Sure, Councilmember Scott Benson.

Scott Benson.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson, present.

Councilmember Denzel and Tommy Campbell.

Councilmember Renata Miller.

She is online.

She says here, but it looks like she's muted.

Oh, she's muted.

Here.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero present.

Councilmember Mary Waters.

Councilmember Angela Whitfield Callaway.

Council President Pro Tim Community on the second.

Here.

Council President James Tate.

Here.

Mr.

President, you have a quorum.

Thank you.

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

Want to let everyone know if you would like to provide comment to this body and public comment.

Provide you with a white public comment card.

If you're online, please raise your hand and we will put you in the queue.

Again, if you would like to provide comment to this body during this session, please raise your hand, and someone from the team will be walking around and provide you with one of those cards.

Give you an opportunity to speak.

If you're online, raise your hand, and you will be placed in the queue.

Providing this morning's invocation, we have none other than Brother Gary Wagner, who serves as the executive director of the Capuchin uh Soup Kitchen found Capuchin Food Soup Kitchen, period.

Founded in 1929, the Capuchin Food Soup Kitchen is a Detroit-based ministry that provides nutritious meals, clothing, and support services, including addiction treatment and tutoring to individuals and families facing poverty.

The Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit provides essential services, uh including nearly 1,000 hot meals across two locations in Detroit, uh located one of them located at 4390 Connor, and the other at one, two, six, four Melgium Street.

Floor is yours, please come forward.

Thank you, Councilman uh President Tate.

Um grateful for this invitation to be here today.

Um, and I'm grateful for all the work that each of you do uh on behalf of our city.

My own councilwoman is uh councilwoman Mary Waters because our old one went off and decided to take a different job.

And uh Mayor Sheffield.

Uh and I'm very grateful that the mayor on the day that she took the oath of office January 1st, went to the fire department, to the police department, and then to the capuchin soup kitchen.

And uh I think that's a sign of where her heart is, and we're grateful for that.

Uh the capuchin soup kitchen, as council president take said, has been here for many years.

Just want to say one thing.

Uh Buddy's Pizza, uh, good Detroit institution, 50 years has supported the soup kitchen.

And when I was at one of the restaurants, I went up to a couple, and I said, So are you here to support the soup kitchen, or did you just wander off the street for pizza and found out you're going to be supporting us as well?

And she said, Well, we wandered off the street, but I'm glad that we're supporting the soup kitchen.

And then she said, Let me tell you something.

She said, When I was 21, I was an unmarried mother with a little boy.

And I used to go to the Capuchins, and she meant the services center with uh, and she said, I like the carts because I could put my little boy in the cart and shop for the food and clothing that we needed, and it really helped us at a difficult time in our life.

And I said, uh, thank you for telling me that.

And how old is that little boy now?

And she said, 29, married, has given me three grandsons, and he's a Marine.

Wow.

So that's the kind of story that in my role I'm fortunate to hear, and I like to share.

And with that, let us pray.

This is uh Pope Leo the 14th has a prayer intention every month, and for May, it's that everyone might have food.

And we know that everyone in the world does not have food.

And so the first part of the prayer is really written by Pope Leo, and that's why it's probably more eloquent.

Let us pray.

Lord of creation, you gave us the fertile earth and with it our daily bread as a sign of your love and providence.

Today we recognize with sorrow the millions of our brothers and sisters continue to suffer from hunger while so many goods are wasted at our tables.

Awaken in us a new awareness that we learn to thank for every food to consume simply to share with joy and to care for the fruits of the earth as a gift from you, destined for all, not just a few.

Good father, make us capable of transforming the logic of selfish consumption into a culture of solidarity.

May our communities promote concrete gestures, awareness campaigns, food banks, and a sober and responsible lifestyle.

Give us a new heart, hungry for justice and thirsty for fraternity.

May no one be excluded from the common table, and may your spirit teach us to see bread not as an object of consumption, but as a sign of communion and care.

Gracious God, may we delight in sharing our tables with everyone.

For in the Jewish Talmud, there is a proverb, receiving guests is greater than receiving the divine presence.

In a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, he admonished believers.

There is no good in the one who is not hospitable.

And Saint Peter, in his letter to the church advised, be hospitable to one another without complaining.

Loving God, despite all the troubles in our world, we find hope and promise in our great city of Detroit.

May the duly elected members of the this city council lead and serve the people who chose them.

Bless them with the desire to do good, the courage to do what is right, and the wisdom to listen with an open mind to the many voices on all sides of the questions of the day.

We each pray in the name by which we call upon God.

Amen.

Thank you so much, Brother Wagner.

Thank you.

You are definitely free to join us.

But certainly understand if your schedule does not allow to that to take.

Understood.

But thank you for providing that a very uh impactful uh invitation.

All right, before we go forward, uh, member Benson, I believe you have a presentation that you would like to provide.

The floor is yours, sir.

If I can give Miss Erica Ward Gerson to come down, please and her husband, Mr.

Gerson.

Come on over.

This is a family affair.

So good morning to everybody.

So today it's an honor and privilege to come before you and present a testimonial resolution for Miss Erica Ward Gerson, chairperson of the Detroit Land Bank Board of the Directors from 2014 through 2026.

Twelve four 12 years of sustained service to the residents of the city of Detroit.

And Miss Gerson's resume and accomplishments are huge.

And there's one in particular I really do want to highlight once we get to that point.

And as I just found out, Miss Gerson was born in Japan, and I was gonna say she was born somewhere else, and I was wrong, but I want to make sure I clarified that.

And so she's also a renaissance woman who's also well traveled internationally.

But Miss Erica War Gerson, there we go, we'll get a hand clap for that.

Hey, hey.

Expand pathways to home ownership, reduce blight, and strengthen Detroit.

Ms.

Gerson began her work with the Detroit Land Bank Authority at a 100,000 vacant properties.

Through her ambitious leadership and sustained dedication, thousands of properties have been rehabilitated and returned to use.

Her tenure has contributed to the restoration of more than 13,000 vacant homes, the productive use of more than 30,000 vacant lots, and home ownership opportunities for more than 6,000 Detroiters.

And when we talk about someone who has led a change in the quality of life of thousands of Detroiters, I want to make sure that Erica Ward Gerson's name and her face are right there as well, because that level of leadership and transformation is huge and unheard of in the history of Detroit prior to the Detroit Land Bank being brought on board to a very robust organization.

I want to give a personal thanks for that level of support to Detroiters.

Additionally, 123 homes were closed through the rehab and ready program as in sold.

And under her guidance, the Detroit Land Bank Authority generated more than I want people to think about this.

$2 billion in value for Detroit homeowners.

That is a direct tie.

When we talk about the value of your property, it wasn't a land bank property.

You saw the city of Detroit generate a growth of $2 billion under the leadership of Miss Erica Ward Gerson.

She wouldn't do it all by herself.

There's a huge team behind her, but just having that level of improvement in the city's balance sheet is huge.

And I also again want to recognize and thank her for that level of leadership.

Ms.

Gerson has been guided by a passion for people and a clear vision for neighborhood revitalization.

Her work has helped transform vacant and abandoned properties into homes, community assets, and opportunities for long-term stability.

Through her leadership, she has helped move Detroit towards a stronger, more resilient future, leaving an impact that will be felt for generations.

Ms.

Gerson has served the Detroit Land Bank Authority and the City of Detroit with distinction for 12 remarkable years, demonstrating professionalism, vision, and an unwavering commitment to the residents of this city.

Resolve that the Office of Councilman Scott Benz and Detroit City Council hereby honor Erica Ward Gerson for her outstanding leadership, dedication to service, and lasting contributions to the revitalization of Detroit.

Her work has strengthened neighborhoods, expanded home ownership, reduced blight, and helped place the Detroit Lampic Authority and the City of Detroit on a stronger footing.

We extend our sincere gratitude for her service and wish her continued success in all future endeavors.

May God continue to bless your endeavors, fair wins and following seas, Ms.

Erica Ward Gerson.

Thank you very much, Councilman Benson and this honorable body have worked very closely with you guys and your predecessors for 12 years.

I'm eternally grateful for all of the support council has provided.

And I have to tell you that I've done a lot of things in my career.

I worked in the White House for a while.

This is far and away the best thing I've ever done.

And the one thing of which I am most proud.

So I'm sure Detroit's going to keep rising, and it was an honor to be part of it.

Thank you.

Mr.

Gerson, thank you, uh Councilman Benson.

I'd only like to say on behalf of her family that we're very proud of her and the contribution she made to Detroit.

We believe in Detroit, and we're great to see uh we're very excited to see the progress of Detroit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any college.

Remember take, President.

Any thing for my colleagues for Ms.

Gerson?

Thank you very much.

It's it is always uh an honor to have folks who are here who have poured their heart into the city of Detroit and made sure that uh they've um provided their talents to improve our community.

And we I remember all the way back where things were prior to the land bank.

I know there's a lot of challenges that folks have with them.

I mean, just like anything else, as my colleague says, the biggest room of the biggest room, the biggest room is approved.

Yeah, like he said, like he said.

So that's the same case with the land bank and anything else, but uh to see where we are now.

Um, we now are looking at the evolution of what the land bank uh will look like as we move forward.

But again, thank you so much for your service and all of the members who provided their service over the duration of their time and their um their tenure.

Thank you so much.

This time we prepare for a photo.

We will, but I thought you had another that you wanted to mention.

We don't want to want to give you an opportunity to talk about that one as well.

Thank you.

And so we're going to take a photo for the test resolution, but I also have my intern, my fellow, uh, Ms.

Dina, who is from Cairo, Egypt, and she has spent the last 28 days, I believe, in our office.

And this is our second international fellow.

And after we take this photo, I'm going to take a photo with uh Dina, who will be going back to Cairo, Egypt to implement what she's learned in our office in the city of Detroit when it comes to community development.

And as she's a trained architect, and so she plans to take this back to her community organizing uh job where she does affordable housing work and she is looking at some of our projects that we've done here.

She was placed in charge of my East Davidson Village uh redevelopment program.

And so we'll be taking a photo with Dina so she can take that back to uh Cairo and take some of what she's learned here from the city of Detroit to Cairo, where they're gonna be looking how they can implement affordable housing for residents throughout the uh the country of Egypt and specifically in the city of Cairo.

And a fun fact about Cairo, it is probably the is the first or the second largest metropolitan on the planet.

And so when we talk about cities, I think they in their MSA, they have about 22 million people, which is a hundred and fifty percent more than population we have here in the entire state.

So when you want to talk about a job for a mayor, just think about what that's like when your constituent base has more people than the entire state of Michigan.

And so just take that back when it comes to the ability to have a huge impact.

Uh Miss Erica Ward Gerson, two billion dollar uh return on investment is big, but I'm not sure what it would be like there in Cairo, maybe a little bit bigger.

So we may want you to take your uh your challenge over to Cairo and help with uh improving the uh return on investment and their value there as well.

So, colleagues, we can go over and uh take a photo.

And Miss Dina, thank you for coming as well.

We'll take a picture with you next.

So immediately following this picture.

Once you run up and we'll take a picture, so you have a picture of all the city council take back with you.

And member Benson, if I might throw the chair.

Um, speaking to your intern, we know that some of the oldest structures, if not the oldest structures in the world, are right there in Cairo.

They're over 4200 years old, which are our pyramids.

So thank you.

We could probably learn a few things from your country as well.

Absolutely.

And to my colleague, and see, this is how where I'm thinking, I'm like, wow, you're from Cairo, Egypt.

That's on the Red Sea.

They have the best scuba diving on the planet there.

But then my colleague says, No, they have the oldest structures in the world.

This is a far more cultural situation than just you going scuba diving.

Thank you.

Thank you, McGalloway.

So proud, thank you, sir.

Thank you, Mr.

Lucky.

Oh, okay.

Thank you.

So the collection of public comment cards have now concluded.

No reconsiderations of unfinished business.

We will proceed with the internal operations standing committee.

For the internal operations standing committee, Madam Clark.

Two reports from various city departments.

The two reports would be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the neighborhood and community services standing committee.

One report from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer on Development and Grants.

I'm sorry.

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

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

Nine reports from various city departments.

The nine reports will be referred to the public health and safety standing committee.

We will now move to the voting action matters.

Mr.

President, so we are the front under other matters.

There are no items, Mr.

President.

Under other matters.

There are no items, Mr.

President.

Under communication from the mayor and other governmental agencies and officials.

There are no items, Mr.

President.

All right, we will now go to public comment.

We do have my possession now, more common.

