currently serves on child welfare improvement task force to Michigan over there.

Child Task Force established by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and seeks to transform the child protective system to one that prioritizes family well-being and the prevention of trauma.

She yes, she was recognized by Michigan Chronicle in 2025 as a top 25 black nonprofit leader in 2022 and as a woman of excellence.

She is a board member.

She's a board member for the Michigan Federation of Children and Families and a member of several community organizations, such as Social Current and Michigan Behavioral Health and Wellness Collaborative.

She volunteers her expertise to various nonprofits looking to make an impact throughout Metro Detroit.

Now be it therefore resolved.

The honorable Coleman A.

II, Council President Pro Tempore at large, with all the honorable members of the esteemed Detroit City Council, do hereby honor the dedicated and devoted work of President and CEO Desiree Jennings for the Children's Center of Wayne County and the phenomenal service that they have given to Detroit's family and children for the past 97 years since its 1929 founding by Senator James Cousins and Henry Ford.

Thank you, Desiree Janet.

Thank you.

Is there anything you like to say?

Sure.

Um, thank you, everyone.

Thank you, Councilman Pro Tim, and thank you for City Council and the honor and our partnership with Ford Philanthropy and Mary Color leading it.

We cannot do it without you, and we cannot do it without the support of the City of Detroit because we are here to serve kids and families.

Thank you.

So good morning.

Let me just say that the Children's Center is certainly near and dear to my heart.

I want to say thank you to Ford, because it had not been for Ford some years ago.

I used to work there.

And and I've got to tell you, Ford always delivered on behalf of Children's Center.

Um, I don't know if you ever met Ted, but that was during the time that I that I worked for the Children's Center.

Um, but I want to thank you all for all of the wonderful fantastic work that you do uh with those children.

So I wanted to acknowledge that and Ford, please continue your support for a much, much needed effort.

Thank you so much.

Uh, man, clerk, can you acknowledge that we've been joined by Member Johnson?

Clark will show note, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Excellent.

Now, normally, what we would do is we bring the next person up because we know you're busy, we're gonna go forward right now and take pictures.

So we're gonna take pictures and we're gonna hold our tributes, and then after that, we'll send you on your way.

All right.

Thank you.

Are you all right?

Thank you.

That's team everybody.

All right, next up we got um Denzel Anton McCampbell will honor Jamie White from the Detroit Fire Department.

Detroit's bravest.

Good morning.

Thank you, uh Mr.

President Pro Tim.

Um actually we are honoring uh district seven resident and Mr.

Jamie White for his heroism today.

So if Mr.

White and your family, if you want to come up here to the podium.

And I don't if anyone from D F D uh uh wants to come up as well.

Huh.

Good morning.

So it's it's an honor to give this uh Spirit of Detroit award to Mr.

White.

Um, you know, we have talked a lot about fire safety here in the city of Detroit, and District 7 actually ranks second with accidental fires.

Um and you know, one thing that folks will ask about the city was my favorite thing, and I always say to people, and one of the reasons that we have Detroiters who will step up day in and day out to help their neighbors, and I believe that Mr.

White um is a prime example of that.

Uh I actually we live on the same street, but several blocks from each other on West Parkway.

And uh Mr.

White uh was a hero in saving two of his neighbors in a house fire.

Um so let's yes.

Um something that we we must honor, and I thank you um for that as well.

And we have a Spirit of Detroit award here, and it says um it's presented as an expression of the gratitude and esteem of the citizens of Detroit to Mr.

Jamie White in recognition of the exceptional achievement, outstanding leadership and dedication to improving the quality of life.

Um by the city council of Detroit, Michigan.

Uh Councilmember Denzel Anton McCampbell honors a man who defines the term neighbor.

When a neighbor's home was engulfed in flames, Jamie White didn't just witness a tragedy, he acted.

Jamie, prove that true heroism isn't just about a single bold act, it's about showing up exactly when it matters most.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

Love your neighbor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Miss Williams, do you want to say share it?

And I would just say I'm I'm so happy that you're here with us today.

Yes, he and my hero.

So I just thank him.

I will say, Miss Williams, I know you you said that this is your guardian angel and your hero and and Mrs.

Um White, you said that you're just doing the right thing.

And that is actually what makes you folks, a herd guardian angel, what makes you a guardian angel for the city of Detroit that you did the right thing and saved your neighbor.

So again, thank you for that courageous act.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes.

So any colleagues want to say anything.

I I just wanted to say that our words cannot express how thankful that we are to you.

And I think that you truly represent everything that makes Detroit great.

You represent heroism, you represent bravery.

You redefine what being a hero is because you're willing to make the ultimate sacrifice of your life for people who you don't know.

So I just want to say from the bottom of my heart to Detroit's bravest, to uh I think what they used to call them dragon slayers.

We want to say thank you for your service, and uh we are so internally grateful you are a true American hero, and we appreciate your service.

Um and before we take a photo, I will say um I know I want to thank the fire department for making sure that we did honor you, um, Mr.

White, and and thank you all for the work that you do and the service that you do day in the day out as well.

So thank you all so much.

And we will go.

Any other colleagues?

Well, we'll take some photos of it.

Thank you.

Let's go take some photos.

Next up, we have the honorable member at large, uh Mary Waters.

All right, good morning, everyone.

So today we are proud to recognize some of the brightest young minds in the city of Detroit, students who have demonstrated discipline, strategy, and excellence through the game of chess.

These students and their coaches represent the very best of what our city has to offer.

Focus, leadership, and commitment to growth, both inside and outside of the classroom.

We're honored to celebrate our state champions, our gold medal winners, and the educators who make this success possible.

And let me just say that when I first became a state legislator, that their main coach, okay, uh, Mr.

Kevin Feitz, uh, brought him to Lansing.

He has been doing this work for so long, making it happen on behalf of these young people.

We lit up the house floor in Lansing with these students.

Yes, we did.

So let's get started here.

We have our state champion students.

Uh first school is Bates Academy.

At this time, we recognize the elementary state chess champions from Bates Academy.

Please join me in congratulating Solomon McCray, Amara Slater, Hazel Brown, and a go-o, a go-girl, uh, please excuse me if I miss up that name.

All right, students.

Okay.

These students demonstrated outstanding teamwork and strategic excellence to bring home a state title.

Let's give them a round of applause.

Um, we have Cast Technical High School, our past technicians.

Next, we honor the state champions from Cast Technical High School.

Please recognize Jonathan Bird, Samuel Cobb, Camille Hill, and Laura Florence Rivera, their discipline and competitive excellence earn them a state championship.

Congratulations to each of you, Renaissance High School.

We now recognize the state champions from Renaissance High School, Darius Piper, Urban Tompkins, Kibayan Adams, and Donald Dunbar.

Completing at the highest level, these students demonstrated exceptional focus and teamwork.

Congratulations.

All right.

Their hard work and commitment led them to state championship victory.

Well done.

We'll go next to our coach recognition behind every great team is strong leadership.

We would now like to recognize the coaches whose dedication, mentorship, and guidance made these achievements possible.

All right, please join me in recognizing Essa Patrick and Michael Garland Jr.

Cameron Tolliver, Ursula Byrd, and Judge Mark Brandon, Robert Calaferro, and Kevin Smith, Dominic Johnson, and Raven McCormick.

Your commitment to these students extend far beyond competition.

You are shaping leaders, and we thank you.

Now let's go to our gold medal winners.

We now turn to our individual gold medal winners, students who stood out at the highest level of competition.

As each name is called, please come forward.

Amara Slater.

Hey.

Hey.

Howard.

Lawrence Harris.

Hey.

Jacoby a guest.

These students demonstrated exceptional focus, discipline, and mastery of the game.

Let's give them a round of applause.

Coach Kevin Fight.

We also would like to take a moment to recognize a leader whose impact extends across the entire city.

I'm saying state and country myself.

Coach Kevin Feit.

For decades, Coach Fight has worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for young people through chess and STEM education.

His leadership has helped shape programs, elevate student achievement, and create pathways for success for thousands of Detroit students.

Your impact is lasting, and your work continue to inspire generations.

Thank you so much for your service.

He's been there with these students.

And the way that you work with those students.

Thank you so much.

All right.

So to all of our students, coaches, and families today is about more than trophies and titles.

It's about discipline, perseverance, and believing in your ability to succeed.

You have represented Detroit with excellence.

And we are incredibly proud of each and every one of you.

Congratulations again to all of our honorists.

And if you can hear from a coach fight and any of the other, and maybe from a student, if you want to, Coach Fight and some of the other leaders.

All right.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Thank you for this this honor.

First to the students, all of your hard work, you know, practicing with your coaches, going to the DIAs, going to wise guys, going to McDonald's.

You know, all these places to make your craft uh even better is a beautiful thing.

Uh to the coaches, um, we can't do it without you.

The hard work that you put in uh is it's a selfless type of job, but you do it, and and this is the results of it.

And to the parents, thank you for entrusting us uh with your children.

Uh that's important because we can't do this uh without you.

It's a lot of sacrifice, it's expensive, it's time consuming, and and you do all of these things for our kids.

So thank you for for this award.

Thank you.

Okay, hold on.

Hold on, hold on, real quick.

Hold on, hold on, hold on, just real quick before before we continue.

I just want to say uh public comment is now closed.

Public comment is now closed.

Public comment is now closed, is now closed.

All right, go ahead.

So um, do you have any of the parents here?

If you can stand, please.

Any of the parents, please.

Yay.

Okay.

Thank you, parents, for your participation and your cooperation.

Thank you so much.

Our principals are you here?

I I know I'm telling you, cast technicians can't go anywhere without these.

But Phillips, she is always there.

Uh, if we can get just a you know if it's okay.

Go ahead.

Principles, just tell me tell us what's cool.

Please shout it out.

Okay.

Okay.

What do you think?

Oh next.

All right.

Okay.

Yes.

Okay.

All right.

All right.

So we thank all of you so very, very much.

Now, Mr.

President, I don't know how we're gonna get this photo.

But um if any of the coaches or at least one of the students, uh one coach, uh, and one student will just if you want to have something to say through you, Mr.

President.

Anyone know you want to?

Come on.

He wants to.

All right, yeah.

Okay, I'm leading here.

Come on.

Is this how it works?

All right, okay.

All right, first, I want to give a big thanks to everybody who came because you know, take on time of your day to come here.

Can definitely be a lot.

I want to thank you to the parents for supporting because the parents are the supporters in this, and they give the stride for the students to keep going.

Thank you.

All right, go with us, all of you students.

We love you, and we want you to keep going, keep going.

You can reach wherever you want to just keep going.

We thank you, and we love you.

Well, I think we want to take a photo.

Well, hold on for a minute.

I think did anybody else want to say anything at all up here?

Okay, so I think oh well, I'm my man won't say something.

All right, make it quick.

Go ahead.

Morning, everyone.

I'm coach uh Perry.

Uh standing in behalf of uh Coach Tellaferrell who's in the hospital right now.

It is so ironic that uh we're here because 50 years ago on the uh Coleman Young administration.

We were being awarded from Cooley High for winning the state championship, and it's just a pleasure and an honor.

Yeah, cool.

That sounds like cool.

All right, I am so grateful because uh I'm retired, and uh just uh being a servant and just loving all these children, it's just an honor and a blessing.

Thank you.

All right, hey, let's take a picture.

I think you already take pictures.

All right, go ahead.

We have a cast technician here.

Okay, okay, oh you're running out of time.

I'll be quick, promise.

Uh I just want to say that I appreciate everybody taking their time showing up for us.

It's my last year.

I'm a senior, so it's my last time doing this, and I just want to say that I feel very proud to be a part of a community of such measure going to Cast Technical High School, having comrades such as Renaissance or my uh middle school base academy, and I just want to say that I'm very grateful for all the opportunities that the district has given me that Coach Fight has given me coaches, parents, teachers, and the choice in general.

I love the city, and I just want to say I'm very I'm looking forward to the very bright future that all of these young minds have after I graduate and go on to do everything else.

I want to do so.

Thank you, Detroit, and I love all you like to that.

Oh yeah, that that let me just say we want you know what I don't know when he's gonna go to college or anything, but I gotta tell you we need you back here when you finish doing some wonderful things, okay?

But I gotta tell you, we need you back here when you finish doing some wonderful things, okay?

All right, can you do that for us?

That's right.

All right, thank you.

And Mr.

Benson's right there.

UFIs.

Yeah, I think so.

Okay.

All right, let's come back to order, everybody.

So have one meeting.

All right.

The president's report on standing committee referrals and other matters for the budget finance auditing standing committee.

Can we start or do I need to start off?

Yes, Mr.

President.

Okay.

Four.

Yeah, five.

So you got a corner, so come on.

Mr.

President, you have called for you have called for the budget finance and on a standing committee.

Um, one report from the office of the chief financial officer.

Okay.

The one report will be referred to budget finance and audit standing committee for the internal operations standing committee.

Two reports from various city departments.

Okay, the two reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the neighborhood community service standing committee.

A submittal of a memorandum.

Okay.

The memorandum will be referred to the neighborhood and community services standing committee for the planning and economic development department.

Five reports from various city departments.

The five reports will be referred to the planning and economic development department for the public health and safety standing committee.

One report from the Office of Contracting and Procurement.

Okay, we will move on to other matters under the communications from the mayor and other governmental officials and agencies.