Our first public commenter will be Miss Tessa Cosmo, followed by Brother Cunningham.

Oh Dessa, hit that button right now.

Right in under the mic.

There you go.

Okay.

Uh good morning.

My name is Dessa Cosma.

I am the director of Detroit Disability Power and a proud resident of District 4.

Back in 2018, I bought and renovated a home in East English village.

At 36 years old, due to the renovations that we made, that house became the first one that I ever lived in that was accessible to me.

My entire life until that point, I had been making do in houses and apartments that were not safe or comfortable for me as a little person and a wheelchair user.

The reason there is just not enough accessible housing.

This is not a problem unique to me.

The CDC estimates that there are more than a hundred thousand Detroiters, adult Detroiters with mobility disabilities alone.

City records and plain old observation make it clear that we do not have a hundred thousand accessible housing units in the city of Detroit, not even close.

In fact, we have a major gap to fill if we want residents to be safe and if we want residents to age in place.

Mayor Sheffield's Thousand Homes Initiative is a bold and exciting opportunity to accomplish several things at once.

In addition to filling in neighborhoods and increasing the stock of new single family homes, it could also significantly increase the number of accessible houses in Detroit, giving residents with disabilities more options for safe places to live.

That is that was two minutes.

So was that one minute or two minutes?

Okay.

Well, please make sure that these housing units are accessible.

I just want to make sure uh uh to my staff because I didn't see the time.

Uh was that one minute or two minutes I practiced.

I think that was one minute.

Okay, so it's it appears that it was a delay.

So officially we're providing everyone two minutes this morning.

So I did not say that earlier.

So we're providing two minutes.

So that's it appears that there were about 30 seconds that we're still on the clock because it started out late.

Okay.

So you have 30 additional seconds to complete.

Okay, thank you.

If you're thinking there are laws to ensure that these houses will be accessible, I want to encourage you to research further.

Uh many federal requirements do not apply to the type of info housing that Mayor Sheffield is planning.

So it is your job as city council to please make sure that these thousand homes will be accessible.

It's totally up to you to push for this, and we'll be right there to help you.

Thank you so much.

All right, thank you so much.

And it's thank you.

I apologize for the confusion.

Uh, we are providing two minutes of public comment for everyone this morning, two minutes.

Our next speaker, I did say brother Cunningham, but it will be Miss Betty Lyons, then Brother Cunningham.

Bear with me.

Ms.

Callaway, I want to let you know I respect you.

You work hard.

You always ask questions that are pertinent for Detroiters.

I appreciate you when you brought up last year the importance or the importance of the fire station being in uh in Detroit and not in the suburbs.

I am appreciate you when you talked about attorney Fink taking millions of dollars out of Detroit to his office in Bloomfield Hills.

I appreciate you because you always stomp them because they come unprepared, always unprepared for you because you are right on.

I always talk about the 600 million dollars stolen from the Detroit residents.

I don't understand it.

No one investigates Dugan, who is evil.

He and Romero only works for the unpons of dollars in Mexican town, helping them become whole.

But the Leland people, no one talks about them being whole or making them their properties have been deteriorating in that Leland hotel, or wherever they're staying.

And no one, Conrad Mallet is shame, shame, shame.

He is a shame to the field of attorneys, and he has not corrected any event of their life.

He only makes it harder.

So I appreciate those who work hard.

And of course, Miss Callaway, I will always look up to you.

Thank you so much.

Next speaker is Brother Cunningham, followed by Jante Smith.

Followed by Josh.

They couldn't hear at home.

Um, but I mean, I came down, paid for parking and everything, and they couldn't hear me.

Uh, I don't know if they fixed the problem when I left, but I feel like I just wasted my time upon yesterday.

Um so we had Chris Swanson, I endorsed no candidate ride to coaches, uh right along with him.

Uh he left a uh nice donation.

I was very nice of him.

Um, but um, any state candidates or any candidates or incumbents, um, weather's breaking.

Let's do a bus ride along.

Um talking to the people, we give out resources while we're on board.

Um, me and Miss Dessa came up with a pair transit, like a breakdown.

Uh, she just she's Dessa is just a powerhouse.

Uh, she is a blessing to me.

I know.

Um, but at any rate, we give out uh bus tickets, we give out uh um water, uh, we give out uh information, and we we just hear from the people.

So if you drive every single day, it just kind of takes you out of your normal uh environment to talk to the people.

Um tonight there is a um the nightly meeting, and I'm gonna give out.

I got two at home uh 31-day passes um just to give away tonight if anyone needs it.

And also the D dot input meeting.

We'll have pizza and uh bus tickets uh to uh to raffle off to get more people to come because the regular voices, we're good, but new voices are always wonderful.

Um, people seem to perk up to a new voice.

Um D dot needs to be on time, um, the fixed line routes and uh uh show up.

You know, they're doing better.

Thank you for your efforts.

313 444, 9114.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Next speaker, Dante Smith, followed by Josh Mann, followed by Adrian Times.

Good morning.

Uh just want to start off by saying that uh Ruben Crowley and Reverend Sharon Buncher are doing incredible work in District Three around their respective uh advocacy around Cronos Concrete, which is what I'm here to talk about.

I have four minutes later at the meeting.

I'll be talking about that as well.

Uh, I want to say I appreciate the meeting I had with Councilmember Johnson yesterday.

Well, Councilwoman Johnson, uh, it was a wonderful meeting about Chronos.

That's the first of many.

Hopefully, eight more meetings, uh or seven more.

I won't be meeting with uh councilwoman Gabriela Sansaga Mero.

Um, or maybe even maybe six more.

I don't think I'll be meeting with Councilmember uh McCampbell either.

Uh Councilmember Benson, I look forward to speaking with you and Council President Tate.

Your office sent me an email saying that you guys wanted all the pertinent information about uh that I have around Chrono, so I'll send that over.

So hopefully you can still have this meeting.

Also, Council uh President Pro Tim Young.

I'll be reaching out to your office for this meeting.

I don't know if there's like some type of Morse code I need to send out to have that meeting, but look forward to having it.

Uh Councilwoman Waters, look forward to having a meeting with you this coming week.

Um I also want to talk about the Maroon family in District Three.

Seems like they're buying up all of the uh industrial property that they can.

They own uh the Belair shopping center.

They're planning to make that a concrete mixer.

They also own a um former medical facility uh right now out of drive down the street for my first my first job, and that's my old neighborhood as well.

Um it seems like the Maroon family is going unchecked in the city, and they're buying up so much property uh exponentially.

And clean air is not uh ask, it's just a demand for citizens.

It's no way that anybody should be breathing air that is not clean uh because they live near a facility that is concrete mixing, and also that land is zoned in four, and it was houses there before there was zoning in the 20s.

There were houses, and then the zoning came, it was owned in four, zoned in properly.

But I'll talk more about a little bit later.

And uh shout out to Reverend Butcher.

We'll be going to speak at the Wayne County Commission about the same matter a little bit later.

You guys have a nice day.

Good morning, everybody.

Uh so I want to talk about Flock, but I think you guys are Mr.

Man Pool.

You guys are losing interest in this flock stuff.

So it's not just monitoring cars, it's monitoring people, it's monitoring where you're going, what you're doing, what you're looking at at your phone.

Peter Thiel is uh partner in it.

He's mentioned in the Epstein files over 2200 times.

He's the fourth most mentioned person in the Epstein files.

How are we gonna allow somebody like this to own our data?

It's not uh our government owning it.

I'm not against our government having this, it's a third party that can sell this information.

This year is when all the cars are being released with interior surveillance.

Are all of you aware that 2027 model vehicles will have cameras in them, monitoring you and listening to you and watching what you do?

Flock is now in surprise Flock monitors audio and will respond to calls of distress.

How are we gonna allow in our cities every corner to be audio track audio monitoring, tracking us?

It seems like this is getting a little out of hand because all of you are old enough to understand what privacy is and was.

We grew up with it, and it was a blessing.

Utah right now is getting a 63 square mile data center to compile information on people.

That's half of our city.

Our city's like 139 square miles, 134, a 63 square mile data center.

So now data centers are only here to it's a hard drive for all your photos of you and you and your kids.

The drifting and drag racing.

After we go after all these people in the cars, what's next?

We go after all the kids on the motorbikes and the mini bikes going through downtown.

And Mr.

Young, I've sent three emails with that video, and I got no response.

Have you seen it?

Thank you.

Next speaker, Adrian Times, followed by our final speaker, Mr.

Terry Jones.

Good morning, everyone.

Um last week, um one of the inspectors came out to 375 West Square and Boulevard immediately.

And I appreciate that.

Stands, can you get a little closer to the mic so we can hear you?

Can you hear me now?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

Um, last week one of the inspectors came out, city inspectors to my address, 375 West Grand Boulevard.

Very respectful, very professional.

Um, Kenneth Thompson.

He looked at a lot of the issues that was going on that I was complaining about.

As he approached, he saw fecal matter all on the sidewalk where you walk up into the building because they don't care to address issues.

And um, when he went in there, um, he saw how there was, you know, the carpeting was filthy, stained from over 60 years, but the same carping being down there.

And um, he came into my unit, saw the issues that I was complaining about, and then he has stated that he was going to make the owner um exterminate at least every month to begin to address some of the issues.

Um, even though I got retaliated upon that same night um severely.

A lot of women are complaining about the building manager and his workers uh behaving sexually inappropriate.

One of his workers two weeks ago approached me with two vibrators.

I'm almost 65.

I don't want that mess.

The owner covers the stuff up.

And um women have complained about being spied on in their units, uh, being stalked.

I have also.

No one's addressing any of these issues, especially after we come out and bring out what's going on.

Also, he's has some type of technology where it can affect our heart rhythms.

A lot of people have passed away that were complaining about the same.

And that's why we're saying he needs to get investigated by the FBI because uh he's a lawyer, he's well connected.

Um, there's some serious issues going on in this building.

I still can't drink my water.

So hopefully, you know, Mr.

Thompson, he will get looking deeper within the areas where he can, you know, uh address.

Um, and hopefully.

Thank you so much.

Hopefully, my team will get your information and also work with Mr.

Thompson.

Thank you.

Miss Johnson and Miss Waters.

Dealing with this problem with this house again.

I went to everybody.

Now I'm getting ready to go to the Fed.

And I'm thinking about running for city council because I see stuff in my neighborhood.

And Miss Johnson neighborhood, your neighborhood.

I live in Detroit.

I've been here all my life.

I work in Oakland County.

I see more stuff in Oakland County getting done than I do here.

My thing is my house been taken from me legally, took to Ohio, took to California, notarized.

I've been sued, everything.

Never got no lawsuit papers.

I've been dealing with this issue for years for since 2022.

I'm tired.

My last straw is going to the Feds.

And I'm running for city council because Johnson, you are doing your jobs, but to me, we need more effort from y'all as uh city council people, and we're not getting it because every district, somebody house getting stolen.

How you got 187 houses stolen in Detroit?

You don't see the investors, you don't see these people come in, and they always let trying to file any downtown to Detroit.

How are you gonna file something to to the to the um Wayne Connelly Dead Department, but don't come to the city?

Nobody seeing it.

I went to Lakeside, sure.

Yeah, the community thing I gave, they don't have the funds.

Now I think y'all need to step up and bring the feed involved because these investors is not here.

So what we'll do is for those who may want to hear from uh council colleagues.

Uh, what we do is we allow for everyone to provide their public comments, and then members then provide uh any further um comments from this side, if you will, uh, to address them.

But again, that will be after all public comments.

We'll now go to our online public commenters.

Good morning, sir.

How many callers do we have?

And who do we have first?

Morning, council president.

We have 21 online with our first caller being caller inning in 169.

All right, caller inning in 169.

The floor is yours.

Two minutes.

General public comment.

Hello, can you guys hear me?

Yes, sir.

Great.

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

Um, stop thanking him and start banking him.

Yes, B A N K religious bullies, religious bullies, religious bullies.

You should be ashamed of yourself for holding Cunningham down.

A bully is a person who habitually engages in unwanted aggressive behavior, such as intimidating, threatening, or harming others, particularly towards those with less power.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller is going to be Tahira Ahmad.

All right, Carla, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Good morning.

I'd like to give reverence to my teacher, Dr.

Yosef Ben Yakinan, Black Egyptologist.

The correct name for Egypt is Kemet.

It was Kemet before the Greeks invaded it and before the Arab colonization of the Black Land, also known as Egypt.

But Kemet is the correct name.

In Medu Nature, which is also known as hieroglyphics, it means the black land from the black silk deposited on by flooding every year in Kemet.