Oh wait, hold on, I forgot.

Under the standing committee reports for public health and safe.

No, we already said it.

Standing committee for the office of contracting and procurement.

Mr.

President, you we did that we are on public comment at this point.

Oh, okay.

But I gotta hit it myself.

Okay.

Right.

We have 15 in-person 21.

We have 15.

Oh, sorry.

We have 15 in-person and 12 online.

I'm so sorry.

All right.

The first person up is Miss Char Williams.

Two minutes, ma'am.

Hold on, turn here.

Don't start my minutes.

Hello through the chair.

Um, I like to talk about illegal voting, like I've been speaking about for quite some time.

So it's not no coincidence.

Romero.

Um, these contracts, they have to be approved by the city council, the president in the mayor, everybody have to come in agreements with this.

Um I'm quite sure we have more than enough contract companies.

This is the second time on a scene at the West Coast.

California, Arizona.

It's amazing how you all sign off on this.

And she's stealing money from the city.

Contracts, purchasing homes throughout the city.

I said this.

And like I said, these contract companies are placed around all this illegal corruption.

477 with the feds.

So the president knows exactly what he's talking about.

Cash retail, like they are investigating illegal voting here.

And we have non-American citizens on the Detroit police department for fake names and ex-convicts that's voting twice.

So, like I said, if they checking around, if Miss Kenworthy also told Chief White, if it happened at the Yo watch, you will be held accountable.

I don't know why people do not believe stalking is illegal.

Periods.

But when you violate the constitution and allow this to take place, uh do you guys watch is not acceptable.

The casinos, the dollar stores, the bus lines, they park and go everywhere.

All the city worker companies.

It might not be all the employees, but they participate on it too with social media in their devices.

I see it all the time.

So whoever got these contracts, and where they are, you all gotta be held accountable because at the end of the day, I call this Rico.

Organized crime.

You all executed this and carried it out to the fullest.

Because none of this should have ever took place in this city.

It's not acceptable.

Thank you.

We have a great day.

Thank you.

We have Miss Ashley Anderson next.

Two minutes.

Hello.

Uh my name's Ashley Anderson.

Uh, I am here with Detroit Community Action Committee, and we are fighting to try and make Detroit a sanctuary city.

So I'd like to just talk a little bit about uh what that means and some of the arguments that we see against it.

So uh there are cities, counties, and states around the country that have policies that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield immigrants from ice.

This means no local resources going towards funding or aiding federal agencies.

Our tax dollars stay in our city, refusing to or prohibiting agencies from complying with ice detainers, denying ICE access to detained immigrants, impeding communication or information exchanges between city personnel and federal immigration officers.

This weekends ICE must rely more on independent operations and face missed apprehensions due to lack of local coordination.

Now, having a sanctuary city legislation empowers our community and strengthens community resistance against ice, which deeply weakens them.

When we stand together and fight back ice goes running in sanctuary cities like LA or Minneanapolis, rapid response teams have surrounded ICE vehicles and forcefully removed them out of immigrant neighborhoods, leading to unsuccessful raids and deportation.

Sanctuary city policies create protections for black Chicago and brown Detroiters against state surveillance and violence.

Just last summer in 2025, DPD pepper sprayed and arrested community members protesting an ICE raid.

When DPD shows up as security detail for ice, it is collaborating with ICE.

Working and assisting ICE empowers racist, violent local law enforcement to exercise unchecked force on all Detroiters.

Now they're uh what if the argument isn't ready?

Is one of the main arguments we get.

The community is ready to fight back and is already organizing in Detroit.

What the community is in need of is protections that empower them to resist and a local government that will support them when they do.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We got Joe Pico.

Two minutes.

Hi there.

Um, I'm Joe.

I'm the education chair of the Detroit Anti-War Committee.

Previously, I've come here to talk about Shot Splater um and why we should cancel that contract that we have with Shot Splater.

Um, and I'm here again to talk about that, but more broadly, I want to talk about how we can keep our community safer.

And I think that can happen both through canceling our contract with ShotSpotter and also through supporting a sanctuary city, which the Detroit Community Action Committee is here to talk about.

Um, in particular, ShotSpotter creates the illusion of safety, um, just like our status as a welcoming city creates this false idea that we're safer from Trump's attacks on immigrants, and that we'll you know safeguard ourselves from you know him targeting Detroit.

ShotSpotter does very little to actually um help the city in solving homicides or in preventing gun violence.

At the same time, it is used to surveil black and brown neighborhoods.

Many of them are the very same neighborhoods that are being impacted by ICE and its detainments.

That's also why I came here today to support DCAC and their call for a sanctuary city.

In the same breath, I support a sanctuary city because further protections would enable groups like the Detroit Community Action Committee or even People's Assembly, and even just average citizens, but they would have the power and the courage to resist ICE, not just document and report back on their activities.

Thank you.

All right, thank you very much.

Uh Cassandra Rodriguez, floor is yours to win us.

Hi, I'm Cassandra with Detroit Community Action Committee.

Um we're here fighting for a sanctuary city and have presented an ordinance to this body.

And um, sanctuary city, it's a very sensationalized term now, but in general, what we just want is protections for immigrants from ice and protections for Detroit residents from ICE, because this is no longer an issue that just affects immigrants.

This is an issue that affects all of us now.

All of our tax dollars go towards funding their operations, and they could be going straight into our communities.

And the more that we let them do in our city, the more resources they'll end up demanding from us.

They'll end up wanting more detention centers, more officers, more resources going towards them, and that's more of our money that's being taken out of our city, going towards operations that nobody wants.

When we talk to community members, nobody will tell you that they want their other neighbors to get deported.

Nobody typically talks about that.

Most people just want to know that their basic needs are covered, and that's something that we can do in this city by allotting resources to better things rather than helping ICE with their operations.

DCAC has been fighting for protections for over a year now.

And we've specifically said that we will speak with anybody on this body to get some of those protections done, however way possible.

And every time we come here, we get told that we should actually be focusing on mutual aid.

I want to define mutual aid for this body.

Mutual aid is when people ourselves, we create infrastructure that our government is not creating for us.

So when we come here and we ask for protections, and you guys tell us that we should be focusing on mutual aid, you're telling us to fend for ourselves.

You're telling us that coming here and talking to you guys is useless.

And if that's the case, if you genuinely feel like you have no power to protect your citizens sitting on this body, I think you guys should quit.

I think you guys should quit and join a community organization just like us and help us fight for resources through uh other means, if that's the case.

But I don't think that's the case.

I think this body does have power.

Thank you, so thank you so much.

All right, next we are Daniel Weber Tour Salatory.

Sorry.

You're all right, sir.

Hello, City Council.

My name is Daniel.

I'm an EMT of the city where I am a resident and proud member of Detroit Community Action Committee, and I come here once again to fight for a sanctuary city.

There's not a day that goes by that we don't see Trump and his ICE mercenaries commit another crime against the people of this country.

Ice thugs have been raiding our schools, kidnapping our neighbors, and according to a lawyer in the NLG, posing as DTE to raid shelters.

City Council, this is what your in-action stands for.

Now I've been coming to these meetings for quite some time now, and I've been seeing the same apathy time and time again.

I have been seeing my elected officials sit down and do nothing, with the exception of maybe an Instagram post.

While my community is under attack.

We here at DCAC have been helping supply families and hiding from these monsters while our city council hides from responsibility.

Our actions have been a testament to your incompetence.

We have been forced to fight for our residents because you don't.

You fight tooth and nail to portray this as a nuanced subject.

I see no nuance.

I see children being abducted from classrooms, family members torn out of their homes, executions of those trying to hold ICE accountable.

And I see you, City Council, watching it all happen.

We would all like to imagine we fight injustice wherever it appears, and we ask ourselves how some people ignored some of the world's greatest atrocities in the past.

And to that, I point towards Detroit City Council for an example.

This apathy is where it starts.

I come here time and time again in hopes that our demands will make you do better.

Yet repeatedly, I and this city are let down.

Some of you, just one of you actually claim to try and collaborate with us, but it is always clear that the question becomes how can I make a sanctuary city support my campaign instead of how can I support my city?

Even now they are absent, leaving the people of this city.

So I'd like to remind you, City Council, that it is you who works for us, not vice versa.

Reverend Jackson started this session with a statement.

All right, thank you so much.

We appreciate you, sir.

All right, Daniel Baker.

Daniel Baker.

She left.

All right.

Move on, move on to Miss Betty Lyons.

Two minutes, ma'am.

I give praise to those beautiful children.

That's our future.

They must know their history.

Africa.

Egypt.

We are great people.

The chess, we can do anything.

So keep going, young people.

Don't let anybody turn you the wrong way.

Now, this thing about uh what is this?

My time is going.

Well, I'm still gonna uh ask for that over 600 million dollars that was stolen, property tax, hidden by liar Mike uh Dugan, and enriched enriched Dan Gilbert, the Leland tenants, what Conrad Mallet did for them.

You talk about a sanctuary city, go take that out to Bloomfield Hills, Gross Point, and Birmingham.

Leave Detroit alone, they can't even give us money that was stolen for us, and blacks have been treated as slaves, they came over here in chains, so don't cry about what you're going through.

It's nothing.

Uh Conrad Mallet, he's uh a disgrace to being a lawyer, just a plain disgrace for what he did for those Leland people.

They ought to chunk him out of Detroit and put him somewhere else because he's not doing his job, and the other lawyers are following his example.

We were um, let's see, knowledge is power.

This is for the children, knowledge is power.

Don't let anybody tell you anything wrong.

You go look up what they're telling you to make sure that it's right.

Thank you.

Right, brother Cunningham, two minutes.

313, 4449114, 313, 444, 9114.

313, 4449114.

That number was made, so you can remember it.

And I give out that number, uh, people link up with me and um invite me to talk about uh D dot or talk about uh what I do in a community, uh bus tickets and advocating, and um people are supportive, they're gonna be supportive messages, they ask for prayer, so it is beneficial, at least to me, and I'm thankful that um people do care out here.

Um there is a lot of homelessness, a lot of illness.

Um I do with outreach.

Um I can only give out a certain amount of bus tickets per day, and folks catch an attitude, and I have to make them stretch for the whole month.

Um, I spend the lease from donations, about 300 maybe.

Um, and I would be wrong to take those donations and do something else with them, but with those donations, I pay it forward, and that's where I get my blessings.

But uh just recently, a young lady was leaning on my car, she was intoxicated, she was very upset.

I had to roll my window up.

Um, just I did the the end of the confrontation because I didn't have any more bus tickets to give her.

Um, sometimes you feel like you want to give up.

Um, but you know, I was homeless for 10 years, had COVID, pneumonia, milestrokes.

Uh, God is good.

Uh, and that's what makes me care about others.

So many people are silver-spooned or have lived a very, very sheltered life.

Um, and they haven't experienced the things that I've been through, and I always try to pay it for it.

And if you've helped me in any way, under the sound of my voice, I want to say thank you, and don't stop.

Okay, we're here and go-le.

I get that right.

Okay, excellent.

Two minutes.

I debated even uh speaking today because, like other detradiers, I get tired of asking city council for help and getting no response.

Uh, however, council members Miller and Callaway, Benson and McCampbell's offices cared enough to reach out to me in the past few weeks.

So here I am again.

Today I'm asking City Council President Pro Temp Young to please refer me and other capable property professionals to work with your internal operations committee so that we can address and resolve ongoing complaints about the executive branch use of Detroit funds and staff to implement anti-charter and anti-community land development and rebuilding policies, procedures, and practices.

One such complaint is the city's attempt to sell a portion of the Butzel Family Rec Center land to a private developer to build a 51,000 square foot commercial retail and apartment complex on public land.

The community asked very early on for the city to keep their land for their public use and to find another site for this project.

City attorneys have said no and have implied that the community reps are liars whenever they express concerns about their pending loss of land, services, safety, security, and health.

Other complaints include installing our manufacturing facilities in residential neighborhoods, tolerating resident and tenant injustices and displacements, vandalizing and demolishing historic buildings and critical stormwater retention systems, incorrectly and unfairly billing property taxes, inhibiting responsible buyright property growth and innovation, following outdated property violations, procedures, failing to provide essential building utilities and polluting Detroit's water, air, and soil.

These complaints reflect and are traceable to business operation mistakes made by the bankruptcy attorneys that have never been fixed.

Unfortunately, OIG has declined to examine this, stating that the complaints are not reflective of government waste fraud, corruption, or abuse of power, nor is it their job to examine allegations of charter violations or out of line staff attorneys.

This leaves only city council to demand accountability and change from the executive branch on our behalf.

So I'm asking you again for a referral to the internal operations committee to please look into these matters further.

Please let me know how to get this.

Thank you, man.

We appreciate you.

Can I get in touch with anybody in a few?

Make sure we'll make sure that you reach out to my person right here.

We'll have somebody reach out to you.

We get back to it.

Yes, thank you so much.

All right, Mr.

Fidel L.

Two minutes, sir.

Mary Waters, what's going on?

You didn't ran this game for four years as city council.

Now you're trying to get out of here to go to Congress.

You say you say that you were born in Alabama and you was a cotton picker.

But when you got here on city council, you signed off on majority of these contracts to go to white business and white contractors.

So you should have stayed in Alabama picking cotton.