It is a Nubian Origin land.

Black people built the pyramids, the Sphinx, which is erroneously called the Sphinx, but it's uh probably called Hermacus.

The temples, all the temples, we built all of that.

Uh invaders trying to conceal uh the ethnicity of the black people who built Kemet by blowing the noses off the uh uh uh the Sphinx and other uh uh statues.

Uh Alexander, the Macedonian, was one of the ones uh by Rome who who blew the nose off uh the uh harmakas.

I um Kemet is uh was uh the pyramids were not built by Jews.

There were no Jews 4,000 years ago.

Uh built the pyramids.

It was built by black people uh uh in uh Kemet.

Uh and you can do the research.

Uh my councilwoman, I love you so much, and I know you can probably uh go to Kimmy, but you need to go because it's being concealed.

The universities are concealing who the original uh Kemites or Egyptians were.

Um also the pyramids 4,000 years ago, uh the graves are around, please.

Our next caller is going to be Theo Pra.

Yo Pra, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Uh, to Council President Tate and Pro Tim Young.

Good morning.

Uh, thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Uh my name is Theo Pride, a district two resident and organizer with Detroit People's Platform.

Um, I mean I'm here to speak about the working group that's been convened to develop a zoning and policy recommendations for data centers in Detroit.

Uh Detroit is at a critical moment as interest in data center development accelerates.

Uh these projects, of course, come with serious impacts around energy demand, uh, water usage and infrastructure strain.

Uh thus I'm I'm concerned about the composition of the current working group, which seems to include many uh industry stakeholders, utilities, uh developers, and uh tech representatives.

Uh, it is not balanced with enough community voices and leaders who do tech justice work here and around the country, like our own Tawana Petty.

Uh that absence presents issues around equity at a time when Detroit's, especially those in historically overburdened neighborhoods, uh, must be centered in decision making.

Uh residents across the city are already raising concerns about how these developments could affect their neighborhoods uh without stronger transparency and accountability.

Uh, there's a real risk that decisions could move forward uh without the voice of the most impacted people.

Uh for these reasons, I respectfully urge council to elevate this working group uh to a formal task force.

Uh, doing so would ensure publicly noticed meetings, accessible records, and a clear structure for real community power uh and accountability.

Uh Detroit has an opportunity to set a strong equitable precedent here.

Uh let's make sure the process is truly guided by the will of the people and not tech lobbyists and developers.

Uh thank you for your time.

Next caller is going to be William.

Madam Clerk, if you can note that we've been joined by member of Wars.

I did uh neglect to say that earlier.

Clerk was salute, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

And Member McCamp.

Clerk will so note, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Mr.

Huff.

Next caller will be William M.

Davis.

William M.

Davis, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Uh good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes.

Okay.

I am the citizen leader, the civilian leader of the natural determined OPAC, the law enforcement leader is the chief of police in Dearborn.

Uh we're a group that's made up of community groups and law enforcement entities throughout Southeastern Michigan, be it the FBI, Border Patrol, police chiefs, uh, county police uh sheriffs and what have you.

And um, because uh at that last meeting, we probably had like five FBI agents there.

But you know, we you know we uh go to different sites for our various meetings.

We just had a meeting this past Friday.

It was at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center right there on Fourth Street.

1627 West Fourth Street.

It was an outstanding meeting, and we had an opportunity to hear what they do because you know they help you know adults uh and they live there while they are getting their treatment, uh, which is good because we need more people in institutions like that.

They have over 100 beds, and it's right down the street from the post office.

And but you know, we need to know what's going on in our community.

We need to be helping more of our people, especially people with substance abuse.

Because they've been in existence over 100 years.

Uh, back in the 1980s, I was uh ask me uh community service rep.

I used to have to refer people to you know places like this.

We need to make sure that all of our people are getting the assistance they need to help become more productive, strong citizens.

And also separately, I like to say we need to be encouraging more of our people to vote.

You know, especially this year, we need a major voter turnout throughout Southeastern Michigan.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller is going to be Eden Bloom.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

May I have you heard?

Yes.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

My name is Eden Bloom.

I'm a district four resident and I work with Detroit People's Platform.

Last week, our members and supporters came before the Planning and Economic Development Committee to call for Councilmember Benson's data center working group to be reconstituted as a formal task force under the council's own rules of order.

We're here today to bring that call to full council because this decision belongs to all of you.

In response to our call last week, Councilmember Johnson pointed to a yet to meet East Side Study Group as a place for community voice.

We appreciate the acknowledgement, but the traders deserve more than acknowledgement.

Uh, they deserve a supplemental process running alongside more than a supplemental process running alongside the table where actual recommendations are being made.

We deserve a seat at the table.

The current working group structure convenes DTE developers and department heads, these entities that stand to benefit financially from data center development in Detroit.

They're being asked to help write the rules that were governed that same development.

That seems to be a conflict of interest.

And community, the people who will live with the environmental infrastructure and economic consequences of these decisions are not fully represented in that room.

We have watched this pattern play out across the country.

Data center development is moved through closed door meetings and non-disclosure agreements that shut residents out until it's too late.

In city after city, communities found out about billion-dollar projects only after decisions were already made.

Detroit has a chance to do this differently, but only if council acts.

Let us be clear about where this stands.

In March, council voted six to two to call for a two-year moratorium on data center permits.

The mayor has not acted on it.

There is no moratorium.

Residents who believe protections are in place are mistaken.

Under your own rules of order, a working group carries no formal obligation for public notice, no requirement for accessible records, and no binding accountability to residents.

A task force is different.

A task force means publicly noticed meetings, accessible records, and a defined next caller, please.

Our next caller is going to be Miss Betty A.

Varner.

Ms.

Betty A.

Varner, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Good morning to all within the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Varner, president of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association.

Want to share some information in regards to local 68.

They have an apprenticeship program, and they are in need of people for this program for the electricians and plumbers.

They have positions that need to be filled.

When you go to school, you can earn up to, well, let me say this.

No, that's not correct.

While you're in training, you can receive a uh some type of stifling.

I didn't get all the information because I didn't have my pen and paper ready, but I did get the telephone number.

Also, they say when you complete the training programs and meet all the requirements, you can earn up to 100,000 a year.

The telephone number is one 586, 751 660.

Again, one 586 751 660.

And this is uh local 68 call for additional information.

It's an apprenticeship program.

I got this information yesterday from watching this Theo Broton's feedback program.

They are in need of people.

Also, I support the idea of having more accessible homes to be built, but also think about your legacy residents who are disabled and you have seniors now who need to have their homes accessible.

We want to be able to stay in our homes and not be in nursing homes.

So please think about those people and also remove the income requirements because you leave a lot of people out.

Thank you for this time.

Let's call it.

Council President, our next call is going to be Nimi's friend.

All right, caller.

The floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Ruben, are you there?

Let's put their caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Our next call is going to be Casey.

Right, Casey.

Floor's yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Can you hear me?

Oh, thank you.

This is Casey Peller, resident in District 4 and policy manager at Detroit Disability Power.

I'm here today to comment in support of the contract number 600717, which is the KMA Associates for the Accessibility Audit and Recommendation Report.

KMA brings specialized expertise that spans from basic ADA compliance all the way to universal and inclusive design and having that spare expansive expertise and that scope of experience is exactly what this project needs.

That foundation is essential in planning, you know, how to increase accessible housing across the city.

So we ask that you please approve the contract today without any further delay as the audits need to be completed by the end of this fiscal year in order to utilize the budget investment that you all allocated during the budget hearings last year.

And separately, as the mayor moves forward with uh the plan to build out these a thousand and fill homes, we really urge that disability inclusion be centered from the start, um, which really is revolutionary because we don't want more homes that we have to retrofit later.

We can save the money and health and well-being costs of residence up front by really future-proofing um our housing stock for current and future generations.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

Can I be heard?

Hello, can I be heard?

Yes, you may.

Thank you.

My name is Vanetta Mayberry.

I am uh speaking about the city of Detroit, where I was born and raised.

I'm um also how about it?

There was a time when our city was bustling when it's 375 came through my neighborhood, tearing up Paradise Valley and the Black Bottom, losing black businesses forever and being built on top of it, Ford Field, called America Park, as well as the Greek Town Casino.

No more housing was built for the people.

You tore down the Jeffrey projects and the Brewster projects just to uproot black people in the city of Detroit.

I wish we had city council people who love Detroit as much as Comey Young, as much as others who really truly love the city and love the people, that they will build more housing for the city, the monthly um cleanup for the city of Detroit.

As street sweepers would come through and uh clean the streets.

I wish we had um not torn down the Joe Lewis Arena to make a Joe Lewis walkway that people can ride and ride their bikes on the walk all over Joe Lewis's legacy, walk right out of the city of Detroit with our money that was for the city of Detroit.

June the 23rd, we will be at Martin Luther King Memorial Park to speak on what is needed for the city of Detroit reparations for all Detroit residents.

We're looking for our reparations and we want our reparations now.

June 23rd, 10 o'clock, Martin Luther King Park 12th, and West Grand Boulevard, Rosa Park Boulevard, and West Grand Boulevard.

See you there, Miss Maybell.

Let's call it please.

Caller, are you there?

Put that a caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Our next caller is going to be Samsung SMG991U.

General Public Comment.

Yes.

I don't want to speak.

First of all, I want to say Cunningham doing a great job.

He should always be recognized.

Because he's looking out for the people, the bus riders and all that, and the seniors.

But um the shame bus and the conit bus.

Six mile bus.

And the shame bus to me cuts out too early.

Stopping at, I think it's like 8, 8:30, something like that.

But anyway, you know, the days are getting longer, the summer is coming in, and people can ride the cone bus to Balau.

So because a lot of people that don't have vehicles, they might get on that where they can get on that cone bus, go out there and enjoy themselves.

The as I stated before, the program that we were qualified for, and then they turned around and took the funds.

So I would like for us that that to be reinstated and everything, because I keep I keep my list.

Everything that's on my list that I was approved for, and any other anybody else said it was approved for, we should get that before new money comes and be spent on something else.

Because it was already approved, and it should be put into force where we can get what we need for our property and whatever for our houses and everything else that we need.

So, you know, we want I want to know do they have anybody out there that paint houses, you know, for seniors?

You know, when you need your house painted, you know, paint is kind of expensive.

So if we can get some money in for the seniors to get their homes painted, especially if you've been in your house for a while, but you know, painted it several times yourself, and now you're older.

So we get somebody to do painting for seniors, that would be a great job.

Thank you for taking my car.

Next call is going to be call in user three.

Call in user three of the floor is George.

Yeah, two minutes, general public comment.

Can you hear me?

Yes, ma'am.

Good afternoon.

I would like for you, Councilmember Kate, to tell me because you never address it any time, anything is um asked of you.

When did it become a policy on DOT bus to allow stolen wheelchairs from their DMC or Henry Ford Hospital to be brought on a bus and block the highway?

I sent the email asking for your staff as well as um D D dot to answer.

Um it was nothing sent over.

I also want to know why hasn't council made sure that the Wills of Parks Transit Center and the state fairgrounds is being cleaned daily, it's full of bird feces, human vomit right now as we speak, and nothing is being done, and in closing, why is it that it is okay for building and safety to give a certificate of compliance to owners where elevators are lifting two and three feet up off of the floor, causing a tripping hazard where residents have to fear either retaliation, bogus lease violations, or eviction notices.

Why haven't you never addressed that?

You say at the end of public comment, you'll address it, but you never do, and we are tired of it.

I never make a complaint that I cannot please, and I send you pictures, videos, and audio.

Been doing it over ten years.

You have not corrected anything.

You're the president.

You're supposed to get this address.

Next call is going to be owner papa.

The floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Are you there?

Put that caller at the end of the queue and go to the next place.

Marguerite Maddox.

Marguerite Maddox.

Um you guys hear me okay?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

Number one.

I was reading an attic about the court public schools.

Maybe we take it over by the state.

My question is that anybody is nervous about it.

Yes or no.

Number two housing.

How would you right for everyone who may or may not be the same now?

But we'll be de shaving later in life.

So houses and how many of those are gonna be eighty-eight and universal design.

Number three is the showbox.

I ask seven of you last year.

Did they grow up in my shoes?

They for those that did of up with my shoes.

And the others have an hour hour and half time with the anywhere just to if you sent the time and date numbers for the shower and the tub cuts.

Can we re shava?

And that and not the number five.

It's the AT Plus.

Yes.

And then Sabu.

And H V Murder.

Mother's Cuddle.

We say understood.

They are raising everything down.

Cities.

Well, they can go to have fun.

Look at the AQB and these.

The electric bikes.

They okay.

They make that.

Not the shower.

And then.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller is going to be Black Bay.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Let's put that caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Next caller is going to be Julian Gonzalez.

Right, caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes.

Hi.

Um, so uh my name is Julian Gonzalez.

I'm the C VI manager at Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation.

My time is primarily based around the importance of our shot spotter funding.

I just want to start by saying I was born and raised in Detroit.

I live in this city.

I've worked in this community for over two decades, uh, working as a Detroit police officer, working directly in the public school systems.

I'm currently working in the community now.

The city should prioritize balanced public safety investments that also include sustained funding for CVI programs alongside enforcement technology is what my belief is.

Uh technology can detect violence after it happens, absolutely.

We know it works, but CVI programs work to prevent violence before it happens and to interrupt the retaliation in real time.

Like I said, we know technology works.

Um I think we should keep those tools that have measurable value like the shot spotter, but public safety funding should not be overwhelmingly tilted towards surveillance and enforcement while underfunding community outreach.

It's backwards.

Um while underfunding mediation, um, underfunding workforce development, trauma support, re-entry work, shot detection systems respond to incidents.

Obviously, it works, but CVI workers prevent retaliation, those are two very different functions that serve different purposes.

Um, I believe cities that are serious about violence reduction need both response systems and prevention infrastructure.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next callers want to be Angie Gregorian.

Alright, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Hi, uh, my name is Arna Gregorian.

I'm a district uh five resident and work with Detroit Disability Power.

Um, I wanna first uplift what my colleagues Dessa Cosma and Casey Peller shared.

Um I'm calling in support of the KMA associates contract to conduct accessibility audits within Detroit's housing stock.

Uh KMA is a highly specialized firm, and we look forward to supporting this work on the ground and learning from their recommendations.

I urge council to approve this contract without further delay.

So the city does not lose access to this critical data, uh, which will help inform the development of a stronger and more inclusive accessible housing ecosystem in Detroit.

I also want to emphasize that accessibility must be a central consideration in Mayor Sheffield's initiative to build 1,000 infilled housing units, incorporating accessibility from the beginning will ensure that these homes can serve seniors, people with disabilities, and residents with changing mobility needs over time.

Um building accessible housing from the onset is significantly more cost-effective and reliable than retrofitting existing homes later, uh, particularly in single family and info housing.

Uh, thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next call is going to be Darren McGleskey.

Call of the floor is yours, two minutes, general public comment.

Good morning, council.

Um, you guys know me.

So we just had a few speakers ago, public comments ago.

We had someone talking about the black bottom takings.

That's exactly what the case law that you guys are using for the solar takings is based on.

It's in the actual complaint.

N-ray slum clearance.

You guys are taking property from people, are continuing to do so based on this horrible stain on our history.

Um, did I hear earlier that Cairo's on the Red Sea?

It's on the Mediterranean, it's near the Mediterranean.

And speaking of geography, if you guys research geography, there's a lot of land in Detroit.

A lot of land.

More like 400 acres that you guys already have that's abandoned across 10-acre or larger lot sizes that you do not maintain right now that you could have put solar on without a single lawsuit filed.

Instead, you took crazy steps to miss zone, exempt from zoning residential neighborhoods, and draw lines around some people that get benefits and others that don't.

Others that get their homes taken, their generational homes taken.

So in more of my research, this whole project was initially funded from the decommissioning of Misterski, right?

So the c the costs went from about 9 million down to the $2 million range.

And in the budget, you guys spent supposedly 2.8 million last year decommissioning it.

It still stands.

I've seen no work completed on that.

So I'd like an update there.

And meanwhile, you've budgeted 2.4 million to seize people's property while spending 7.7 million on attorneys to do so.

It's despicable.

Detroit Solar Scam.com.

Everyone should go there and research the facts for themselves.

Thank you.

Let's call it please.

Next call is going to be Pamela Walker Dawson.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Good morning.

Council, thank you for hearing my call.

I am a 75-year-old born and raised in city of Detroit.

I have owned my home for the last 42 years, and I'm speaking on behalf of Detroit People's Platform.

I am in compliance with them that we need a working, we do not need a working group.

We need the city council to have a task force to make sure that we have open meetings, public meetings, accessible records, and seat at the table for residents when we do the data project.

Again, I'm 75, and I know that new things have to be done.

We just need to know what's happening and be aware.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller is going to be caller inning at 534.

Caller inning in 534.

The floor is yours.

We have two minutes of general public comment.

Good morning.

May I be heard?

Yes.

Okay.

Miss Betty Lyons, take your praise back from member Callaway because 17.3 is the thing percent contract on the agenda.

So we deserve to know what are all the other cases that he is working on, in addition to defending the city and the Detroit land bank authority for their illegal nuisance abatement program.

And I find it astounding that you are awarding an award to Erica Ward Gerson, an attorney who is on the land, was on the land bank board and should know better about the illegality of the nuisance abatement report.

She said in a uh bridge magazine article that the OIG's report on the dirty dirt was terribly flawed.

And she allows completely double standards because Richard Hosey's got plywood on the Fisher body plant, no vacant building certificate.

But the land bank lets him have plywood, let some of their favorite developers they're contracting with.

I even brought a photo of the building open to trespass with plywood of the people who want to build North End Lending to a land bank uh board meeting, and they did nothing about it.

So she's the queen of double standards, folks, and giving her an award is just unbelievable.

I have seen her be callous toward people who come to the land bank board meeting saying, why can't I buy a side light?

And none of you would say that's because her buddy Mayor Duggan said you can't get it.

And now the person who says you can't get it is Mary Sheffield.

So uh very disappointed about that.

Again, we need clarity on whether people can have boards on the windows or not, because Richard Hosey of the on the land bank board who got a $6.9 million ARPA grant to build his affordable units, but the rest of us don't get it, and they run around taking people's property.

You can thank Eric Ward Gerson for that class action lawsuit against the city, and and thank yourself for the class action lawsuit in federal court about the legal mission.

Let's call her please.

General public comment.

Oh good morning.

Before there was light in this world, there was a word, right?

So I said that there'd be light.

And so I just wanted to speak about the power in our words, right?

Don't have to be fancy or different things like that, but there is power and words.

Um, I want to talk about the 75 million dollar partisan deal that was done in November just prior to the elections.

This is the type of things that this this discourages the trust of the people, the public trust.

So to be making any type of deals prior to a new administration coming in in and of itself just doesn't look right, right?

Then when you have common names in there, I don't have to speak on the on the names, but they already indicted on the state level.

We have them on our city level.

And so there has to be accountability there.

Secondly, I would like to know how many 10-year contracts do the city currently have, right?

That they just made within the last two years.

Uh, and how do that affect our public funding, our general fund?

Thirdly, I was happy to see in public health, the police charges, the commissioner objections, but still there's a constitutional crisis there.

The city and the union made rules that go against themselves that has to be addressed.

And lastly, when we talk about the CBI, in order to stop a retaliation, you must first admit that something happened there in the first place.

So prevention starts with preventing everything, right?

Close cases is a way to prevent or interrupt crime, right?

Solving crimes where people don't feel in position to do it themselves is a way to interrupt crime.

So you don't have to come in our community to be an interrupted.

You just have to do your job and do your job well.

And I think those things would be interrupted in and of themselves.

I like the direction that we go in and um and community-wise and decision.

Let's call the police.

Cindy Dara, the floor is yours.

You have two minutes, general public comment.

Yeah, Mr.

Foster, my telephone number is 313 414 5181.

And I'd like to make contact with you.

And so call me up because we can't do it on chat since they won't open that.

Well, it's just our first amendment, right?

But we might swear.

And that uh artificial intelligence couldn't stop it.

Now I have one request.

And this is not a complaint, it's just a request.

I've tried to get the film that was made of the all of Louise's uh street naming ceremony, because I've got a friend that I used to make banners with.

She showed them up and she showed me how to do them originally.

We made one thumbs down casino years ago together.

But she's got it all summer since she worked to get the park for Louisiana.

It's uh they used it for stormwater removal too from the streets and spent 300,000 on that.

But uh they've got a statue and stuff.

They should honor Sarah.

Sarah was her best friend that she met w uh in a store.

Uh be all of it and and uh Sarah promised to take care of her kids if something happened to her when she went to Mississippi to help people vote, and she was killed.

Sarah used to go there every um week, take care of her kids and go home and take care of her own kids on the weekend.

And Viola's husband was a teamster uh business agent.

He became an alcoholic, but uh, I want to get the copy so I can take it tomorrow.

So please help me.

Somebody who knows how to get that tape.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller before going to our callers in the queue is going to be James Chandler.

Caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Let's put this caller at the end of the queue.

Go to the next, please.

Yes, sir.

So going to our callers in the queue.

We need clarity about plywood is first.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Going once.

Going twice.

We need clarity.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller is going to be Nini's friend, but I want to note that that's Mr.

Ruben Crowley.

He goes under all of his aliases.

So we will only take one.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Nini's friend.

All right.

Caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes, general public comment.

Going once.

Going three times.

It's the collection.

Uh we shall now.

I'll close off that public comment.

Go to the next, please.

Uh now we have owner Papa.

All right, caller.

The floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Uh good morning.

And through the chair, might be heard.

Yes, ma'am.

Oh, thank you.

Uh, yes, um, I'm gonna say for Ruben, elections need to be fair, and let's just need to be um legal.

Everybody that votes needs to be able to vote legally.

Um 19.1 is 100% blight funding.

Uh 4.5 million dollars to do due diligence.

I think it's a little bit late for that.

I think that 4.5 million dollars or whatever you're adding to that to be added to cleaning up the dirty holes because as Miss Crystal showed us yesterday from B Sid that they know where the reading remediation needs to be.

You're spending 400,000 of our grant money, it doesn't matter if it's grant money, it's still our money to to uh for B Sid to run some type of um analysis so they can warn developers around the Joe Lewis development where the dirty dirt is, but they don't want to clean up the dirty dirt, and to Miss Romero, when District Six had its issue with the water, you went to every extent to get it fixed and get the people made whole.

You should have the same energy for people with holes with dirty dirt in it around the city.

It is not too expensive.

If it's eight million or if it's eighty million, you're going to fix it, and I'm going to make sure that you fix it because you are the one who was over the department, the committee that allowed all these holes to be put in the city.

22.3 80 82, almost a billion dollars in ARPA funds.

The pandemic is over, okay.

The pandemic is over, and you have five million dollars left, and now you want to give it more to uh the police and blight.

You don't clean up the blight that you have with our money.

And I'd like to know you have any Z again.

Please do a feasibility study on how it's depleting the general.

Let's call it this.

Our final caller for today is going to be returning to James Chandler, the last caller in our queue.

All right, Mr.

James Chandler, the floor is yours.

Two minutes, general public comment.

Going once, James Chandler.

Going twice, James Chandler.

When three times, James Chandler, are you there?

Of course, we're gonna have to move on.

If you would like to provide your comments to the clerk's office, it will be placed on to public record.

And then now concludes public comment colleagues discussion.

We have uh member McCampbell followed by Member Benson.

Member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um good morning, everyone, and thank you to everyone who came down to give public comment and called in.

Uh I would just I agree uh with folks that have lifted up around affordable housing, I mean accessible housing, affordable housing as well.

Um, more specifically on accessible housing and and ensuring that as we are looking to build more um in the infield housing that it is accessible.

I you know, in budget finance orders as we have the NEZ certificates come before us, we do ask um folks to consider accessibility up front instead of later on, um, because folks um we have a significant population that do have disabilities, but also um you never know when you will have a disability.

Uh so we need to make sure that our housing stock reflects that.

So I would definitely uh include what the disability task force be working to see what type of um ordinances or policies we can put in place, but also um with the administration as they think about the approved site plans.

Um, I think it would be good to make sure that those site plans are accessible as well.

And then also wanted to lift up the concerns around flock.

I would just say there are many municipalities, including here in the state of Michigan, um, that are looking at flock and rejecting it from being in their community.

So um looking forward to that conversation here as well.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

We now have uh member Benson followed by member waters.

All right, thank you.

And I am glad to hear the level of interest when it comes to data centers.

Uh, we started this process back in March, where the city council requested a two-year moratorium from Mayor Sheffield.

At this point, the city council is taking the lead, which is a legislative process to write and zoning ordinance and policy around data centers.

So the greatest threat to a community's health when it comes to data centers is not having regulation.