Last but not least, the DOJ is here, y'all.

Y'all want to offer me a deal, or I'm gonna give y'all a deal.

Won't y'all step down and resign now?

Because we got people in all y'all districts that say that they didn't vote for y'all.

We got the voters list.

So don't be arrogant because your arrogance is gonna turn into ignorance.

Ask Kwame Kirkpatrick.

They asked him to step down unless he come them charges.

So I'm gonna say this again.

DOJ is here.

What if they asked me to testify?

And we got people in all y'all districts.

So keep on with y'all ignorance, which is ignorance.

You understand me?

You can look at me all you want, Joel Loving.

You know what I'm talking about?

I know you was born, Joe Loving, and changed your name because you know why?

People, black people so dumb, they they address Coleman and Young, and you think they'll vote for you.

You know what I'm talking about?

So dig this here.

I want to know what y'all gonna do about this dirty dirt.

Don't just put your head down.

What y'all gonna do about this dirty dirt?

Y'all don't care about these black poor people that's sitting here now.

Y'all would have made the illusion that we doing good and gave off all these work.

What y'all gonna do about this dirty dirt due to the lack of time to the residents of Detroit, state of Michigan, and all over the United States and all over the world.

Welcome to the most corrupt ignorance, low life, devilish, cheated in council.

But they say they college educated, Hampton, University of Michigan, wherever you went to, Christians and number one, y'all Democrats.

Thank y'all.

Thank you very much.

You want to say something?

Yeah, I you know, I normally don't respond to this, but I am so happy.

And and to share the fact that you know, I have very strong roots, very strong work ethic.

I get things done.

And so you should know that you should always remember.

No, we're not gonna have no back and forth.

We're not for the happy back and forth.

No, no, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no, no, and no.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hold on, hold on, brother.

No, sir.

No, no, no.

No.

Well, all right, then Josh Man, two minutes.

Floor is yours, sir.

Good morning, everybody.

So last week, uh, we got DC Hayes up on the teleprompter talking about the drifting pit that I had done, and he said he withdrew from the partnership because of the results.

Bettison spoke at a city meeting that we had.

My first drifting pit that I did was a 71% reduction citywide of all car problems.

The second one I did was a 91 or 93 percent.

So after he got off the teleprompter, I went to the elevator and I called DC Hayes and I said, Why did you just say that that you didn't get the results?

So you pulled out.

He said, Because some people still did burnouts at the intersections, but a 91% reduction isn't considered successful.

If we legalize marijuana, and they're still a trap house selling weed, then we should change the laws back.

If we still have crime in the city, but we have a police force, we should get rid of the police.

Nothing's gonna be completely effective, but the results were there that we had a reduction that large of keeping kids safe, lives out of danger, our streets safe, our community at peace simply by providing a safe sanctioned spot for people to pursue motorsport activities.

The next problem we're gonna have is gonna be the mini bike and dirt bike takeovers, these four-wheeler kids.

These kids are unbelievably talented, showing off going through the city streets, dancing on these motorcycles.

We have so much talent in the city, but we don't have a platform for them to display it.

So we should designate an area.

I suggest in Benson's district over by City Airport, we could revitalize that area, turn it into the motor sports area of our city to keep our youth safe, our streets safe, and display the talent that we have here.

You know, skate parks was the first step of it, and now we see we have so many talented skaters in the city.

But where why are we criminalizing the rest of these kids for mini bikes, for dirt bikes, for right?

Thank you, sir.

We appreciate that.

All right, next, Mr.

Ruben James Crowley Jr.

Two minutes.

Hey, uh Scott Vincent.

Yesterday, you got to see firsthand at the holy bowling.

This is how I am over in District 3.

That's my neighborhood.

My stomach grounds have been over there for 40 years.

And 29,000 that got stripped off that house to replacement cost.

You ain't done nothing to try to get it back.

Comrade mallet is on some BS.

Joe now, Mary Roders.

You know, you invited me out to over there for that meeting over there, and you know, Chris Illitz knows me, his dad knew me.

I'm stand up 100.

Now, Angela Whitfield Callaway, you busted cheating in elections.

Janice Winfrey was she cheated in you in, and then you then disrespected me.

And you're copper.

Now you got both your fingers on side of your face.

I don't know what you're trying to game you're playing, but you got the right one because I'm cold with it, one of the coldest in the city of Detroit, and ain't an in-word in Detroit.

I can say I'm lying.

Yeah, Dodo was my dude, do and I knew Seal and Butch.

Yeah.

I'm young bluff from the Brewster Projects in 1980.

And I'm also real from that back seat of that black limousine.

Nickname given to me by Detroit Matter.

Wow, we were in the back doing some things.

Now I'm a district resident over in District 2.

That's my stopping ground.

Thank you.

We appreciate you.

My stopping ground is your time is please sit down.

Look.

No.

No, no, no.

Please sit down.

Also you gotta come back.

Look, appreciate we love a seat.

All right.

We got an ex in the queue here.

We got Mr.

Hold off a minute.

Hold on.

Sit down.

He's all right.

Sit down.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey, hey, hey.

Hey.

All right.

Smith, two minutes.

Good morning, neighbor.

Uh President Pro Tem.

I was going to say I'm very disappointed by my reaching out to your office.

I just talked to your chief of staff.

Uh Ms.

Cole, I tried to pull her out for a second to talk about this meeting with the Detroit Amtrakment Coalition that is not uh came to fruition.

Mr.

Benson, uh, it was nice to see you a holyball.

I don't know if you know, but the manager of Holy Bowl signed my letter from the Detroit Hand Tram Coalition right in front of your face in Second Ebenezer Church at the uh Joe Lewis Greenway meeting right in front of you.

I don't know what kind of business you have going on with him, but he signed in front of your face.

I want to say Avanash Roshmail, he made 74,898,665 uh dollars and 26 cents to be exact in the year 2025 through City Detroit contracts to eight contracts.

74 million dollars, almost 75 million dollars to eight contracts that you guys genuinely seems a rubber stamp.

There was one contract that was 19 million dollars, another third, another 13 million dollar contract.

Uh very disappointing to see some of that.

Also, I want to say uh agenda item 23.2 is a down zoning of a concrete mixture over at Greenfield and um it's a neighborhood, actually, but Greenfield and 96.

So if you can do it in Greenfield 96 over there across in the O'Shea Solar Farm, you can do it in District 3 at 3405 Gay Lord Chronos Concrete.

Also, Crown Enterprises has an agreement with the C B Trait from 2019 uh between Crown Enterprises, the Maroon family or billionaires that pay a lot of you all, and uh the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority that gives them a property exchange agreement specifically that says anything west of 3405 Gay Lord is to be transferred over to them, like 1728 Moran is under 23.10.

I want to give a shout out to Joanne Warwick.

I appreciate your research helped my research.

So I'm gonna make sure I get that agreement.

And uh, Mr.

Benson, I love to see you initiate some down zoning or anybody else on the council who's able to do it, initiate some down zoning for Detroit Ham Tramming Coalition and uh Clean Air.

Also, uh Councilmember Ms.

Johnson.

Uh, I want to say I appreciate your your thoughtfulness of clean air, but we love to see some inaction of it um because there's not a lot of clean air in district three around that plant.

But if you're working towards that, we appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Let's start Mr.

Marshall Simmons.

Simons.

Go ahead.

I good morning, city council.

My name is Marshall Adam Simons.

I'm the co-founder of Motor City Petty Cab.

I request this time today, not to ask for anything, but to say thank you.

This city has given me the incredible opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.

Hold on, hold on.

You lean into the microphone so we can keep hearing you.

Go ahead.

Detroit has allowed me to grow a small business from the ground up, one that lets me earn a living while staying completely true to my personal ethos.

Three years ago while traveling, I met my wife.

We spent a long time navigating a complex immigration process, holding on to a hope of building our life in the city together.

When the day came and she arrived, she told me that Detroit was the most beautiful city she'd ever seen.

We love this city, operating our bicycle taxis, puts us right at a street level, connecting with residents and visitors every single day.

We get to see firsthand the beauty, the resilience, and the energy that my wife's on her first day here.

We're deeply invested in Detroit streets and its future.

So I wanted to use my time today to express my genuine gratitude to the city to this council and to everyone working hard behind the scenes to keep Detroit moving forward.

Thank you for making this a place where a small business can thrive, where new residents can find a beautiful home.

Thank you for your time and everything you do.

Thank you, appreciate it.

And do me a favor, submit what you just read to my office so we can that's my personal right there, uh, Miss Abbertini, so we can read what you're saying, address that.

Okay, I really appreciate that.

Okay, hold on for a minute.

Um chair recognizes.

Um, to the to the young couple here.

We never get um an appreciation or thank you.

So thank you so much for appreciating the city of Detroit and this council and our leadership.

We appreciate you for choosing to open up a small business in our city, and thank you for your gratitude.

We appreciate you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Remember Callaway.

Hi.

Oh, sorry, hold on.

Ms.

Ira Black.

Go ahead.

I'm sorry.

Go ahead, Ms.

Black.

Yeah, sure.

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the great work that the city council does do.

Uh, it's always going to do positive instead of negative, but I appreciate it.

And uh, let's get back to my little speech.

Uh, my name is Myra Black, and I'm a founder of Workforce Staffing Solutions.

I'm here today to present a solution that aligns with the city's mission to rebuild Detroit from within.

We are a local staffing agency dedicated to a specific mission, empowering Detroit residents and returning citizens.

We believe that those returning to our neighborhoods are one of our greatest untapped resources by providing them with flexible with livable wages starting at $22 an hour.

Uh, we aren't just filling jobs, we're stabilizing families to ensure our talent is top tier and job ready.

We have probably partnered with Detroit at work.

This partnership allows us to streamline the pipeline between city funded projects and a vetted local workforce that is ready to hit the ground running.

As you review upcoming contracts, I urge you to look to agencies like ours that prioritize executive order 2014-4 uh compliance.

We make it easy for contractors to meet their 51% Detroit resident hiring goals with workers who are uh motivated and supported.

Detroit tax dollars should employ Detroit hands.

We are registered, we are ready, and we look forward to working with the OCP to keep our city moving forward.

Thank you so much.

And I have to shout out Ava Torres at District 6.

She's guiding me.

But now I'm gonna be uh with pleasure of meeting council member Callaway for district two because we made sure our agency was right in the heart of Detroit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

That is it for our in person.

Now we will go virtual.

We have 12 people.

Who do we have first in the queue?

Savannah.

Good morning, um, council president pro Tem Young.

Our first person is Mrs.

Mayberry.

Mrs.

Mayberry.

Floor is yours.

Go ahead, Ms.

Mayberry.

Two minutes, Ms.

Mayberry.

Ms.

Mayberry.

Ms.

Mayberry going once.

Ms.

Mayberry going.

Hello.

Hello, can you hear me?

Go ahead, Miss Mayberry.

Yes.

I would like to know about the reparations meetings.

When will we get some kind of uh answers from the reparations meeting?

We have submitted, made our submission to the city of Detroit in October.

And we would like to know when we'll be uh getting some kind of answers or whatever else that we might need for that committee to go forward with the reparations that the city of Detroit has told us that they would be honoring the reparations for the people who were displaced from the Paradise Valley and the Black Bottom.

Also, I would like to know about the uh the artist or the person who placed that Martin Luther King statue that is in Hart Plaza.

I still think that and others think that it is in the wrong place or not in the wrong place.

It's just directed into Canada.

And Martin Luther King was our national hero here in the United States.

And um I just want everyone to have a great day.

And thank you.

Thank you.

We appreciate you, Ms.

Mayberry.

Who do we have next in the queue?

Savannah.

Our next caller is William M.

Davis.

All right, Ms.

Davis, the floor is yours.

Two minutes, Mr.

Davis.

Uh good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes, sir.

Two minutes.

Okay.

I'd like to say that for the past two weekends I went to events down at Huntington Place.

And overall, there was outstanding uh weekends.

But I find troubling is the fact that we, the citizens of Detroit, helped build that.

But yet, like I say, the parking is very expensive.

I think the city of Detroit should be exploring ways how we could get a portion of that parking.

Because I know one day it's 25, next day it's 30, the next event is 25.

You know, we have too many authorities in the city of Detroit.

Too many things that we built.

I'm talking about the taxpayers, the residents of the city of Detroit.

But we seem to be continuously ripped out.

Like we're still in colonial days.

We have to pay tribute to.

You know, so I think all these authorities, the ones that we can get rid of, we should be getting rid of.

We can negotiate.

We may not get rid of some of these deals, but we should be at least getting a better piece or at least a piece of the pie.

Far too often, we don't even get crumbs.

You know, uh Great Lake Swat Authority.

They should be paying us a whole lot more than what they are.

We should be getting paid for the state utilizing bail out.

You know, the city of Detroit could have done that and be getting that profit.

You know, there's a whole lot of things that we should be looking at more aggressively.

Just like right now, the city of Detroit should make sure that any emergency any emergency management orders that was issued up under Kevin Orr should be rescinded.

You know, there's a whole lot more we should be doing.

We should be pushing the state to do away with the emergency management law that has detrimented black people throughout the state of Michigan, especially Detroiters, and especially City Detroit retirees.

So I'm looking forward to the city council stepping up and doing more.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Who do you have next in the queue?

Our next caller is owner Papa.