The city of Detroit does not currently have regulations, and the plan is to rectify that by the end of this year.

The data center working group's mission is to develop community-informed policy and zoning regulations for data center development within the city of Detroit.

What we will not do, and what will not be tolerated is to not act.

This body will act and we will provide regulations to protect our community from data centers.

The data center working group has met twice.

It has been attended by over 40 people at each meeting.

In addition, those meetings have been attended by three different council member offices and one state senator's office.

In addition, we have four subcommittees the direct result of these meetings.

Those subcommittees are led by an environmental activist, advocate, former Sierra Club retiree, city planning commission, DTE, as well as organized labor.

Her work is going to be informed by ECN's work as well.

And so we know that we have tracks going along two parallel tracks, and we're going to utilize that information by which we have give our information and our recommendations over to the planning commission, who will then begin to write zoning regulations.

I hope that work will start in late June.

We have two additional meetings, and we will use all the information we have, including the city, including our advocates, including organized labor, including the law department to ensure that we have well-informed community information as well as proper work.

And it's clear and it needs to be said the data center zoning ordinance regulation, it's not a simple two-sided equation.

Data centers are about balancing the challenges and the opportunity.

There is opportunity here as well.

We need a broad range of people to review this in order to make good public policy, which is what we are doing now, and it's being led by Detroit City Council.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um I just want to say that the Mr.

Jones, who was here earlier talking about his property.

Um I am told that he needs uh a quiet title.

And I believe he mentioned Lakeshore that Lake Shore could not help him, but you know, when Lakeshore assists you, um, it is there's there's income restrictions.

So I am sure that is the reason that he did not receive assistance from Lakeshore.

So he's gonna need a different uh type of uh um of attorney to assist him in order to make that happen.

Um so he can call the office again.

We might have some other suggestions for him at 313 6282363.

313 62823 um 63, Mr.

Jones.

If if you're listening anywhere, I don't see you in the audience.

Um, but I don't know if you're listening in.

If anyone knows them, please share that information uh with him.

I just wanted to a couple people called in about cleaning up the city.

And I gotta tell you, you know, just the other day, I'm driving my car.

Person in front of me was driving a very nice car, took a whole bag of trash, threw it out their window.

Out the window onto our streets.

I mean, that is the kind of thing and that really really bothers me.

We need to help clean up our own city.

So when you guys call us and tell us that we need a clean city, I need you to say to people not to litter in our city.

It is a responsibility of all of us.

Received some photos the other day, just trash all up and down a street.

The people took the time to dump it right up and down a street.

So we had to call DPW and GSD to address it.

But these are the kinds of things happening, and we are all responsible, folks.

If we want to keep a clean city, it is all of our responsibilities.

Thank you, Ms.

President.

Thank you.

Member Miller, I see your hand.

Good morning to the chair.

How's everyone today?

Uh, my comment is regarding Darwin McCluskey, if he's still listening.

Mr.

McCluskey, I just wanted to say I agree with you totally, but I am excited about our new mayor's 1,000 homes, uh, being disabled, uh, time or two in my life where I didn't walk for almost three years, and even uh suffering from disabilities here and there, I totally agree that we do need to have accessible houses.

And I am glad that our mayor is taking the initiative to pursue those in-field houses, houses.

I believe part of our staff from HRD in the city is actually in California right now, uh, researching in field housing because it is imperative that we provide home ownership for our residents.

I am a huge fan of home ownership.

I received many messages throughout the day regarding um different developments for housing, and people want to argue about what a real AMI look like in Detroit.

Well, I do understand what a real AME looks like, but I I do understand that we need housing, but when we have seniors and children in uh high rises and developments, that is not conducive for family.

But I guess if you're poor in Detroit, that's what you need to settle for, according to a lot of people around here.

But I'm first I'm gonna say first that we need a backyard, a driveway, and we need a house.

That someone can say this belongs to me.

So while our city has as um has torn out a lot of neighborhoods, one lady called in, I can't remember her name, torn out neighborhoods that had businesses and homes.

I believe it is our job at this point to turn a table, provide those same residents.

And people often refer on our calls as black residents.

Well, any resident that lost their home for development deserves to be uh compensated and have another opportunity to own a home.

But in Detroit, we know what the population look like.

So I wish people would not get angry about what is said, but understand the plight that people have gone through in our city, our state, and even America.

But I do support what you're saying regarding home ownership and infield housing and single family residence.

Zoning is a big issue in Detroit.

And I would like everybody on this call to attend those zoning meetings.

They just didn't happen overnight.

You have to go to city planning meetings, you have to be at the zoning meetings, and you cannot depend on different departments in our city to invite you because they won't, and they have not.

You have to do your own due diligence to come to those meetings and stand up when there's zoning changes in the city of Detroit, because a lot of them are designed to leave you out.

And that is a true statement.

We have a lot of empty uh land in Detroit.

A lot of it's private land because people bought it for dimes on a dollar and they're waiting to capitalize on it.

So whatever's available or whatever is left, we have to uh take the opportunity to fill them with homes so people can raise their children and they can have barbecues in the backyard, and they can play um have their family over and do picnics.

That is what homeownership look like.

That's what it represents.

So I do agree with everyone that called today regarding um infield housing, um, accessibility for handicap and for uh just bringing back the real American dream.

D Detroit held for many, many years the largest homeowners in our country.

And while we seek to try to regain that back, I am supportive of the mayor and the thousand homes that she's committed to building and anyone that supports zoning, R1 zoning and um development that is on corridors, but that does not affect the residents of Detroit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Member Kelloway.

Um, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I do have to go on the record and say that I don't really agree with the new process for public comment.

Um, a lot of our public commentors come in and they don't get an answer to their questions, they leave.

Um, so they sit here and they wait and they wait and they wait.

And I know you know we have new leadership on this council, but I have to go on record saying I just don't agree with the new process.

I would hope that we can revisit it.

We never had a say so.

It came from uh Mr.

Chair, um, and I get it.

Um, but it would be nice to be able to maybe have one minute of a response to someone, especially if they came down here and they live in our particular district.

If we can just do it in maybe one minute, if we can just rethink it, but they come and they're gone.

And member Waters was talking to the wind.

Um that Mr.

Jones left.

And we had just if we could just be afforded maybe 30 seconds or one minute to respond to them so they don't leave with um no assistance.

And that's what's has been happening.

Um, and um, thank you.

Um, then also um uh and sometimes I forget, you know, there's a lot, and if I'm not able to respond, you know, I have to try to have my staff members run after them and get them the help.

We did have a lady here this morning from 375 West Grand Boulevard.

She came to um internal operations on Wednesday, and my staff went and assisted her.

She was back here today.

But that day I stopped and I responded to her and got her help that day.

That's why Mr.

Thompson was at her apartment that day.

And she came back today because she needs more help.

But it's just so to me, discouraging when they come down here, they just don't get the help that they're looking for, and they leave because they have to catch the bus.

We don't know if they're on a clock, we don't know if they're in a parking space.

We're not willing to pay for their parking, but that's just my um that's my um take on that.

But we were able to help that young lady last Wednesday.

Um, that at that very time in real time.

Um, also, if anybody's listening, we do have a Blight Patrol member waters.

We hope that you'll get involved with that Blight Patrol.

I do understand the legal dumping um here in the city.

That's why we establish an ordinance and establishing that blight patrol over a year ago.

We do have volunteers who have signed up.

Anyone interested in serving on the Blight Patrol, you'll just be the ears and the eyes and the consciousness in your community.

You don't take any action, you just report what you see.

Um, you can call 224 4535.

That's 224 4535.

And I know we put something in DP DPW's budget regarding some type of initiative or program um talking about um blight, illegal dumping, uh, littering, and we're supposed to have some type of campaign.

I'm hoping that our staff and anybody else's staff here on the council, we need to work with DPW to make that happen.

I never see any signs in our community states what's going to happen to you if you are caught um illegal illegally dumping or littering.

Um, I I often tell the story about going to Hoboken, um, New Jersey, spotless, even um Ontario, spotless.

They don't tolerate it.

I think we tolerate way too much in the city.

We tolerate way too much dumping and and and blight.

And that's why people in our city and outside of our city feel so comfortable coming into our city dumping because they're just adding to what's already there.

So I know we're gonna take action.

I'm looking forward to working with DPW to address it.

Um, and it's gonna take more than just this honorable body, it's gonna take a whole shift in our thinking in terms of living in a clean and safe environment because a dirty environment leads to crime and a clean environment, I would hope leads to um greater safety in our community.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

I'll just say uh I always like I can always have personal conversation on, you know, if there's any adjustments that need to be made or being recommended.

But since we're talking about it publicly, I feel that the process that we have now works a lot more smoothly for everyone.

The residents have an opportunity to speak.

And we're not logjam for two hours.

What I do personally, and I've seen it also with colleagues, they have if a member of the public has a concern, we'll direct someone from our team to go and address them.

And we can talk about it later on, but the main thing is getting that assistance.

So I've done that and continue to do that and will continue.

And so I uh I I believe this is the process that works better for uh public comment and it's being guided also by uh our parliamentarian as well, based upon uh open meetings act and Robert's rules of order.

So I have no intent at this moment to uh change that particular direction unless there's some massive uh rejection from the body, but at this point, uh this is the direction that we're gonna go in in terms of public comment.

Uh member uh Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Just briefly for the record, uh, to Ms.

Hughes, who I know um is a regular listener for our our meetings.

Um we have been in our committee making sure that we are filling the contaminated dirt sites from the very beginning.

We are pushing contracts out as quickly as possible.

I have been very aggressively making sure uh that we are trying to figure out ways to have uh the companies that that did this uh wrong to us to pay.

Uh so Ms.

Hughes, thank you uh for for your your advocacy and making sure that we are addressing this issue.

Um, as I know you follow committee closely, as I know you see us doing this work and pushing through those contracts.

Um and I will continue to do that because I I desperately want to make sure um that our city is safe and and clear from contaminated dirt.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Member Miller.

I I just wanted to uh make a comment based on the in-person comments.

I I I agree if someone comes in person to address us face to face, I think we should have a face-to-face conversation.

Uh if you're online with a comment, it's I think we should we could pause those till the end because most of people will stay till the end.

But you never if for someone to come down, most times they're in dire straits.

I'm not talking about the other people that come down repetitiously, but people come down and they're reaching out and they're pouring their heart out.

Some of them are in tears.

I've sat there in that seat and I've seen people come in to just want us to hear or feel what they're saying.

We have to show some empathy for our residents.

So I would think that we might visit the people that come in person to address them personally.

And we should actually offer some type of um parking pass or permit because it takes a lot to come downtown.

And the average person cannot even afford the parking or the ticket that they receive.

Sometimes we have to meet people where they are.

And that means standing up and giving them the respect they deserve when they make that uh decision to come speak to us in person.

I believe that some people do come just to do their regular thing, but it's hard to uh dissect who is who.

But we we have to do better at representing and hearing our neighbors out.

I think that just goes with the territory.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And as I stated before, I have no problem at all face-to-face talking to residents.

I do it four times a month in community.

I do it here and I do it here as well.

But what I and anyone who comes down here has the ability to talk to us face to face.

We have an opportunity also to provide them with comments face to face.

But if they choose to leave before we get to the point, and I always mention that we will provide comments after everyone has an opportunity.

But if they choose to leave or if they have to leave, this is an official meeting.

We have a cadence, and we make sure that it's known on what that cadence is.

The reality is it's not what we say, it's what we do.

So we have someone from our team go and get their contact information.

We can always reach back out and call them personally.

So we're not always speaking from the table, but we can talk to that individual on a one-to-one basis, which I do personally myself.

So I would just um I hear you.

If we would like to have another conversation, not at the table, we can do that because I think those are the more productive conversations to have.

But if we would like to continue it like this, we can can do that as well.

Um, but this is the direction that uh we're we're taking at this moment.

Colleagues, any additional uh comments, concerns uh member waters.

Yeah, okay.

I I just certainly would like to to echo uh that as well, especially if the people are here uh in person, especially and um I mean there might only be five members sitting up here.

I might want to go and chase that person up to the hallway just to talk with them, but then we're left uh without a quorum.

Um and every person that comes down in in person, it does not I'd have to say.

I mean, you have people come here name calling.

Oh, I'm not gonna respond to that, but but there's some people who come here with legitimate concerns, and and we're not able to uh respond to the live, they're gone, um, long gone.

So yeah, I I'd like to echo uh uh that as well.

So I just wanted to share that since we were having the conversation.

All right, thank you so much.

Thank you.