All right, two minutes, floor is yours.

Good morning, and through the chairman, I be heard.

Yes, two minutes.

Thank you.

Uh let me congratulate the uh uh recipients of the awards today.

Uh, this is truly um exemplifies the spirit of Detroit.

Um, the young man who um truly understands loving thy neighbor and the young people who, in spite of what's going on in the city of Detroit, they still rise.

Um, congratulations to all of them and the pastor Johnson, whose words were very encouraging and inspiring today, should hopefully encourage and inspire this council to do better.

There are multiple things um that you have on your agenda.

None of them address the issue that I witnessed myself in District 7 when I had to fear off of Joy Road.

I saw a hole in the ground with orange tape around it, basically, mesh, maybe.

So if you have time to go out and do that, why don't you have time and money to clean up this mess that you're making for our children?

You say you love them, but you wouldn't but but you encourage contractors to do business in a way in which is not best for the citizens in the city by not regulating what they do.

I don't know how one person can create all of this havoc around the city.

When the city council was approving the contracts, and you have a department that's supposed to have people who go out and and test this soil.

This is a huge issue for me.

And if you don't address it, I'm going to call to Washington and I'm going to address this for you because you have you receive federal dollars for cleaning up soil.

I'm not going to allow you to continue to have our young people living around this type of squalor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We have next.

Our next caller is caller ending in one six nine.

All right, one six nine.

Hello, can you guys hear me?

Yes, sir.

Two minutes.

Great.

I just want to say thank you for praying for Brother Cunningham.

Um, Cunningham has been the underdog.

Cunningham is the underdog.

Get your foot off the underdog's neck.

If you don't, you are considered a bully, a gang bully, a bully gang.

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.

Thank you for my time.

All right, thank you.

Appreciate that.

Who do you have next to the queue?

Our next call.

Oh, no worries.

Our next caller is please support the pollinators.

All right, floor is yours, two minutes.

Good morning, may I be heard?

Yes, you may two minutes.

Yes.

Well, supposedly y'all care about the environment so much that you're using eminent domain.

Miss Mrs.

Mayberry, they're using eminent domain to take people's private property in residential neighborhoods for the solar farms for DTE, and they are basing the takings on the in-race slum clearance of Black Bottom.

That's what all but uh two members of the last council voted for it.

I the two newer members will not support such a thing.

Um, also the contract you have for Fink Brasard, like eight million dollars.

I know that some of that money is defending the city and the land bank for taking people's property illegally through the nuisance abatement program, and all of the corporation council since Melvin Holloway have not been doing their job.

I suggest you all have an attorney on your staff and read some of these documents.

How about have all your staff start by reading the charter?

Uh Corporation Council is perversely interpreting the charter.

He's a disgrace, and you are not allowed under the second amended and restated intergovernmental agreement about the land bank to allow nuisance abatement takings because that agreement specifically prohibits eminent domain and condemnation.

But when you have the land bank taking people's property, not paying them just compensation, saying not taking care of their own the property they have titled to.

Uh, and and then saying, oh, you know, oh blight, black, blight, black, blight, and they don't pay them that are your buildings not suitable for habitability, and they let all these people get away with not even having vacant building certificates.

That's condemnation, folks.

And you why you won't listen to member waters is beyond me.

So where's your integrity from the woman who knows?

All right, thank you.

Who do you have next in the queue, Miss Savannah?

Our next caller is Frank Hammer, number one.

All right, floor is yours.

Go ahead.

Two minutes.

Good morning.

Can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Two minutes.

Yes.

I have three items.

Demilarizing our militarizing our police department, making it possible for community-based policy.

I hope these are the same as city council's direction.

Two examples that don't serve Detroiters.

Shot spotter is not a crime preventer.

Numerous studies have proved it.

Rather, it attracts police to low-income areas, predisposing, profiling youth and people of color.

Gun buybacks would do more.

Two drones currently respond to 911 calls, but open the door like ShotSpotter to increase surveillance, risking our privacy and First Amendment rights.

Two prepare for Trump's militarizing Detroit's elections and rewriting of our laws.

The things said by the Detroit Community Action Committee and the People's Assembly.

We need to keep Detroit's police separate from IC, not acting or abetting or cooperating with unconstitutional rewrites of First Amendment laws.

Immigration policy has been rewritten by the current administration along Project 2025 lines.

So many of the protections and guidelines have been erased.

And we are operating under their rewritten laws.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We appreciate that.

Who you have next in the queue, Savannah?

Our next caller is caller ending and five three four.

All right, five, three, four.

The floor is yours, two minutes.

Going once.

Five, three, four, going twice.

Thank you.

It'd be nice to get a response.

All right, thank you.

We are next in the queue.

Our next caller is Betty A.

Varner.

All right, Ms.

Verner.

Floor is yours, two minutes.

Good morning to all.

Within the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Barner, president of DeSoda Elsewhere Black Association.

Going to share some information in regards to if there's someone within the sound of my voice that needs free eye screening, eye exams, or free dental care.

They can call 313 8940.

Again, 313, 894, 2240, or the Melda Medical and Dental Clinic.

Again, the Melda Medical Dental Clinic.

It is located at 10301, Woodward Avenue.

10301, Woodward Avenue.

That's in Detroit.

I was told it's near the Clare Mount area.

This is not a walk-in clinic.

You must uh have an appointment.

And they offer the dental care within the hours of 8 30 and 2 on Wednesdays through Fridays.

Again, Wednesdays through Fridays, 8 30 a.m.

to 2.

And you will call to find out what days and hours they will be doing the eye exams and eye visions.

If you do not need this services, please share.

So again, the telephone number is 313 894-2240.

Thank you for this time.

Still advocating for my Finkle Corridor.

God bless you all.

Thank you.

We appreciate that.

Who do you have next in the queue?

Our next caller is Frank Hammer 2.

I would like to note that some callers hopped off.

And as well as some callers raised their hands after the cutoff.

Okay.

Good morning.

Good morning, President Pro Tem Young and City Council.

I want to express a shout-out to all who spoke in favor of Detroit Sanctuary City.

Last week, council passed unanimously a resolution that may have been unique in the country.

A resolution celebrating the power of working people in Detroit for Friday, May 1st, May Day.

In the name of the Metro F of L CIO, I want to thank Council members McCampbell, Young, Johnson, and Romero for sponsoring the resolution.

Detroit's labor movement will be in the streets at 4 p.m.

Friday, May 1st at Roseville Park at the old train station off Michigan Avenue.

We hope the city council will be in attendance for a press conference and to join with Detroit's working class face with relentless exploitation and attacks on our union and immigrant rights by the Trump regime.

The rally will be followed by a march down Michigan Avenue to the ICE office and the federal building.

And for the upcoming midterm elections, we must mobilize in our city as never before to defend the integrity of our elections.

May Day is a good start.

If we don't do it, who will?

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

We appreciate that.

Who do we have next in the queue, Savannah?

Our next caller is Darren McLeske.

Mr.

McLuffy, floor is yours.

Two minutes.

Good morning, counsel.

Um, I'd like to echo what the pastor this morning said.

The decisions in this room they spill out into the neighborhoods.

They they really do, they affect people.

Um, and I'd urge you guys to think about what the next generation and even the generation after that will look back and think regarding the decisions that are being made.

Um wanna cover a couple different things regarding the land bank and nuisance abatement.

It's getting pretty ridiculous.

Uh, I have multiple properties listed by owners who are trying to convey property subject to a renovation agreement, and people are pulling out of buying these homes because they cannot get a response.

They're waiting multiple weeks and cannot get a simple email response.

Uh a house on Euclid, and the agent, Gus Andreason, worked at the land bank and even has inside connections and cannot get a response to convey a property to someone who wants to fix it up desperately.

It's ridiculous.

Um, the money being spent on think law firm.

Just think about the equity theft that's happening taking people's properties.

So what they're blighted.

You can't get them for a dollar, sit on them and then resell them.

That's wrong.

It's been deemed wrong by the Supreme Court for tax auctions.

Same thing with News and Abatement.

Um, Greenfield Park, bulldozers are spreading the soil around, prepping for the solar panel farms that don't even have the the use restrictions yet.

And I'm hoping you guys are mitigating the dust or at least have tested the soil.

Um, by the way, why do you guys need to take so much land?

DTE shut down a coal power plant just across the Rouge River and in River Rouge.

That's a hundred and seven acres.

You could have put a bunch of solar there and partnered with DTE instead of colluding with them to take private property to put solar up for them.

Everyone go to Detroit Solar Scam.com and become informed.

All right, thank you.

Appreciate that.

Who we have next in the queue, Savannah?

Our next caller is Marguerite Maddox and Scarlet.

All right, Miss Marguerite Maddox and Scarlet.

The floor is yours, two minutes.

Good morning.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

We're double HTP dinner.

Evening.

Um it right, right?

I'm the corner of the big chance.

We need you.

We need you to wait.

Leslie, Leslie.

I will not stand in the corner.

But standing under stag at that same place.

And these are a stand and man.

Five years.

Because one of those vehicles.

That you do should be.

That is game fish.

You might be one getting hurt.

And becoming the shaver.

So what can we do?

And I love I love my shitty.

But we need to think about the shakey at every month.

Hey.

And another thing is that we need to do it.

How about technical must be?

Let's go.

Garnett lick me.

Please.

Can't cat me.

Or female me.

I don't fear this one.

Please.

Make you a look my house gay.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Ms.

Badass.

We appreciate that.

We appreciate you.

Who do we have next?

In the queue, Savannah?

Our next caller is Renard Munchunski.

All right, Mr.

Munchunski, the floor is yours.

Two minutes, sir.

Mr.

Munchunski.

Going once.

Mr.

Munchansky going twice.

Mr.

Munsonski going three times.

Mr.

Munchansky going three times in a third.

All right.

Thank you, Miss Moshansky.

Um, submit your questions in writing.

Who do we have next in the queue?

Savannah.

Our next caller and final caller is Mr.

Foster.

All right, Mr.

Foster.

Floor is yours.

Two minutes, sir.

Oh, good afternoon.

First, I wanted to just say I appreciate the invocation.

I think the pastor was right on point there.

Spoke a little bit about leadership, accountability, and grace.

All of those things are important amongst a lot of other things that you spoke of.

So I'm very happy for that.

I want to speak about a quote from Martin Luther King.

He spoke about being judged by the content of your character.

And so the content of care characters represented by society where people are judged by the internal values, integrity, actions, and moral fiber rather than external characteristics.

No, secondly, I want to just talk about uh we had a 19% voter turnout.

We have 34% poverty in this city, and the city is a non-partisan city.

There's a great need for debates here before a month away from elections.

These people have to get in front of the people and make their promises and tell people where they stand at.

Right.

And so I'm gonna continue going through life, and I thank God for everything, right?

I don't worry too much about your ordinances or laws.

I keep the 10 commandments and I keep the spirit.

Right.

And those things are the things that's gonna keep me going.

But if you guys are open to something in which I can say thank you for, then I'm open to receiving.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you.

All right.

Savannah, anybody else?

Council President Pro Tem Young, that was our final caller.

All right, thank you so much.

We appreciate that.

And um, Madam Clerk, I have one more thing.

I think I was supposed to say I said it earlier, it says understanding committee reports for the public health and safety standing committee from the office of contracting and procurement.

Mr.

President, you mean from earlier, we did already move the um referrals.

The only thing you did not do um at the beginning is to approval of the journal of last session for last week.

Okay, do I need to make a motion to approve the journal?

Or no?

Okay, chair motion to approve the journal.

Yeah, I get a motion.

Motion motion made.

Are there any objections?

The journal will be approved.

We will now move to um line item 17.1, Office of Contracting and Procurements.

Um Councilmember McCampbell, three resolutions, line items 17.1 through 17.3, contract number 3091587, 100% bond funding to provide emergency residential demolition of 3736 LRE.

Contractor DMC Consultants Incorporated Total Contract Amount 15,900.

That's for construction and demolition.

Contract number 600785, 100% grant funding to provide demolition of commercial structures, group two five seven for the Joe Lewis Greenway project contract, a Damo Demolition Company, total contract amount six hundred fifty-three thousand four hundred.

That's for construction and demolition.

Contract number six zero zero seven five three five, one hundred percent city funding to purchase DPD special response team firearms contractor, Michigan Police Equipment Company, total contract amount 108,232 and 50 cents.

That is for police.

Councilmember McCampbell, three resolutions.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Motion to approve.

Motion has been made.

Are there any objections?

Okay, hearing done.

Line on 17.1 from 17.

Hearing no objections, the three resolutions will be approved.

We will now move on to new business portion of the agenda from the Office of Contracting and Procurement.

Council Member McCampbell, three resolutions.

Mr.

President, I would like to also point out that nine items 18.1 through 18.3 were postponed from last week's formal session.

Councilmember McCampbell, three resolutions.

Contract number 600737, 100% city funding to provide supplemental emergency ambulance coverage for city of Detroit.

Contractor, Hart EMS Medical Services, PLLC, total contract amount 1 million 56,540 and 42 cents.

That's for fire.

Contract number 600727, 100% city funding to provide supplemental emergency ambulance coverage for the city of Detroit.

Contractor American S of Michigan LLC.

Total contract amount 1 million 682, 445.60 cents.

That's for fire.