And if if we'd like, we can have the conversation offline, and we can just continue to make statements at the table.

I'm giving it to you where I'm receiving.

So all right.

So the uh public comments have now concluded.

Any additional statements, comments?

Thank you so much.

All right, understanding committees for the budget finance and audit standing committee from the office of the chief financial officer, office of budget, madam clerk.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Actually, um, wanted to correct that.

This is actually from the Office of Contracting and Procurement.

Okay Councilmember McCampbell, a resolution line item 16.1, contract number 600750.

It's a no-cost agreement to provide deferred compensation services to employees, contractor, and our retirement total contract amount is zero, and that's for the OCFO's office.

Councilmember McCampbell, a resolution.

Member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line item 16.1 colleagues.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

Mr.

Chair.

Uh member McCown.

I'd like to request a waiver on 16.1.

There's a request for a waiver on line item 16.1, colleagues.

Any objections?

Seeing none, then action shall be taken from the office of the city clerk, city planning commission.

Council member McCampbell, two resolutions.

Line items 16.2 and 16.3.

Member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Motion to approve 16.2 and 16.3.

There's a motion to approve line items 16.2 and 16.3, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none, then action shall be taken.

For the internal operations standing committee, madam clerk from the mayor's office.

Council member with field calloway, two resolutions.

Line items 17.1 and 17.2.

Member Callaway.

Um thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Discussion.

Uh with discussion.

Member Calla.

Thank you, Mr.

Um Chair.

Um, motion to approve line item 17.1.

There's a motion to approve line item 17.1, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none.

That action shall be taken.

Request a waiver on that particular line item, Mr.

Chair.

That's a request for a waiver on line item 17.1, colleagues.

Any objections?

A waiver should be attached.

Member Cow.

And Mr.

Chair, there's been a request from the administration to bring back line item 17.2 in one week.

There's a request to postpone the vote for line item 17.2 for one week's colleagues.

Any objections?

See none.

Line item 17.2 will be postponed for one week.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

From the Office of Contracting and Procurement.

Council member with Callaway, a resolution, line item 17.3, contract number 6000 five five four-a one six.

100% city funding, amendment 16 to provide an extension of time and increase the funds for legal services.

Contractor think breast plc, total contract about 6 million 370,000.

That's for law.

Council member Whitville Calloway, a resolution.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line item 17.3 with discussion.

Pro Tim Young.

Yes, uh, thank you.

Um is there anyone from the administration who can discuss what the lawsuit involving Hermit Kiefer is about?

Just give you a little bit of a main give me a little uh brief through the chair Graham Anderson Law Department.

If I could just have a moment to pull that out.

But uh beyond the Herman Kiefer lawsuit, the uh Pink Brussick team is handling a large variety of very important litigation for the uh city of Detroit.

Um this is matters that have extended for years, um, but particularly as we focus on uh the urban keeper matter we know if we could bring this back at the end of the agenda.

I don't have the right document in front of me right now.

Thank you.

Um postpone line item 17.3 until the end of the agenda.

Um motion to bring it line 17.3 to the end of the agenda.

It's a request to bring back line item 17.3 at the end of the agenda, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

Uh from the law department, madam clerk.

Council member with the calloway, three resolutions, line items 17.4 through 17.6.

Line items 17.34 through 17.6.

Member Callow.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line items 17.4 through 17.6.

Any objections?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Moving on uh under resolutions, madam clerk.

Council member with the old calloway, two resolutions, line items 17.7 and 17.8.

Line items 17.7 and 17.8, member calloway.

Okay.

Ms.

Chair, discussion on line item 17.7.

Member Callaway.

Um, may I defer to you to Member Vincent?

Um member discussion.

Member Benson.

Thank you.

Um on line item 17.7, we had the opportunity in the committee subcommittee to interview Mr.

Glenn did an excellent job.

What we didn't do is take resumes from other colleagues, and we'd like to have the opportunity for our colleagues to uh submit resumes for interviews as well.

And so we're gonna motion to send uh line of 17.7 back to committee to allow for additional time for colleagues to submit resumes of other potential candidates.

Motion further discussion with further discussion.

I believe there's actually um a couple of folks, at least one that's on the agenda for referral today.

Um I see uh member Callaway and then uh believe there was a couple of hands down here, Mr.

Callum.

Yeah, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

So there this is a little tricky one because I got some information from LPD.

I don't know if they want to chime in on line item 17.7, but I do believe if this appointment were to go through, it would only be through the end of June, because then we would have to um start a new process because I think there's a vacancy that we're trying to fill, and what's happening now, Mr.

Um Mr.

Glenn would only serve until the end of June.

So I believe LPD can um further clarify Mr.

Mr.

Wilton.

Um what member Callaway is indicating is true.

The term uh normally would I guess the the young lady who currently occupies as a carryover from an expired term, the term is set to expire at the end of June, June 30th.

So if you're if you're looking to replace um the person who is currently in there now, it would be for a very abbreviated period of time, six weeks or so.

So um I don't know if you want to consider this person for that short term or not, you're looking to have a new person come in for the expired term and then have that person serve for a continued term.

It would certainly be up to council to make that choice, but this there is a current term that expires on June 30th.

So, Mr.

Wicker, so advise me on this because I know none of these folks have come before us after the first appointment.

So, why weren't we advised of terms when the terms ended for the previous or the the ones that are being replaced by the current mayor and this individual who technically is an appointment of the mayor, but is a handshake appointment of city council.

I guess the the person who currently is in the term we in our um in our boards and commissions report lists that person every time and we've indicated, I believe that the expiration date goes back to 2022, and we've been indicating that.

But does that mean all of them that come before us?

Because this member here is technically again an appointment of the mayor.

Right.

This is an agreement that we had that we as council, so if there's any unappointment, that shall take place.

It shall come from the mayor, right?

Not from city council.

Yeah, I think correctly.

I think what we're what we're saying in our report is that the singular appointment that the mayor has allowed council to appoint really expired in 2022.

And I mean our report has been indicating that when we publish it uh periodically, that that that appointment ended then.

I don't think we said anything in our report that their term was that in other words, in June 2022, that appointment expired.

Council didn't take any action to fill that spot until now.

So our report has continuously listed 2022 as the expiration.

I don't know if I'm asking your question.

So the only reason I said is because they were all grouped together.

So what about the other members?

Yep, the other appointees, because again, all of these were appointments of the mayor.

Right.

This appointment was council's appointment as given to council by the mayor.

The other appointments were appointments that the count that the mayor makes.

They're mayoral appointments, right?

But statutorily, that did not exist.

That this was our member.

Right.

That's all I'm saying.

From if we're looking at all of them being equal, but this one handshake, but we're moving towards eliminating that handshake with the MOU, excuse me, with the uh bylaws change in the conversation that I have had with the mayor, right?

Why would this member have terms and the other ones not when they all were appointed by the same individual?

Even though it was again a handshake that this one would represent us.

I see, but did not was not appointed, right?

That represented us, but they were actually appointment of the mayor.

I guess you'd have to look at I I don't have the document in front of me, so I don't know exactly when the other people who uh are impaneled on this board where their terms expire.

I'm only talking about the appointment given to council and expiration of the period for for that person.

So that that person sits on a term, it's been a carry on, a carry over the terms are four years.

The carry over would end the period for the appointment would end on June 30th of this year for that point.

That's what we're trying to get across to you.

That if you're appointing somebody for the balance of this term, that term would expire naturally on June 30th.

But the person's been carrying over.

They never was appointed for this for this term.

They've just been holding the seat down because there was no council appointment replacing that individual.

So what I'm asking again, because going back to it, so I get that very clearly.

But this individual was uh uh an appointment in a group of appointments, right?

So uh who are appointed to the the board.

This one was a representative of council, but was an appointee of the mayor.

No.

How did that this person was appointed by council?

It was an individual that the mayor gave the gate, the mayor gave counsel.

I remember what I'm saying.

Show me that document where it actually outlines that that's the case.

I I don't know if it was ever put in a document.

Then that's my point.

I don't know if it was ever put in the documentary.

That is my point.

That's exactly my point.

Okay.

That's where I'm going with this.

It's one because I don't want anybody to try to confuse language of again a handshake with actual language on a document.

That's all I'm saying.

So that speak because that speaks to the point that those other members should have terms as well, currently, right now.

If this one has a term, the others should have terms as well, and they should be coming or at least have to be reappointed if that's the case.

I am let me write have a report given to you explaining the appointments of this but this body.

It might help clarify of the entire body, not just of the entire body.

But this is this appointment is what I'm trying to get across is this appointment is a council appointment.

The others are strictly the mayor has all the appointments other than other than the one that the the governor has.

Correct.

But but uh the mayor has a lot has allotted one, and this person has held that spot, I guess for I don't know.

I know at least two terms, but since the maybe is the maybe since the beginning.

Since the beginning, I recommended this individual who has not provided a report to us, who has not shown up at any PD meetings, has not provided any information whatsoever as it relates to any concerns of my colleague is brought up.

My colleagues plural has brought up.

So yeah, um that there's no intent to try to keep this position with this particular individual.

It's just the clarity as we move forward, because as we have those conversations about what the new um uh body would look like, I think we need to have an understanding, a very, very clear understanding.

Um, so there's no switch of room or confusion for me.

Um colleagues, can we get a uh request for that assignment, please?

I can't motion there's a motion on the floor for the assignment um as indicated by LPD.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

I saw some hands down here, saw Member Johnson followed by member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I know there's been a lot of discussion about the uh land bank board members.

Um, and in the intergovernmental agreement, we actually ask that all of their board members go through interviews for reappointments when their terms expire, because it has just been they continue serving until someone says something, um, which I think we should address um in writing and have that addressed in writing.

Um, Mr.

Chair, I did want to ask Madam Chair of the Internal Operations Committee if there's a deadline that we're asking colleagues to submit other names or resumes for consideration for the land bank board.

Mr.

Chair, I don't know if I can answer that question.

Um, member Johnson, I think uh that question through the chair should go to LPD, but what I do know is we did interview this candidate.

Oh, we did interview um Mr.

Glenn um last week, and then I got information that it's only if he is appointed, it would only be for like 30 days.

Um, so if it's going back to internal operations tomorrow with another candidate being offered, will there still be a quorum with because is the person who's been on in that position, is she or he going to remain in that position until the end of June?

So we won't lack quorum, so we're not under an emergency type of situation through the chair to you, Mr.

Whitaker.

Mr.

President There is always just like the the position that that we the young lady who currently holds, that lady will stay in the position until it's filled.

So there's always a carryover on the law.

So the position, so even though the person hasn't been appointed directly for this term, she carries over from the last um appointed position.

So there's always going to be a person in the position that the council has.

In other words, there's a carryover.

So there is no problem with quorum because you've got somebody filling in.

It's just probably not your current desired person.

Yeah.

In order to do that, you must replace the person with a with a voted in candidate.

Through the chair to member Johnson, I hope that answers your question.

I'm not sure.

No, she said it's maybe maybe I can address it this way.

The quicker you act to get your trace in, the better you will be.

So I would not look to delay any further.

If you're looking to have a change in course with a new selected person, you should do that.

You should do that as soon as possible.

And certainly when we talk about this term expiring at the end of June, um, you know, nothing says you could not uh in your resolution indicate that your desire is to have the person served to the end of June and then continue in a new term.

We could prepare prepare a resolution to accomplish that.

It's not like uh, you know, electoral politics.

Mr.

Chair, I think I think what we're hearing is that when are you as the chair putting a deadline on colleagues to submit to the your committee?

Okay, uh well, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I would think next Wednesday, we did get Mr.

Javant Glenn, who we've already interviewed.

There were no other candidates' names submitted for interviews, and we interviewed him last week.

We did, however, get one from member Johnson just recently, but I had we had already interviewed Mr.

Glenn, so that's why we don't there's been a motion to move it back to committee, understanding that member Johnson has recently submitted an additional name.

So I would hope by next Wednesday, if my colleagues have names that you want to submit for consideration and for interview, and if we can get it by next Tuesday, next Monday, next Tuesday, we can have it on the agenda for interview for the next Wednesday.

Ms.

President through the Mr.

Mr.

Chair.

If you would like to do that, if you would like to put a deadline and have interviews take place next week, we can certainly prepare a ballot that uh because if you have multiple candidates, you would need a ballot because you've only got one position to fill.

So we would be happy to prepare a ballot and uh the appropriate resolution to accomplish what your desire is.

And in traditional, I know that you have the floor.

I just gotta ask this one clarifying question.