And contract number 600741, 100% city funding to provide supplemental emergency ambulance coverage for the city of Detroit.

Contractor Superior Air Ground Ambulance Service Incorporated.

Total contract amount 1 million 770,615, and that's for fire.

Council member McCampbell, three resolutions.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, so on these, I know there was quite a few questions, and there's even more information coming through, and I have additional questions.

I would um motion to send these uh contracts back to committee.

Did you want to uh make a motion to discuss there's some there's a thing I want to discuss?

We can do motion made to discuss before I begin.

Is anybody else have any questions about this?

Did you have some questions, McCallow?

Did you want to speak to your question?

Because I know I have some people.

Mr.

Chair, do you want to have the discussion now?

Yeah, I've got to be I'll say be able pro.

We had a discussion now because there's some people here I want to bring up.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, um, I'm uncomfortable with these contracts.

We did look to see if other cities across the nation have these types of contracts on standby, multi-million.

Um, I think we even looked at Troy.

They have a volunteer um fire department, I do believe.

So if they need extra help, they will hire these services.

And I'm also concerned about the triple dipping.

We know that the city, we have our own ambulance department.

Then we have these multi-million dollar contracts on standby, which I don't believe we need.

Um, so I know I won't be supporting them at all.

And then we said here in the teeth's report that there were four bidders, um, but they don't say which four um want the contract.

They only say three one the um won the contract, and then you have superior air ground ambulance.

They came at not 39 points, and you have pyramid at 49 points, and they didn't get a contract.

So I have a lot of concerns about these contracts, and I cannot support them in their present form.

I can't support using city funding, putting these three companies on standby.

What I can support is us building our own ambulance and um hiding our own ambulance um drivers, our paramedics, our medics.

Why are we going out to WAMLists um having these contracts on hold?

I believe we need to build from within.

I I really do, sir.

So I know I cannot support these contracts.

So um I just have a lot of concerns and questions that have yet to be answered.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, for allowing me to no problem, Mr.

Washington.

Did you have to have some you want some OCP or somebody respond to that?

Mr.

Hillman, did you want to respond?

Uh first off, uh good morning or good afternoon.

Uh yes, through the chair.

Um, I understand the concerns of the council member.

Uh, we did do some research, and these these contracts are critical for the department for several different reasons, but this is pretty standard practice throughout the country to have supplemental ambulance coverage to uh help with our um peak times is what this does.

So um as in as far as the billing aspect, um, we did research that and found that the Detroit is um actually one of the lower ends of the uh aspect of billing for these services to two residents or and if there's any other questions, I'd love to take them on and uh help try to clear up some things here.

Miss Watkins, did you want to say anything?

Then Miss Eustal, then I'm gonna go back to uh Galloway because everybody got a chance to speak.

Good afternoon, council.

Yes, this is Jamila Watkins from OCP.

Of course, I would defer to CPO stall um for any answers, but I did want to speak to councilwoman Callaway's question regarding pyramid.

Pyramid is also going to be awarded a contract.

There's just a particular license they have to obtain first, but that's why you did not see them included in this first group.

So I just want you to know that through the chair.

Um, I don't think there's anything else for me to answer.

Like I said, I will defer to CPL stall.

Ms.

Eustal Morning through the chair.

Um, thank you.

Excuse me.

Yeah.

Thank you to city council.

Um for just uh seeking to um ensure that our taxpayer dollars uh go to best and highest use.

I do want to mention that um we have had contracts for supplemental standby service for the last two years that have greatly um uh assisted in improving the fire department's um EMS response times.

Uh they went back out to bid um and resulted in lower hourly rates uh through the new bid.

Um the fire department has also been very thoughtful about uh how to continue to improve um uh deployment of these services.

These contracts do also include an option for lease units um that would help uh uh the city explore different models to um be as efficient as possible.

Um I do see that uh uh Miss Maliel has her hand raised to speak to um more about what the fire department is seeking to do.

Okay, okay.

Ms.

O'Neil.

Good afternoon, uh council members.

Um just wanted to start off by saying I was great seeing all of you this morning, and thank you um for everything uh through the chair.

This is Alicia Mill, chief of staff to the Detroit Fire Department.

Um, I do want to just level set with everyone on this topic.

I think we are all I will say we're all in agreement.

We would love to have this in-house.

I I don't think there's a uh dispute on that.

I will say this ramp up to go out to buy apparatus so the ambulances um to have you know hire over a hundred staff to come in for staffing.

This is a two to three year ramp up.

Um, and that is what we've been working at at the fire department with um going dual role, training our folks in EMT, having our paramedic class, working with budget, working with you know the different departments to make sure that we are planning this out.

Uh, but unfortunately, where we're at right now with what we currently have as Detroit EMS and then the private ambulances for us to have the 40 ambulances out that we have a day.

We we need them um to to continue our service to the residents.

Um, because I do want to also lift if we do not renew this contract, we will have an average of 25 to 26 ambulances out there.

And what that means for residents is slower response times.

So I just want to make sure we're all understanding like where we're at at this very moment.

And of course, we're gonna go in the future.

I think we're all in agreement and we can all work together on how to get there, but that's just not where we are at this current moment.

So I just wanted to make sure I I level set it with you know our departments here, council members on where we're currently at.

All right, X.

Um, I know we have uh Mr.

Pig up here.

Did you want to say something real quick, sir?

Or anybody else that's with you they want to say something.

Please go to the market from the Detroit police and fire.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Jeff Pegg, Detroit Firefighters, local 344 vice president.

Um, this current administration has been now in um holding the budget for at least the last three years, and they have not phased out any private ambulances in the citizen of the city of Detroit.

We believe that we can provide the best service possible, and there's been no talk about phasing it out whatsoever.

So we think that putting this back into committee makes sense and maybe creating something that does actually provide a phase out of this program and hire more firefighters, EMTs and paramedics that take very high pride and priority in providing the best service to the city and the citizens of Detroit.

So we uh agree with putting this back to committee.

And there's not 40 ambuses on the road every day.

On average, I think the first commissioner stated that they are just there for a certain period of time, and there is never actually 40 full 24 hour ambulances in the city uh on a on a 24 hour basis.

So thank you.

Um we have someone else here.

Come on.

Good afternoon.

Um, I just want to cover what Jeff went over here.

Um Gerald Stewart, I'm the uh secretary of Detroit Firefighters Association.

Uh, I'm gonna leave you with this data on when these private ambulances are here in the city protecting the citizens uh versus us that are here for 24 hours a day.

Um ramp up.

We've been ramping up our services for years since the bankruptcy, our members have gone to school, they've gotten EMT training, they've gotten paramedic training.

Everybody's seen the news stories, right?

We have paramedics here trained in the city of Detroit.

We are the best providers for the citizens and the visitors here.

Uh this the service that these other companies provide is subpar, subpar service.

I I'm happy that this is going back and you're gonna talk about this further.

I'd like to leave this data with you when these please uh these private ambulances are in service so you can see it.

Uh thank you for your time.

Please sir.

Good afternoon.

Andrew Schwedler, Treasurer Detroit Firefighters Local 344.

For at least the last five years, every new employee that's been hired for the Detroit Fire Department starts with EMT training.

All of our new hires for the last five years have an EMT license that can function as an EMT to do this work.

Speak up a little bit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All of our new hires for the last five years have been hired.

Uh, and first thing they get is EMT training.

So they're all capable of doing this work.

We were told years ago that it was necessary to have this private ambulance contract for the summer to get us through the summer because of short staffing.

That's been years and it's been longer than the the two to three year uh phase out that we're talking about today.

So I I also support this going back to committee to create an actual phase out.

Thank you for your time, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

We appreciate it.

Now we will go back to uh member calloway.

Yeah, Mr.

Chair, it was never my um intent to say go back to committee.

I'm hoping we can vote it down.

If we took if we're telling our um our firefighters who serve our fire department here in the city of Detroit that they are the best, we tell them that we tell them to grow from within.

We give them the resources to do that, and then we turn around and slap them in the face by bringing outsiders into the city.

Then you have one company that moved from Southfield to Detroit, so they could be Detroit-based.

That's just that's just a shell game.

I support our firefighters.

I wish more would live in the city, but that's a whole nother conversation.

But I have full confidence in our fire department.

We don't need three ambulance companies on standby for anything.

If they if they see something, we don't have to have them on standby at our expense.

They'll just address it.

We don't have to have that.

Then they turn around, and our uh residents are sued, and then they're sent over to third-party debt collectors.

It's triple dipping.

We have our own responsible, credible, professional fire department.

And that's what we're paying them to do.

We do not have to have three, these three companies on standby at millions.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I I'm hoping it will not go back to committee.

I hope we can make a decision today to vote it down.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Well, no, thank you.

I appreciate this.

And it was it was my desire to be able to just bring this back because I think that we all should be here to be able to have this discussion.

I think this is something we should have a thorough discussion about with all the members here.

That's all I want to have.

So I wanted to have that discussion.

I wanted to have that discussion brought back.

So that would that was that that was my desire.

No, hold on, I see.

I'm about to nod you right now.

So I just want to say that would be that would be my discussion.

If the body wants to do something different, we can go from there.

But that was just what I want to do.

I want to bring this.

Hold on, hold on, let's finish and I'll acknowledge you, and then I gotta acknowledge member mill.

Okay, but I just but I just want to say that was that was my desire.

I wanted to make sure that everybody's here.

We all have the conversation, we all absorb it, we all discuss it, and then we come back here and we deliberate um accordingly and make the decision uh for that.

So that I'm gonna allow um member Callaway to speak, and then I'm gonna allow uh member uh Miller to talk, and then I'm gonna allow Member Waters.

Mr.

Mr.

Chair, I hope there's a vote on whether or not we decide as a body that it goes back to a committee, or we voted up or down today.

That would be a motion.

So when it's opportunity for me to make that motion, I motion that we vote it down today and not move it back to committee because we're still gonna have the same conversation when it goes back to committee as we're having today.

So this is the opportunity to flush it out and make a decision, sir.

Thank you.

No, I appreciate that.

I think they'll if I if Madam Clerk, I think if I if if I make the motion to be able to bring it back in the week, I think that would take priority over that motion.

Point of order or hold on, let me let the clerk answer and then I'm gonna get the point of order.

There's a motion on the floor.

Okay.

So do you want so do you want to entertain that motion now, or we want to or we won't wait till everybody discusses first and then I won't wait till everybody discuss first and then we'll entertain them up.

I just want to make sure I understand I'm doing it right.

All right.

So for wait, hold on.

I'm sorry, point of what uh member wait.

No, no, you're good.

Are you good?

Oh, you got a sketch.

Okay, I'll get you.

Uh member Miller, thank you.

Sorry about that, Mr.

Miller.

Go ahead, Mr.

Miller.

Thank you to the chair president.

Um, I sit here patiently waiting.

But first, I want to thank um Mr.

Peg and Mr.

Sweller for being in the audience today.

There's nothing like hearing the actual people have boots on the ground with a conversation that know where all these things are.

That is why I am in favor of bringing back the advisory council.

Uh, we cannot continue to rely on 150 million dollar budget to be um uh controlled by a few people when we need to have eyes and ears on this topic.

Just like the tree uh cutting, I made a big fuss about the tree trimming.

I kept saying that we need to bring in our own residents to provide tree training, even if it costs for training, and we still pushed a three-year contract.

When do we make a stance on phasing out?

So now we are before another three years, even at least maybe one year and produce uh the proper initiative to phase it out.

We cannot continue to keep saying we heard it, we know about it, but we're not doing anything about it because that makes us look like we're incompetent and our liars, that we're really not trying to provide jobs for our residents in Detroit.

My dad retired in the fire department as a captain, did 25 plus years, and I trust him with the knowledge.

Even a lot of the uh my uh public safety director retired from the fire department.

These are men that have served, they know what it looked like and what it should look like.

And I I trust them.

So I'm saying that I would vote it down because we have to make a stance that we will no longer continue to accept.

Um, our contracts being first of all, not providing uh jobs for Detroiters and or outside of the city of Detroit, let alone Michigan.

So every time a contract comes that is not lining up with what we believe jobs should look like in Detroit, we have to stand tall.

Enough is enough.

Three years is too long to get your act together.

We have to make a stance and say this is it.

And how else are we gonna proceed with this type of proper allocation for contracts if we don't start somewhere?

So here we are asking for another three years.

I did not support, I will support uh voting it down to meet on this evening be to be brought back.

They need to go and make it right and figure out a plan, just like it's uh tree training.

We gave them three years on the notion of they're gonna prepare to make jobs for Detroiters, and you don't take three years to do anything.

So I didn't like how that played out, and here we are again with a similar incidents where we're asking for more time.

So it's a no for me.

Thank you very much, Prof.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I'm I'm um mine is quick.

I'm ready to vote vote today.

I am thank you.

Vote to deny.

That's right.

Okay.

All right, thank you, Member Waters.

Okay.

Um, remember Campbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I um the reason why I motion to send this back to committee.

So I think there are two different items that have been brought back for that have been brought up for concern.

One is the in-house staffing, which I agree with.

Um, that you know, we talked about this with contractors for a while.

That I um I believe that we should be growing this in-house.

Um so we could send back to committee to get the uh actual phase out into these contracts, um, and to have a tailor ward the actual service is right now.

Um, and then there's also the rates that are charged to residents for EMS services, which is my understanding that even if this was to occur through DFD EMT, folks will still be charged that.