So in the past, all of the individuals who are up for these positions would come to formal.

Definitely there, there's a recommendation, maybe or maybe not from committee, but all of the names would come to this uh the full body uh informal session to vote on it.

Am I incorrect?

Yes, that's definitely correct.

Okay, all right, member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, I believe the chairwoman answered my question.

So the request is to have names into the committee or to member Callaway by May 18th, which is next Monday.

Through the chair, yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

And Member Santiago Romero, followed by Member Miller.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

My questions were asked already.

Uh we were missing information.

We did not know that this would only be a short-term appointment.

That was a question of mine is if this was going to be till June 30th, or if that was a mistake.

Um also were not aware of of the process and and being able to submit names, which we will look to see.

Um, but now that we have a date, we can go work on that dates.

And now that we know this will be short term.

Um, frankly, I would rather us take the time to interview people that we want um to be in these seats in the long term.

Um, but just you know, asking for intermission so that we're able to work on this together in the forefront.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Uh member waters followed by member Miller followed by um after sitting on the iOS committee, we have a uh an applicant, we have an African here in that we've already interviewed who is willing to serve for six weeks.

He has said, I am willing to serve this short term for six weeks.

I'm hearing from LPD that this other person has been serving for multiple terms, and this body have neglected it.

Sounds to me to fill the position prior to now.

So why wouldn't we take the recommendations on May 18th starting to fulfill?

And if Mr.

Glenn wants to join in to fill a new role for four years starting in June.

I mean, uh and starting in July.

Why would we waste two more weeks to interview and bring someone in?

Then it's gonna be four weeks.

So then that whoever it is still will have to stop their term for the July 1st new hearings to bring in a four-year candidate.

This guy's already here.

We're talking about six weeks.

I believe we should give him this position for six weeks and move forward with other recommendations, everybody turning the recommendations, and then we pick someone to serve the next four years.

Why stall this when we are already brought this guy in?

It's it's I mean, it's just for six weeks, and then have a full-fledged interview with him understanding that he would have to reapply or whatever.

Um, I'm sure he was asked to do this.

Um, and nobody else done it in four years.

Is that a way to be uh can we consider that option through the chair?

Uh is that already official question to the body?

Is that a motion?

Yeah, it's a motion.

I'm okay.

I make a motion.

Oh that we move Mr.

Glenn forward first the six weeks remaining of this term, and we set a date to provide new recommendations to fulfill the new term that starts July 1st for four years.

So for the record, um, does that motion, Mr.

Whittaker or to the parliamentarian supersede the motion of member Benson?

And the motion that was made was to send it back to committee.

Send it back to the committee.

That would see motion.

Discussion.

Unless you withdraw my motion and allow that motion to be voted on.

I will withdraw my motion.

There's a motion to well without an objection.

Without objection to withdraw the motion.

All right.

Gotcha.

So member Miller, the floor is yours.

Yes.

I make a motion that we move Mr.

Glenn, Javon Glenn to fulfill the six weeks remaining term for the Detroit Land Authority Board of Directors term beginning immediately with uh dates from with a date set to bring in all applicants or recommendations to fulfill the next four-year term starting starting July 1st.

There's a motion on the floor, colleagues with discussion before we go to your member let's go to the discussion.

Mr.

President, I just want I just wanted to say for the record that the resolution that we put forth is consistent with Mr.

with the council woman millers um motion.

It is only for a six-week appointment.

Gotcha.

Member Benson.

Oh no, I was opening up.

Discussion.

Thank you.

Uh member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh, so for clarity, uh, Mr.

Whitaker.

I don't recall this coming before council last term.

Um, if the person who's currently in the position, which is what was being discussed a short while ago, um, that the person came back before council for reappointment.

So the term that the person is in today is just been however long since they were actually appointed.

Therein lies the problem.

So it was indicated that we have not acted on this for the position that Mr.

Glenn is proposing to fill for six weeks.

There was no action for council to take because this particular authority does not come back before council for reappointment once their four-year term expires, they continue to roll over with no action unless the administration has presented a change to the board members because of that.

Or for however long.

So I did not receive any uh indication, anything to my office to say we are interviewing for the Detroit Land Bank Authority uh position as previously when I was the chair of IOS, I would send out an email to all of my colleagues asking if they had individuals that they'd like to be recommended for any open position.

We had not received that.

We did see the interview for Mr.

Glenn.

I had two uh resumes that I was slated to send in for consideration.

How shall we move forward at this point?

Well, Mr.

President, I think the the memo that you asked us to write may bring clarity to this issue, and if you will allow us to write, I think our report, our reporting regarding council's appointments is through the boards and commission's report, and so we would not necessarily notify you of uh of a desire to appoint separate and apart from that report.

So the the purpose of the report is to give council notice of the available uh uh boards and commissions that the council has right to appoint to in the expiration dates.

There, if you look at the report, there are appointments on the report that council hasn't filled in quite a while, and that could be for a lot of reasons.

It's really for council to look at it and decide whether or not they want to put forth a name.

Sometimes it may be difficult to to acquire people who would really want to serve on these boards.

We don't know, but our our notice to you is through that board and commission score.

That's why we ask that we do it and why I demand that the staff members were responsible for that report, make sure that the report is accurately reflecting the appointments and the expiration dates for those appointments, so that the council is informed.

But it's really up to council to put forth names or or determination.

These people serve at your pleasure.

So you can and you you've done that periodically.

You decide midterm.

The person's term might not have expired, but you want to make a change, of course.

That's your prerogative.

But we would not tell you what to do, or or we just react to whatever you give us.

I hope that helps.

But our report regarding this particular board uh will reflect the entirety of what we're discussing now, so that you have a full understanding of what happens with this particular board regarding all of the appointments, including the one we're talking about now.

Mr.

Chair.

Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Um, so considering that Mr.

Whitaker, on the the report that comes from LPD, is it specific to council appointments?

Does it also include mayoral and mayoral appointments?

The focus is primarily council appointments, although there may be overlap.

I know that there's some important boards that the that the mayor has, the council may approve, but we would notify you of that as well.

But it's focused largely on council actions.

And so because this position is not truly a dedicated council appointment.

How does this position get addressed?

Because if the mayor's if the mayor's appointments are not included within that, then we don't know.

We we don't know when the position expires, we don't know when the mayor is um planning to send different people in for an interview, and and I think that's part of the challenge.

Um I just want to be clear that because this position is not in writing for it to be a council appointment, that council didn't take any action beyond the initial appointment that was a handshake agreement for it to be someone that council had supported.

So now we're just in this gray area trying to figure out how to address this and handle this, noting that again these appointments don't necessarily come back for an interview for reappointment.

Mr.

President, yes, sir.

I I think I understand what you're saying, but this was a from my interpretation of the action that Mayor Duggan took when he when he allowed council to have this appointment, that this person was appointed to actually answer to the council, respond to the council's request.

The person may have been Derrick in doing it, but that was the that was the idea behind the appointment, so council could have some degree of oversight over the the board, because otherwise you wouldn't have had any under under statutory law and under the intergovernmental agreement.

You wouldn't have had any.

So the the thought was is that you would have a liaison person who could respond to issues that were brought before council.

So my understanding of that is the person was serving not as appointee of the mayor, but really as a as council liaison.

So they council would have the ability to dictate who served in that spot.

That's why uh council president Tate says he appointed or he nominated this person.

So you could have unnominated the person too.

You could have taken this person out and put your person, put another person who might have been more responsive.

I don't know if you really understood that, but certainly that was my understanding, and that was why we put it in the boards and commission's report that you would have some understanding of who this person was.

And if the person was not responsive to your needs, was not fulfilling the liaison role that was set up for this person, then you could replace that person with someone anew.

Yes.

No.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Mr.

Chairman.

Member Callan.

Um, thank you so much.

Um, I want to thank LPD for regularly updating the boards and commissions reports.

So I respectfully um ask my colleagues if there is someone that you'd like to recommend to the internal operations standing committee for an interview, then I would ask you to take a look at the boards and commission's report that is regularly updated.

That's how I know who where my vacancies are in my district, and I make sure that they're filled.

So I would ask everyone if you haven't take a minute to look at that report that that your department, Mr.

Whitaker through the chair regularly supplies to this honorable body.

Then you will know which vacancies you have in your district on those individual boards and commissions.

Then you would contact my office, my staff, me, and let me know in email form that you want this person interview for this particular board or commission.

It's not my job to look and see what vacancies exist.

I only do that for my own district.

So I would hope that we all will take an opportunity if you haven't already to review that list and see where you have vacancies in your own respective districts.

Then at that point, what I do is, and we all know to do this, we nominate and you send it to me, and then we set up an interview.

It's just you know, easy as one, two, three ABC.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, thank thank you, Ms.

Mr.

President.

Um I just want to say I I know that two of the mayoral appointments for the DLBA has been brought before this body, and I believe this body has approved two of those appointments.

I think the other thing that that was happening is the fact that I don't believe most of this body even know who the city council's liaison is.

If I've met the person, I don't know who it is.

Um, at least during my my four or five years here now.

And so when the conversation uh was brought up about the fact that we needed to get a name in.

Uh we had a conversation, I had a conversation with a few of my colleagues, in fact.

Uh, we were in the COW.

It was it was a uh a conversation that this body had about regarding submitting uh uh their recommendations um for for the DLBA.

I don't know what happened to the breakdown of the communication, but but there was some people says, Well, I've got a recommendation I'm sending.

Another person said they had a recommendation they were sending.

I don't know how some of the people missed that conversation, but it did happen, and it was in COW when it happened.

I want to believe I want to say that it was in the month of March that it happened.

So, but I I wanted to point that out.

Number one, um number two, um through you, uh, Mr.

President to Member Johnson.

She said that term limits um would say it's a part of the intergovernmental agreement, and I know it's not part of the intergovernment agreement right now, I don't think.

I'm not, but because we have not renegotiated an intergovernment agreement.

So I just want to understand uh that comment through you, Mr.

President.

Yeah, well, that was what I was mentioning to Mr.

Whittaker that none of these folks had terms.

So why is it that the one who was um designated to represent us had one, but the others did not.

That was what the writing is supposed to provide us.

That was my whole line of question.

So um, but that was a question you said through me to member Johnson.

Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

That's not my understanding.

My understanding is that they have four-year terms, they just never come back to this body for reappointment.

That's what we have requested to be included within the intergovernmental agreement so that we all know who the people are, um, whether it is someone that council had recommended, suggested, supported, or whatever, then we would know.

I don't know who the person is that is supposed to be the city council liaison either.

So um all of that is foreign to me.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Okay.

And let's bring this home, y'all.

I see it.

Bring it home.

There is a motion on the floor.

Well, yeah, no, I'm just continuing my little conversation.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

So and through you, I think it would be nice to be able to do a test run for the next six weeks to see if in fact we have somebody that can respond to us or is willing to respond to this body and give us regular updates.

And I do believe that the person that they interview, in fact, I know that that person will be extremely responsive, probably provide you with more information than you would want.

And that's what I do know.

Gotcha.

Thank you.

And I if I can just add one thing, um, so member Callaway clearly as the chair, and I remember being a chair myself of a committee and on iOS, you have the right to run it the way that you feel is necessary.

We just ask for a courtesy if there are interviews that are being taken place so that there is a deadline so folks will know.

Okay, because there's a lot that we're all doing.

I mean, sometimes there may be some other issues that other chairs may not be privy to at the time, and staff may miss it as well.

But if there can be a courtesy that goes out to colleagues that we can advance indicating here's the cutoff, we will be interviewing, because then that really puts a point on it uh and allows everyone to participate.

Um, not saying there's anything wrong with how it was done because by the rules, there wasn't, but just as a courtesy, I think that that would certainly help.

Thank you.

Um member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I just want to share bringing it home um to Mr.

Whittaker.

So when I was chairing IOS, uh attorney Barcliff shared with me that it was the chair's responsibility to maintain the document that you're referring to, that LPD has uh reported out.

I will also share that when I received the document from LPD, according to our information, there were some discrepancies.

So we did try to keep track of when the term started and when they ended.

Um, so just wanted to note that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Yeah, you did excellent job as chair.

Thank you.

All right, there's a motion on the floor, colleagues.

Member Miller, you does everyone recall what the motion is just to make sure.

Okay, that was to move member move Mr.

Glenn, uh, approve him as the sixth week or so appointment for uh the Detroit Land Bank authority to represent city council, uh, board member.

Discussion to serve uh until the new term begins, and that term begins, Mr.

Wigger, is that July 1st?

July 1st.

Okay, that is the motion, college.