So that is a policy aspect that we have to tackle through city council as well.

So that is my reason for bringing to sending this motion to send this back to committee so we can actually work through those items.

Um, because at the end of the day, we still have to make sure that folks have the EM2 EMT services that they need when they call um for help.

So just want to uh express that.

I think for the administration, I it would be good to know um what is the level right now that is needed for standby and if these contracts reflect that.

Um, also I've I've heard that you know we've had this as a supplemental for a summer, and that there has been uh work to uh wrap that up and you know, wondering if the contracts reflect that work or if it's still the level that we've had in the years past and what's the usage now.

Um, I think those are questions that we need to work through and have those contracts reflect that.

And with that, that is the end of my comment.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

All right, all right, thank you for that.

Um is there anybody else that's got your chair recognized member Benson?

All right, thank you.

Um I support sending this back as number one.

I'm not sure what the coverage and health safety and welfare issues will be with a sudden removal of coverage uh in this space.

I'm not sure what would happen if we don't have a carryover, how will that impact the health safety and welfare of our residents?

So for me, sending it back sends a very strong message about the intent of this body and what we want to see, but we also have to ensure that we're making rational and reasonable decisions when it comes to coverage for our residents.

So I do support sending this back, having the conversation about how coverage will change, what type of timeline we can see from coverage, but I have a strong concern about an immediate ending of support for the fire department without a plan in place.

All right, thank you.

Appreciate that.

Uh member Johnson, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, I echo member Vincent's sentiments.

Um, what I didn't hear from the fire department was if um we have firefighters who um serve as EMTs as well, how they would be able to uh provide the services that are included within this contract.

I'm not sure if we have the vehicles um to be able to utilize um to be able to respond to our residents in the case of an emergency.

Uh, and so I would love to hear more about that and to get an understanding to make sure that response time um can be um continue to be the response time or make it better if we were to bring it in-house today.

So I would like to uh support sending this back to committee so that I have a better understanding of how either route we go, how that impacts the residents.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

All right, thank you.

Uh we're gonna uh acknowledge Member Miller, and then we're gonna have um Miss Emile.

I I thought Ms.

Ustall wanted to say something too, but I don't think that's the case anymore.

So we're gonna have member Miller and then we're gonna have Ms.

Emil.

I hope I pronounced that right.

All right, uh Member Miller, go ahead.

Thank you, President Pro Tim.

I did want to reflect again that I did say I was in favor of maybe a one-year contract.

So if that calls for taking it back for the safety and health of our residents, I would support a one-year.

So uh because we have to keep that we can't have a gap in the service for that reason, but that would send a signal that we are serious being being business about bringing this in-house and and as the uh councilman McCampbell to we have opportunity to get that pricing together.

That 400 visit is not right for Detroit residents, but to send it back.

I would support a shorter contract, as I said the tree training, a shorter contract would allow us to get our business in order so our residents can't occupy these jobs and positions.

Thank you for the chair.

Thank you, Member Miller.

Uh Miss Emil, go ahead, and then Mr.

Hill.

Um, thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um, through the chair, I just I I also I just want to lift up.

We are all saying the same thing, you know.

We we have the greatest fire department, we love our members.

We have we we do so many great things, but I want to make sure that we're having a discussion of where we are currently at with the situation that we are at, and we can all work together to talk through a greater goal of where we're going with everything because we have to look at a budget, we have to look at apparatus, we have to definitely purchase more ambulances, working with vendors, working with procurement with finance, the cost of those things, the equipment on the ambulances.

This is like I like I mentioned.

I mean, we're looking at a two to three year ramp up with budget, number one with finance with procurement to make sure an a lot uh finance and procurement are on here.

But of course, like like I mentioned, we we want everything in-house.

This is this is not we're not debating if we want it in-house or not in-house.

We are addressing our direct needs um for the city and for the residents that live here, and this is an unfortunately, this is what it what it looks like until you know we have a pathway to ramp this up over the next few years with all of you with and like I mentioned with procurement with finance, making sure we're able to get what we need to be successful.

Thank you.

All right, thank you very much.

Uh, Mr.

Hillman, and then uh Miss Ustall.

Thank you.

And through the chair.

Um, I do want to uh also state that these contracts do end uh the beginning of May.

Um, so uh that's gonna affect the services.

Uh, first off, and and secondly, um what the current those current providers provide about 25 percent of the call volume taken of the department, and so they approximately go to about uh about 50,000 emergency medical calls per year for the department and for the city.

So um this is going to uh put a large increase of taxation on our current members for responding to those calls after the after this uh these uh contracts expire.

So I just want to make sure that we're all talking the same, and I I agree 100% with uh chief of staff that you know we do want to uh explore and make sure that we're providing the best service for the citizens and how we do that is extremely important for the department and for this for the citizens to receive that quality care to like our uh union has stated, and we we totally agree with that 100%.

Um Mr.

Hillman, now we go ahead and Ms.

Ustaw, and then we're gonna have uh member Callaway.

Ms.

Eustahl.

Sorry, thank you, Mr.

Hillman.

I apologize.

Ms.

Ustall, go ahead.

Director Eustall.

I'm sorry, go ahead.

Thank you.

Uh through the chair.

Um, I do want to share that uh these three vendors uh employ 86 Detroit residents um across the three.

Uh I also want to note that um new EMS uh purchases are uh close to 300,000 apiece.

So you could get about five for the uh amount of money that we spend all year um across all three vendors.

Um and that to build it is a pretty lengthy timeline.

So the equipment side would take some significant investment and time um that would need to be planned for.

Uh the contracts do allow the department to modify the number um of units uh that they uh require to be on standby.

Um they have the standard termination clauses in them.

Uh I will note that when we put out bids and uh we always publish the number of years that we expect to um contract for, which is an important factor in how vendors determine their pricing, um, especially when equipment is involved.

Um and so I do ask that city council help us think through how we are fair to vendors generally, because um even though there are lots of specifics uh unique to each contract situation, um what we do uh with our contracts and how we procure and the commitments that we make or break do reflect on our procurement integrity generally for all of our contracts.

Um I am seeking to ensure that uh we work very closely with the fire department and anybody else necessary to uh bring back a very robust and detailed plan and report about a transition cost and timeline, um uh respecting city council's uh very um reasonable and important desire to understand the details and make sure that tax rate dollars are being spent wisely, that um our employees are treated fairly.

Um so uh that is that is my request to council.

Chair.

All right, thank you, uh Ms.

Usdall.

Uh Director Usal, good Lord.

Um Member Callaway, and then we're gonna have member Bitch.

Yeah, thank you, Mr.

Um Chair.

Um Ms.

Um Stahl.

How much how many rigs can we purchase with five million dollars based on the numbers that you gave us?

Thank you.

Because I'm I'm I'm totally supporting in-house um and our fire department.

I cannot support these three standby contracts when they're really not required.

They're on standby.

I would love to know how many runs they've made.

And then we're trying to lock ourselves into a multi-year contract, and we we've heard from Miss Member Miller.

Why three years and then how many rigs can we get for five million dollars?

Why three years and how many rigs can we get with five million dollars?

Um this would be an estimate based on older pricing.

I couldn't uh give you exactly the numbers without going through a bid, but perhaps 15 and the current contracts provide 22.

Okay, we would own the rigs through the chair if we purchase them.

We wouldn't have to go through outside companies if we purchase our own rigs and hire our own people.

My numbers say 16 risks could be purchased with five million dollars.

So we're about on the same um rate.

You said 15, my numbers say 16.

And why a three-year contract?

If we're trying to not have this contract, why are we going another three years?

Because and then I before we move forward, we just approved this contract last year.

With that was that just a one-year contract, and now we're back again doing something different because I remember the same contract being before us last year this time.

And I objected Sam because of the triple dipping.

We're still suing our residents trying to collect and the and the debt collection is going to a company in Jefferson, Ohio.

And we're talking about senior citizens because my dad, who was 90 at the time, almost got caught up before I intervened.

So I kind of know what I'm talking about with the triple dipping.

Through the chair.

Why three years?

Through the chair.

Through the chair, I'd like to answer that, please.

Oh, hold on a minute.

Director Usdall, did you want to say something?

Just on the question of the uh amendments approved last year.

So those were uh one year extensions on the prior contracts with the new bid, we have resulted in lower pricing for the supplemental standby service.

And then I'll let uh DC Hillman respond to the three years.

Deputy, I'm sorry, Deputy Hillman.

Excuse me.

Did you want to respond, sir?

I apologize.

Let me give you title.

Yes, sir.

Uh, through the chair.

Uh, the three-year wrap up, uh, well, first off, would be one, because of purchasing the ambulances, the bill time on a current ambulances anywhere from a year and a half to two years, even if we order today, would be be a minimum of what we're looking at to purchase an ambulance.

And then two, we have to increase our staffing to allow it to staff those set ambulances, which uh take six months to train an individual to be able to get uh to be able to function on those ambulances.

So we would need uh oh at least three years to wrap that up.

Mr.

Chair, and my no, we're gonna let uh uh member calloway and then we're gonna let Ms.

Miller go go go ahead, Member Calloway.

Thank you.

And thank you, Mr.

Chair.

And nobody has addressed my concern about the triple dipping.

Why aren't we going after our senior citizens trying to collect?

If we're paying these companies to be on standby, we have a full-time fire department.

Why are we going after senior citizens trying to collect debt?

Why don't they even be in charge?

And we all of us in this room know that's what's happening.

Why is and and and we're garnishing people's wages over an ambulance run?

That's why people are afraid to take ambulance services, but we have three on standby, a five million dollar contract.

Why are people still afraid to call on ambulance?

And we had someone here last week who was who said he had a neighbor, and member Miller brought it up.

That's in her district.

Why are Detroiters afraid to call ambulance?

You know why?

Because they know you're gonna turn them over to a third-party debt collector, and that's why I keep saying it's triple dipping.

Nobody's addressed that yet.

Nobody's addressed that.

So the department and these vendors bill the insurance companies.

So and and the policy for that billing is set by by city council.

So the $800 for the ALS service and the $400 for the basic life services is is off of uh first off, it's off of national best practices, too.

All communities, and I don't know if any of that in my research that I found don't uh bill for these services.

So we are we are following Medicare, Medicaid policy, and which allows for this billing.

I don't have any other questions.

I know I'm a no, so I don't I don't have any other questions.

We're gonna go member Benson and then we're gonna go uh member.

All right, thank you.

So I just want to reflect that the uh requests from the firefighters union was to send these back to committee for further discussion.

Um my concern is that this would be a very stark end to coverage for the residents of Detroit.

So if we were to not even have a discussion on what the plan was for phase in or phase out, what would an immediate end to these coverage contracts mean for the health safety and will for the residents of Detroit?

What would be the cause to implement this?

Why couldn't we phase this in in a much shorter time period?

We're currently asking the fire department to do a capital budget plan, which will go into the hundreds of millions of dollars, which includes firefighting equipment, which includes um new firehouses, which includes demolition of some old ones or the sale.

So there is a significant um investment needed.

I want to know what that is and how that would impact our coverage for our residents.

In addition, we just approved a budget uh where 50 million dollars is going towards new programs, and this was the case that we're going to need to buy immediate new ambulance, new EMT, hot get hired.

Then we need to be looking at some budget modifications if we do want to make a severe change of this nature.

So I really do believe there needs to be a conversation about how we implement something like this.

I'm not opposed to bringing this in-house.

I actually like the idea of doing more services within the city of Detroit, but just having a stark contrast or an immediate end to these contracts without having a plan, does give me room for pause, which is why I support sending this back to committee so we can at least have the discussion.

These contracts do end uh May 1, which then means something has to happen.

Do we have to go and have hire uh or partner with another municipality to say, hey, if we can't do the coverage, can you all cover it for us?

Uh can we do something of that nature?

There just needs to be a conversation, so I have a better understanding of how my residents will be cared for and how our health safety and welfare uh will be cared for for the residents of Detroit if we vote these down today, we're sending them back to committee for further discussion, Mr.

Chair.

All right, hold on, hold on, Miller.

Yes, I believe if we gave a one-year extension last year, we could possibly give another year extension this year opposed to a three-year contract.

We have to listen, but we don't have to, but we have a union here that's standing there representing the residents in Detroit, and their work representing the the workers who diligently put these fires out, they actually run the EMS runs.

We cannot let it fall on deaf ear.

The gentleman said they've been having these discussions for years.

That that doesn't mean one year, that means a accumulation of years passed, and obviously no one is listening because here we are again with a three-year contract.

So when do we take seriously what our residents are saying and what our firefighters union is saying, and even if firefighters themselves, it's like they they've come because I'm new, so I'm sure they've been here before, and you're just dismissing them.

We cannot continue to dismiss the residents' concerns that affect us day to day, especially when it comes to health and human safety.

We need to make a clear track that we're listening to them.

I know they're in contract negotiations recently.

I don't know if they just ended or not, but we cannot continue to bypass it and act like we want to be good stewards over this and say we're working on it with a three-year contract.

You're not working on it, you're just bypassing time, and then next three years now to be another three-year contract.

There's no proactivity in this city when it comes to hiring our residents.

I as a person who's been in office maybe 92 days, I've not seen anything where we're actually looking at hiring our residents, providing these contracts for our cities, and it's disappointing to me.

When I stand in front of all the thousands of people in this district saying, Hey, we're selling our land off, we're doing everything that belongs to the city, but nothing benefits our residents.

Everybody's getting over, and it is really sad, and it's time out that we keep saying, Well, we're all on the same page.

No, we're not on the same page because we would not have a three-year contract uh again after an extension, where we're not trying to bring in our residents to have jobs to have security for their families, to have food on the table to be able to provide a decent lifestyle.

And I don't care if you're hiring 89 people to support the contracts, bring the people in so they can wear those uniforms home, be a part of a society and a community where they actually can show our students, our kids that hey, we the city of Detroit, we're standing stalling tall and strong for our residents.

We're providing jobs, so we're not on the same page until we can show that we are doing exactly what our hearts and minds say we should be doing in this instance.

We can't say that because in my short time, it's disappointing.

It's disappointing that these jobs and contracts, and I'm on the IOS committee.

A young lady came before you guys today and said, Hey, can I get with the IOS committee about land being sold or assets being sold?

Our fire department downtown was sold for what a million dollars?

And right now that fire department headquarters probably worth every bit of 87 million dollars.

If my statistics tell me right it's worth 87 million, we started for a million.

Yes, we have a wonderful hotel there.

Nice, but there needs to be some oversight here, and this is not right.

This is not right, and we cannot continue to say to our residents on these screens on our communities that we support this, but we're not making a diligent effort to do so.

I'm asking that we do not provide the the uh the uh gap in the service, we offer an extension or a one year to prove that we're honestly being sincere about making this.

That's that I don't want it to be like the tree lighting, I mean the tree cutting.

We cutting trees and 30 million dollars went out of the city that's for that, and we still gave a three-year contract, and I am upset about it.

Thank you through the chair.

I am done, whatever you guys decided to do.

I will vote accordingly.

Thank you, Member Miller.

We're gonna go miss a meal, then we're gonna go member dancing, and then we know, yeah, we're gonna member dancing, and then we're gonna go uh member uh calloway.

Go ahead, Miss Emile.

Oh, thank you, Chairman.

Um point of order, point of order.

So I had the floor, I made a request for questions, uh, and I appreciate my colleagues making a statement.

But my I still have the floor.

My questions were never answered from when I had the floor.

And just and then you can ask the questions and had the full because that's what you really want the full go back.

So I'm sorry, Miss Emil.

Hey, remember Benson?

Go ahead.

No, I'm hoping to get the responses to the question.

I have some asking what the question was again and go ahead.

I'll recognize the next question.

Go ahead to the administration.

Do I need to repeat the questions?

Um, through the chair, um, council member, you asked about what would happen if the contracts on May 1st when they expire, correct?

Yes.

Um, so what would happen is our I mean, our private ambulances respond to 25% and more of our of our calls.

So you're gonna definitely see that in response times.

Um, so just to level set, and um Deputy Commissioner Hillman can weigh in on this as well.

Uh response times are going to significantly go up.

Um, and that is for a code one.

Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.

Well, no, can you just be can you just give a a more layman's term?

And so we stop what response times go up.

What does that mean?

You talk about a code one, what does that mean?

And then what does it cost to actually bring this in-house and where will we where what would the source of those funds be?

And do we actually know what it would cost with uh time with training?

So there needs to be just for me a greater explanation of how we would bring this in-house, what the actual cost would be and how we would fund that.

This is really at this point to me a committee conversation, which is why I support sending it back.

But while we're here, and this thing, this could be a very consequential vote if we vote these down today, which is why I believe we need to have this conversation right now.

Uh, thank you, councilman.

Three the chair.

Um, I can uh I I will say, I mean, with without we we can send over how much, I mean, we can give you an estimate of how much response times would go up, but you will you will definitely see that uh go into effect immediately.

And I'll hand it over to Deputy Commissioner Hillman.

But as we've been saying, and as we heard from procurement on the ramp up side, I mean, we are looking at, and we have to also bring in finance on this on where the funding, if we are ramping up this, if we want to ramp it up really quickly, where it would come from, and that would mean hiring the training academy.

I mean, there's a lot of different buckets here that we have to look at for funding, and then also the biggest factor is procuring the ambulances um and that timeline that was given.

I mean, if if that was a quick three-month turnaround, that's a different discussion.

Unfortunately, it's not a quick turnaround on the equipment, um, especially the apparatuses.

And then as far as training goes, uh, with members to hire additional members, and that also means increased funding for our training academy to train in-house.

So there's this the different buckets of items we have to look at, and that is not going to be a quick turnaround at all.

Um, council member and deputy commissioner, I'll hand it over to you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Mr.

Hillman, we go there.

Mr.

Commissioner, before you go, uh, so then my question is going to be the budget to do this, these are really standby.

So we could phase this in over a three-year period, given a plan.

Is that correct?

Or a two-year period to say, hey, we need to phase in to keep our response times at this level to we could phase in, we could buy and hire.

We would need to do have this much have this many ambulances on hand.

We would need to have this many people hired, and we could do away with this percentage of the contract.

This is a standby, which means that we pay for services rendered, correct?

Uh through the chair, I'd like to answer that.

Uh so uh councilwoman Bowson, these are our supplemental ambulances, so we use them as no different than our current ambulances.

They are part of our deployment coverage during our our peak times.

We have four of them are 24 hours, and the other are implemented throughout the uh the shifts.

So um, and when we talk about response times increasing, they'll they'll increase across the board.

So when you call for a 911 service for a medical emergency, these current providers to provide 25% of the the coverage for the city.

So you will see uh uh for our most urgent calls for our 911 calls, somebody having severe medical emergency, you could see an uh increased response time.

And uh I couldn't give you exact number right now to have to look and see what that is, but you will see that.

So then how many ambulances we need to have on hand to take 100% coverage versus what we have now.

So we would have to implement another at least 18 ambulances to take care of what is being taken care of today.

So 18 ambulances, how many people does it take to staff 18 ambulances?

Um probably about over 120 people approximately.

So we need to hire another 120 people, and we need to have 5.4 million dollars in capital funds to pay for the new ambulances.

Right.

And so go ahead.

I apologize.

I mean, this could be looking at an 11 million dollar investment per year in the department.

If you are just doing really high-level ballpark figures, um to uh uh have this the same coverage, and we're we're paying 1.5 million per year right now.

All right, thank you.

And then this is a question for but Mr.

Whitaker.

If you could come to the microphone, please.

So we just finished budget.

If we needed to increase the fire department's budget by 11 million dollars, we can we do that unilateral, or do we need the mayor to provide us the budget modification to put 11 million dollars to grow the fire department?

Mr.

President, go ahead, Ms.

The answer is no, you can't unilaterally do that.

All budget changes has to come as it be initiated by the mayor, and while I'm here, you really can't negotiate a contract at the table.

You got a three-year contract, ultimately voted up or down.

You can indicate to the administration that uh one-year contract extension might be preferable, but it would be up to the administration and the vendors to agree to that.

You have to really act on the item before you.

So you've got it, you got three three-year contracts before you, and those are the contracts you have to vote on.

But in all reality, these three-year contracts or a spend up to, we don't have to spend all this money.

If we were to start implementing a plan where we took over 100% of services, we would just have these basically on retainer.

It's kind of a safety net.

We could implement the mayor could submit to this body a plan to implement bringing all services in-house in a way that allows financially to do that unless they're prepared to take on additional debt.

But what I'm hearing is a is a council that once is brought in-house.

What I'm not hearing is a plan of how we do that and keep our residents safe, and that concerns me.

And so I'm hoping that we can have this back to committee so that those conversations can start to give this body level of confidence that we're moving in the right direction.

But we also need to know that this is not an inexpensive endeavor, and finding 11 million dollars, as we know from this last budget process, is not easy.

So I just wanted to make that clear and get my questions answered.

So thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Yes, uh, hold on, because I want you to have last words.

We're gonna let gentlemen here.

Um speak, and then we're gonna let you speak on one to your last word, and then we're gonna be done with going forward.

Thank you.

Uh, Gerald Stewart, once again, secretary for uh local 344.

Um thank you for entertaining this topic.

Um I'm gonna read some notes here.

Uh I've been chomping at the bit hearing people talk on the TV there, and uh I'm gonna start.

Commissioner Charles Sims has stated on the news and at the budget meeting this year with council that we have 42 ambulances.

Stop letting this administration lie to you.

The city of Detroit does not have 42 ambulances.

We have 26 ambulances.

It's obscene.

I uh I'm sorry.

Um Commissioner Hillman just stated that we would need 18 ambulances to get where what we need, right?

Everybody here heard that.

We have 14 private ambulances, four of which are here for 24 hours.

If we're lucky that they show up every day that they say I don't understand how 14 not full-time ambulances means that we need 18 full-time ambulances.

Stop letting Detroit Fire Department administration lie to you.

Alisa Malil says response times will go up.

Response times will remain exactly the same.

The Detroit Fire Department on all of those big red trucks shows up to every run.

The idea is that those go first and the ambulances follow.

The ambulances transport people that need transport to the hospital.

Our response times will not go up, they will stay the same.

Council member Callaway.

Your comments are awesome.

I gotta tell you about a neighbor across the street from me.

Um she needed transport to the hospital, right?

Engine 27 shows up right down the street, takes them maybe three minutes to get to where I am.

They have to wait for one of these companies to come all the way across the city, and they just show up willy-nilly 20 minutes later.

We can provide you all kinds of data where this happens over and over and over again.

They don't care about us, they don't care about us, like Detroit Fire Department members care about our citizens, they don't care.

Commissioner Sims knew about this for years.

He knew that there was a lack of ambulances.

The city should have been able to purchase ambulances years ago, and instead, administration comes and they sit here and they smile and they act like everything's fine.

Our administration speaks about building new firehouses while bays sit open.

They're gonna waste money building firehouses instead of incorporating what we already have in the city.

We have these hundred-year-old firehouses all over the city.

It costs money to upkeep these places, but what are we doing?

What are we doing?

There's there's an engine bay open.

There's only one fire engine in downtown Detroit.

There's a bay open at West Alexander Cass.

Put an ambulance in one of them if you have to, right?

Um, and I just want to speak real quick on the ambulances.

It can take some time to build ambulances, right?

They should have done it years ago, but there's a our ambulances are custom spec, they're custom.

It's it's it's like ordering a car from Ford, ordering a truck.

You gotta wait a couple years.

There's other ways to approach this.

And if you told the Detroit Fire Department and the association that hey, we have uh an idea that you know we can buy different ambulances, maybe that aren't your spec, and get them here quicker and get them here cheaper.

We're on board with that, right?

We're gonna talk about that.

So um, I look forward to having more conversations with council, and I really appreciate you you giving us the opportunity to speak against this today.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Member Kelly, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, this has been enlightening for me.

Um, I got some information from an individual, and I'll share this if it hasn't already been shared with my colleagues.

America Pro EMS of Michigan is largely owned by Whistler Capital Partners, a Nash Nashville-based private equity firm with 1.8 billion dollars in assets under management.

They're in this for profit and not for the people.

They often refer to the company as a high growth firm, but clearly that growth comes at the expense of patients.

Superior Air is a privately owned entity who during the pandemic, which clearly was a financial boom for ambulatory services, applied for and receive over 10 million dollars in PPP loans, which were later forgiven.

And this is all public information.

This was one of the clearer examples of PPP greed during the pandemic.

So when we're hiring these private firms, we should do a little bit more digging in terms of um how they're making their money, their assets, and are they putting profit over people?

And I would have to submit to you.

I'm feeling that these two privately owned companies are putting profits over people, and we cannot allow that in the city of Detroit.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

All right, thank you.

This has been a very uh lively and uh interesting discussion.

We are literally talking about um life and death situations here.

When you see our heroes from EOT, you're literally making life this life and death decisions.

So I want to let everybody be able to have a robust discussion.

Usually I wouldn't allow something like this to go this long, but uh the reason why we did is because this is so violently important to the well-being of our city, and so um, I just wanted, but now that we've had that, uh member McCampbell made a motion to return to committee.

The motion to return takes precedence over the main motion.

So motion by Member McCampbell, all in favor of returning this item to committee, say I uh aye.

All those of all those opposed say no.

No, no, you see Miller say no.

Unmute yourself, Miller.

Um say say the vote, man.

Miller.

I don't know.

Okay, so that's three.

Yes.

The first one you asked was for those that is voting to send it back to committee.

Again, we should put each one of you call your name out.

Okay, so call your name out.

If your vote is yes, yes.

If you're voting your roll call, it's not a roll call vote, it's a voice vote, my understanding, right, ma'am.

Parliamentary.

Is this the voice vote?

Yes, of course.

Okay, you want to call for are you calling for a roll call?

I know usually we don't do it like this.

I'll read it as is as it said, and I have no problem.

I like light this better.

Let's just call our name.

You can uh can vote on for a moment.

Motion for roll call vote.

Yeah, of course for a roll call.

Uh oh motion made discussion, discussion, remember business.

No discussion.

Oh okay.

No discussion on the motion.

All right, all right.

No discussion.

We're voting.

Okay.

Motion made for any objections here and then we'll now vote.

Madam Clerk.

Council member waters.

No.

Council member with Phil Callaway.

Council President Pro Tim Young.

Yes.

Council Member Benson?

Yes.

Councilmember Johnson.

Yes.

Council member McCampbell.

Yes.

Councilmember Miller.

No.

Four yes, three, three no's.

That motion passes, Mr.

President.

All right.

Move on.

Mr.

Chair.

That motion passed for that.

Do we is it mad of clerk?

I forgot where we are.

Do you have to uh go one line on one point eighteen point one and eighteen point two?

Do we move on to next?

Well, all three, Mr.

President.

18.1, 18.2, and 18.3.

Okay.

Mr.

Chair.

Wait.

Go ahead.

Member McCamble, go ahead.

Hold on.

Member Miller.

I'm sorry.

Go ahead, Mr.

Miller.

I didn't see you there.

I'm I apologize.

My hand was up.

I'm referring to vote, but I had a question.

Uh Mr.

Swellman said that there was 26 on duty opposed to the 42.

I just want to know what was the truth.

Is it 42 or 26?

That was a strong statement, and I just wanted to know what was the truth.

Who are you making that question to?

Actually, it was actually before the vote, but I had my hand up.

Who who to Mr.

Sweller mentioned that there were not 42 operating vehicles on the street, that there was 26.

I want to know what was the honest truth.

So Mr.

Hillman.

Is that what that was directed to, right?

Mr.

Swallow.

Go ahead.

I'm sorry.

I just made sure I get that.

No, Mr.

Sweller made the statement, and I want to know what was the honest answer.

So I understand.

I'm sorry, go ahead.

Through the chair, the Detroit Fire Department operates 26 ambulances a day.

These contracts add those additional ambulances to increase during peak times up to 42 ambulances.

So those are on 12-hour shifts.

So throughout so we throughout the entire contract, that's why this stated the 42 ambulances.

So about 40.

But okay, I just want to know the answer.

Thank you very much, sir.

Sorry, we got a we got another member member McGamble.

Go ahead, sir.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, I have uh two wall calls here.

Uh no, we get into that.

Okay.

We get no, we know we don't.

I see you.

I ain't forgot about you.

I just want to make sure we got this correct first.

All right.

That being said, we will now move on to the two walk-ons.

Thank you, everyone.

Um, and we are we should have with us.

Um we need Miss Sondra Ustall to stay with us, and we also need the uh director of transportation uh to be on the call.

So we want to promote him, and then we want Bill to explain what these walk-ons are, why we're voting on them, and the merger and acquisition process of the companies, Mr.

Chair hold on for a minute.

Okay, member McGammer, go ahead.

Thank you.

So while we wait for folks, uh just go ahead and make the motion to uh walk on, or we can add actually add 24.1, move that to new business.

Okay, there's been a motion blue line on 24.

One to new business.

Yes.

Are there any objections?

Hearing the line on 24.1.

We move on to new business, Mr.

Chair.

Member McGamble.

Thank you.

And also a motion to add the uh two new business under contracts, contract number 600744.

Okay, motion to move line item contract 6744 for that clever devices contract.

Um is there a motion to move contract number 6744, the clever devices contract to new business motion to be made.

Are there any objections contract number 674 for the clever devices contract be moved to new business?

Mr.

President, yes, through you to member McCampbell.

Um contract number 600 744.

744 is in public health and safety standard committee at this point.

So is it the motion to move this item from committee to be walked on to the new business agenda?

Uh through the chair.

Um clerk, yes, that's correct.

Motion to pull this from committee.

Okay, motion to pull this on committee for purpose being walked on.

Contract number 600 seven four four four, the clever device contract.

Motion made objections.

Are there any objections?

I hear no the clever devices contract 600 7444.

Move to new business to be walked on.

Move from committee.

Okay.

So uh we have with us here first.

We're gonna have um uh uh director you stall.

I want you speak to this, and then we're gonna have um director Kramer.

Mr.

Chair.

Hold on.

Uh uh member McGamble, uh, motion to approve both contracts with discussion.

Not about that.

I'm sorry, McCamp.

I got ahead of myself.

Motion to approve both contracts for the purpose of discussion.

Are you objections?

Thank you, Member McCampill.

Both contracts be approved for motion for discussion.

Now we will have Director Eustal and then Director Kramer.

Go ahead, Director Used all.

Uh thank you.

Uh through the chair, uh, we are requesting um for expedited approval of these two contracts uh with clever devices and Giro.

Um, they together provide very critical technology infrastructure uh that supports the entire D dot bus operation, um, including uh bus driver payroll.

Uh these are existing contract uh existing contractors, and um you have before you five-year renewals for each uh in the past.

Giraud was a subcontractor to Clever Devices.

That arrangement is coming to an end.

Um we uh need in the city is now needing to contract with each directly.

Um and we're asking for that expedited approval in order to ensure that there's no lapse in the services provided by these vendors.

Uh I do apologize for um uh this very urgent request.

Uh these were very, very lengthy and complex negotiations with both vendors.

Uh clever devices, we were able to get this contract submitted um and to be referred last Tuesday.

Um, and then we hit the uh recess week.

So we're requesting for that to be pulled up out of committee to be approved today.

And Giro, we were uh meeting all day, every day uh uh between our lawyers and IT department and D dot and OCP and their lawyers and um staff uh to get the contract negotiated and agreement on terms um to meet last week's filing deadline um to be referred today.

And so these two contracts, I'll uh allow Dr.

Kammer to go into more detail about how they operate and why they're so critical to D dot operations.

Okay, Director Kramer, floor is yours, sir.

Good afternoon through the chair and uh thanks for the information and also all the hard work on the behalf of uh not only uh Sandra Director Stahl and her staff, but also uh the law department, D DOT uh as mentioned, um really uh a lot of effort over a long period of time have gone into this uh pretty complex um arrangement.

Essentially, again, these two contracts uh you have Clever devices, which was originally one contract to them that covered all the stuff that Clever does for us that includes hardware that's on the buses and in our supervisor vehicles and our dispatch center and all of the software that makes all of that uh all work.

This is about dispatching and monitoring of buses that are on the road, um, and also uh helps with um making sure the buses and the driver uh operators are uh aware of their status, their routing, uh it informs the the head the head signs when you see a bus coming down that has the route number on it, all those things are linked into the clever system.

Hello, how are you?

For the mail, put yourself on mute real quick.

There you go.

Go go go ahead.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chair Craver.

Um Giro was a subcontractor to Clever originally, they have a product called Hastis.

And basically, that's a uh very robust uh software program that handles all of the scheduling, and then there's a lot that goes into designing all of the pieces of work is the best way to put it.

So each operator does something in particular.

That all has to be designed and put in the system so that when they're signing in, they're being assigned the work.

Um it tracks uh their actual worked hours.

That's what informs their the payroll for the operators and and also informs the the service we have out on the road.

Uh so previously, again, they were part of a single proposal when we switched to this.

Now for the uh second phase or the future phase of these contracts, they are going to be separate, but it's essentially continuing through the same arrangement combination of hardware and software that is critical for us to get our operators matched up with the bus out on the road and uh and have it be the schedule that we need.

The last thing I would mention uh before, of course, uh entertaining any questions or clarifications would be um it is a very uh not to overstate it, but transitioning from either of these two components, the hardware and stuff that's uh uh dispatching the buses and the scheduling software platform, uh changing vendors, let's say, for lack of a better way, to a different system uh is a very heavy lift and requires like a quite like a couple of years of evaluation, decision making, and then a transition plan.

Uh and so we've uh already kind of passed that point for this case of making that decision at some point over the last year or two that uh Hasidis is there, that clever is the system we want to have in place.

If we were going to consider uh opening it up to change to a different software platform and or a different equipment and dispatching platform, that's something that we would be open to, but would need to do some some studying about that, and again, have probably a couple of years from deciding we're gonna open it up, having the procurement process and the analysis, the procurement process, and then the transition plan.

So just wanted to kind of clarify that of um how this fits into the bigger picture of you know these services that D Dot uses to deliver our service.

Hopefully that helps.

I'm here to answer any questions.

All right, excellent.

Uh, does anybody have any questions?

Uh Chair recognizes uh McCampbell.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

And um to um either director you stall or um I believe it would be to you, Director Ustall.

I know on the payroll audit, um the D dot timekeeping came up as a blag.

I'm wondering how the uh the Jiro does this contract relate to that, and if so, um, how does it plug into AltiPro or if not was does not go on into Al GPRO for time keep it.

Through the chair.

Yeah, I can take I can take that one through the chair.

All right, yeah, Director Kramer, then we'll have Red Renee Stall.

Go ahead, Dr.

Kramer.

Absolutely.

So um excellent question.

Um the interplay, I'll call it between Hasti and Ulti Pro was something that was flagged as part of that OEG re OAG report.

And we have continued to work through that process to get to uh a hundred percent um validation, I guess is the best way to put it.

And uh we actually have achieved that.

It's continuing to work through the process.

Um I can go into a lot more detail about this, but it's it's not necessarily a fault uh per se of Hasti, uh Giro or Ulti Pro, but some of the challenges, the unique nature of the way that D dot uh uh assigns work and pays the drivers based on what happens and doesn't happen.

So we've continued to work with Jureau.

Uh they've been willing to continue supporting us and working through that.

And um even though the OIG OAG report was issued and closed out before, we've continued to work toward that and actually have achieved kind of that 100% validation.

Um so we're confident that continuing to move it forward with Hasis that we're able to address and maintain you know um those challenges that were brought up in the OAG report, and that switching to a different platform is still gonna have something separate.

Uh D dot used to use something called trapeze.

Uh there's a couple of other platforms that are out there that transit systems across the country use.

All of them still would have that fundamental challenge of connecting the schedule and and the driver uh the what the drivers are owed to be paid and uh ulti pro.

So hope that helps.

Uh Director Stahl, if you want to add anything too.

Director Dall, uh you have anything you want to say uh director stall?

Uh no, sir.

All right, Mr.

Chair.

Mimi Cam.

Just uh thank you.

Thank you, Director Kramer.

Just to follow up.

So this would uh this would decrease the need of manual inputs or uh you all have solved that as well with this.

We've we've addressed the issues um by continuing this vendor, it wouldn't make it any better or any worse per se.

I mean, obviously we'll continue to get you know patches and stuff for the software, but this doesn't fundamentally change the base system.

But as I mentioned, we've been working hard for the last uh number of months to make sure that we can uh have kind of be more confident in in that handshake.

And so this would continue to let us use that the work we've put in place for that.

Hopefully that helps through the chair.

Okay, thank you, Director.

I I will I'll be transparent.

I'm not completely sure that that alleviates my concern that was brought up in the payroll audit.

Um it was my hope that as we are looking for more of the systems that we are doing with timekeeping that it would address some of those.

So I yeah, I have uh additional questions on that, but I will stop there.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

All right, thank you.

Any other questions?

Comments or concerns.

All right.

Uh is there a motion to approve the walk-on contracts.

I mean, that's what you are made as well.

Okay, I'll sorry.

Thank you.

I apologize.

Good lord.

Motion has been made.

Are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, walk-on contracts will now be uh proved.

Could we request a waiver?

Okay.

Uh Mr.

Chair, request a waiver on.

One, two, three, four, five, six, but millet.

Yeah, no, that's okay.

Yeah, I I did the same thing.

You you are changing.

Okay.

Are there any objections hearing none?

The waiver will be approved.

All right.

Okay, now um clerk, we're moving on to line 19.

Yes, Mr.

President, you are on the report of the standing committee referrals and other matters.

So we okay the one report will be referred to the budget finance, audit, and standing committee for the internal operations committee.

The federal reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the neighborhood and community service standing committee.

Four reports from various city departments.

11 reports from various city departments.

The 11 ports will be referred to the planning and economic development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee.

Six reports from various city departments, excluding line item 24.1 that was approved in new business.

The six reports will be referred to the public health and safety standing committee under the consent agenda.

There are no items, Mr.

President.

We will now move on to member reports.

We will now recognize Mr.

Waters.

No report.

At Daybo at the corner of Wyoming and Grav River.

Please do come out.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Just want to invite uh east side residents to the um housing fair that our office will be partnering with Eastide Community Network, the um Michigan State Housing Development Authority, as well as Authority Health on this Saturday, May 2nd from 11 a.m.

to 3 p.m.

Residents can obtain um housing tools, support and resources to help them stay in their home.

So again, that is this Saturday, May 2nd, 11 a.m.

until 3 p.m.

at Eastside Community Network office at 4401 Connor.

Again, 4401 Connor.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Okay.

Uh member Miller.

No report.

All right.

Now we're done with that.

Um, under adoption without committee reference.

There are no items, Mr.

President.

A report of approval of proceedings by the mayor.

No, Mr.

President, that's under communications from the clerk.

And that is a report on approval proceedings by the mayor.

Okay.

The report will be received and placed on file under testimonial resolutions and special privilege.

Council member McCampbell or resolution line item 29.1.

Member McCampbell, motion to approve.

Vote is made to approve.

Are there any objections?

Hearing none, line 29.1 will be approved.

Hear no objection, the resolution will be approved under testimonial resolution special privilege.

Council member with Phil Callaway on behalf of Council President Tate, a resolution line item 29.2.

Motion to approve.

Motion to approve.

Are any objections?

Hearing no objection, the resolution will be approved.

There being no further business to come before this body, this meeting will now stand adjourned.

Thank you.

Oh