If there's a clarifying question, member Johnson.

Clarifying question.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, through you to Member Callaway as the chair of IOS, how do we anticipate um the four-year, the full four-year term process will go if we approve of this, then what is the continuation of service or what does that the interviewing timeline process looks like?

Mr.

Chair, I will attempt to answer, but I think this is probably more Mr.

Chair, if I might.

I think this is more probably going to be Mr.

Chair, an LPD question because I know if this term was only a six-week term, it ends June 30th, 2026.

Then we would have to go with additional interviews now in order to fill that position and would have to be by a ballot because we're going to have multiple candidates.

It sounds like we're going to have multiple candidates.

So LPD is probably more qualified to answer that question for member Johnson through the chair.

I don't think I can improve on the eloquence that you just gave.

You know, you give the uh the council gives the names that you want put forth and resumes to the uh councilwoman, and she will do the um set up the interviews, and after you've finished the interview process, we'll do the ballot and we'll set it up for the new term.

If you haven't done it by July 1, just like the last appointed appointee, this new person will um Mr.

What is this thing?

Glenn would serve in that capacity until you replace them.

So there won't be a vacancy.

So I guess on on this particular question to member Callaway, is there can there be a commitment that by July 1st that names will be brought before this body?

Mr.

We will have an opportunity as a full body to vote on the next individual who would serve, so it won't be a holdover, so it will be clean.

Um, whether that be Mr.

Glenn or whomever this body decides to move on.

Could that be a commitment made by you and your committee?

Absolutely, Mr.

Chair, and I would hope that we get those resumes um sooner than later, so we can just schedule the interview so we're not backed up again.

But if the sooner the better we can get those resumes, Mr.

Chair, we'll interview them.

Thank you.

All right.

All right, colleagues, there's a motion on the floor.

Are there any objections?

Objection, member Santiago Romero.

Objection tape.

Mr.

President, that both should pass us.

Right.

So we usually have a oh that the reso fits.

It's it's in place.

All right, that resolution has been approved for line item 17.7.

Line item 17.8, Member Callaway.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um motion to approve the appointment of L Renee Johnson to represent City Council District One on the Board of Zoning Appeals.

We interviewed her last week.

An amazing interviewee without um objection.

We make the motion to approve this appointment.

Thank you.

There's a motion to approve line item 17.8.

Colleagues, any objections.

See none, then action shall be taken.

Mr.

Chair, uh Member Callaway.

We are requesting a waiver.

It's request for a waiver on line item 17.8, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none, a waiver shall be attached.

Uh Mr.

Mr.

President.

Um member Wall.

Waiver on 17.7.

Uh there's a waiver requested for line item 17.7.

Any objections?

See none, then action shall be taken.

For the planning and economic development uh committee for the Office of Contracting and Procurements.

Madam Clerk.

Council Member Johnson for resolutions, noting that line items 18.1 through 18.4 were postponed from last week formal session.

And also noting that they are all for housing and revitalization.

Contract number 600717, 100% city funding to provide housing accessibility assessments and recommendation report.

Contractor KMA LLC, total contract amount, 207,800.

Contract number 6007393, 100% CDBGDR funding to provide drop-in shelter emergency bed expansion for those experiencing homelessness, contractor, cast community social services incorporated.

Total contract amount, 750,000.

Contract number 6007521, 100% CDBG funding, sub-recipient agreement to provide an additional 40 drop-in emergency shelter beds contractor, cast community social services incorporated.

Total contract amount 500,000.

Contract number 600762, 100% grant funding to provide inspire inspections for federal refunded projects to meet HUD requirements.

Contractor, all American housing inspections, total contract amount, 150,000.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Move for approval.

There's a motion to approve line items 18.1 through 18.4, colleagues, any objection.

Discussion, Mr.

Chair on line item 18.4.

With discussion, Member Callaway.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

If we can have someone from HRD on and Director Stahl from HR regarding this particular contract for Matt Canfield, he opened his company in 2025 in Canton, Michigan.

Although I understand he's been doing these types of HUD inspections for a while.

Kyle, good to see you, sir.

Please introduce yourself for the record.

If there's anyone else who's joining you, see Mr.

Bow, please introduce yourself for the record as well.

And Ms.

Thall, Director Stahl.

Good afternoon.

My name is Kyle O'Forey.

I serve as director of preservation and asset management for the housing and revitalization department.

Good afternoon, Rebecca Labove, Housing and Revitalization.

Director Stahl Director Stahl.

I think we're having connection issues.

So uh you may proceed if you have a response to member Callaway's question.

Through the chair.

Could you repeat the question, please?

Okay.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Chair.

Um my question is this particular contract is going to be for how many um HUD properties?

And then I understand from Director Stahl from a week ago that we're behind about seven years in inspections.

I could be mistaken.

I don't know if I understood her, but I'm really concerned about the number of years we are out of compliance with our HUD properties.

Why no Detroit-based company?

We know this young man is in canton.

Don't have a problem with that, but I'm always going to advocate for Detroit-based businesses.

And I know I understand he came in with the lowest bid.

Sometimes the lowest bids aren't always the best bids.

That being said, I know I'm not gonna support this contract, but I want to know why are we seven years, which is what I think I heard from Director Stahl behind in HUD inspections, and we know that's critical.

We know that's federally related and required.

Seven years of not being in compliance, and how many properties HUD related are not inspected, have not been inspected.

And I don't know if you can answer that or um someone um from HR I'll begin through the chair, to the council member Calloway.

Our data don't indicate that we are seven years behind in compliance.

We do keep track of all of the projects that have received home funding from the city, and we have a portfolio of 56 projects that are currently in their home compliance period.

The requirement from HUD states that we're responsible for inspecting these properties in our portfolio once every three years.

So of the 56 properties, we have inspections within the last three years for 25 of them.

Excuse me.

We have we don't have inspections within the last three years for 26 of those.

Of those, 21 are past due for inspection.

So the other five are on schedule to be inspected.

We are setting up this contract to make sure that we can have as many of those inspected as possible before the end of this fiscal year and to continue that process so that we'll have the full capacity to do these inspections, which are not the same as the inspections that BC performs.

We do rely on BC data for the projects that we are behind on to make sure that they at least are serving the needs of Detroit residents as well as we can.

Thank you.

Through the chair, um I I do appreciate the question.

Um, and can confirm the data that um Ms.

Ofori provided.

The reason why we do have some that are past due that are within the home compliance period, is that um over the last few years we've had an unprecedented number of new projects closing with city funding, and we are also responsible for inspecting those.

Um, so we have dozens of projects under construction with city funding um that require our internal inspectors to go out, and that has taken some capacity away from the compliance inspections, and so we are aware of that, and through this contract, we want to add more capacity to do inspections, um, especially for those uh 21 projects that my colleague described because we know that it's really important that we get all of those um compliant with HUD as well, and we just we we really need this capacity, and um that that's part of why we'll be requesting a waiver because we want to get as many of those done within this fiscal year as possible so that we can demonstrate um to HUD and to our auditors that we are being responsive to the need here to um address those back inspections, and you know, we we do rely on on BC to help us confirm the condition of the properties are are in good shape.

But we we know these federal inspections are really important, and so that's why this contract is before this council today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, through the chair to is it Mr.

Ryan?

Yes, Mr.

O'Fore.

O'Forey?

Yes, Mr.

O'Fore.

Um, I this is concerning for me um to know that we have 21 properties.

Now, I don't know if Rebecca can answer this or you, but are we saying 56 properties?

Because you said 25 have been inspected of the 20 of the 56, and 21 are still pending inspection.

And are these all new projects or are these older projects?

The 50 first let me make sure I can see this number correctly.

It's 55.

55.

And of those we have a mixture of old and new projects.

Okay, through the through the chair to yourself, to anyone who can answer this.

Well, director stalls back on screen.

Director Stahl, are any of these properties um behind seven years with inspections?

Because that would be problematic.

Not to my knowledge.

Director Stall through the chair.

Yes, through the chair.

Uh can you hear me?

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, yes, through the chair.

No, not to my knowledge.

Not to your knowledge.

You didn't tell me last week that it was seven years.

No, I did not.

No, I did not.

Okay.

All right.

I misheard you.

Um, so how long through the chair have these projects have the ones that are pending inspection, have not had an inspection?

Because I I know what you said every three years, but I was told something different last week.

Through the chair.

Yes, sir.

Um the amount of time that they've been pending depends on when each project is brought into our portfolio.

There's a certain milestone that each project needs to pass through our department's underwriting team before it's ready for the asset management team to monitor.

So these projects have been being added to the list to monitor the capacity issues that we've been having, have been going on since around the time that we started to work on and bid for this contract, which if I call correctly, was roughly around the end of the end of last year.

So roughly November 2025.

Okay, so just about a year.

A little shy of a year.

The chair.

Okay.

I would say roughly six months to a year.

It depends on the project, but yes.

Okay.

All righty.

Um, thank you so much.

Um, and I'll talk to you, Dr.

Director Starr, because you did tell me seven years last week.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Member Waters.

Uh, thank you.

Thank you so much.

Um I did go by past community, did a walkthrough.

They need help for sure.

Renovations need to be done.

Um I saw the babies there, of course.

That always warmed my heart, you know, the babies there because they don't have anywhere else to go.

So I wasn't sure what I was going to do until I met all of those children up and down the hallway on the on yesterday.

But but I do want to say to BC and others who are responsible for um monitoring those those shelters.

Just because people don't have a place to live, doesn't mean that they should be living under any type of condition.

That you know, uh they need to clean up that facility.

I mean, even though paint needs to happen and other things need to happen.

Um when you walk through there, you want to make sure that the halls are very clean, that people are not being subjected to any type of viruses uh when they come in there.

Um you can clean up what you have until we can do better, make make sure that um that the place is clean for people coming in.

People, you know, uh people don't deserve to be living under any type of condition, whether it's 15 days or 16 days, whatever the case might be, uh, in these shelters.

And we've got we have to do better uh so that people can can go into these shelters and and and and and feel um that their dignity is not being stripped away from them.

Um people commit suicide because they can't take it.

So you you some people that go into these shelters have been people who uh been divorced, they go in, they had everything going for them, and then they have to go into one of these shelters.

They go in, they had everything going for them, and then they have to go into one of these shelters.

Can you can you imagine how that makes them feel?

They want to give up on life.

I know it.

Um, so um, I hope that we will we will do because I've got to go back again, and and and we need to make sure that they are cleaning these shelters, clean up, make sure the floor is sparkling, little babies around there, they play floors.

That's what we want to see.

Clean up what you have, and then as dollars begin to flow in, the federal government says they're gonna make some investment in shelters.

I don't know what is gonna happen, but but that's what they are pushing to do.

And I know we don't have all the money that our shelters need, but at least we can encourage them to keep them clean while babies are going and they're falling around on the floor because you know they're gonna do it, they are going to do that.

So we need to make sure that it happens.

So they they sent me uh a letter.

I'm gonna just read it out.

Um, thank you for taking the time to visit the cash drop-in center today.

Your presence to see firsthand the realities facing our unhouse participant means a great deal to both our staff and the individuals we serve daily.

As discussed during your visit, we believe in the drop-in center model and collaborative efforts to continue serving the community.

Also, we discussed drop-in and operating at high capacities, which proves the critical and growing need for these services within our community in the first four months of 2026.

Over 1,000 people have entered the drop-in center.

On many occasions, we are serving significantly more households.

This ongoing demand highlights the urgent need for continual investment, renovations, and operational support to ensure we can safely and effectively serve those experiencing homelessness.

The chart below will show the critical need through our capacity coverage over it, rather.

They are taking they, I think the capacity is 185, and they have like 260 or so.

And you know that's a lot.

The red numbers represent the months we were over and our contracted capacity.

Um, out of the 2874 people served in 2025, there were 998 children represented in this number, our babies.

In addition, our staff has worked hard to produce positive destination rates based on a 20% gold monthly per this data.

The need for renovations is critical to ensure we have more bathrooms, laundry facilities, electrical work, etc.

to support the participants served daily.

I wanted to share that with you all.

Thank you so much.

Uh, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Any further colleagues?

Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I had something in my mind, I wasn't going to share it, but I do just want to let everyone know that the um funds that comes from the federal government to the continuum of care to provide assistance and financial support for um temporary shelters and permanently supportive housing is diminished.

The federal government has indicated that only 30% of the dollars sent to Detroit's Continuum of Care can be utilized for these types of facilities.

So there will be a tremendous amount of funding gaps for the shelters that exist in the city of Detroit today.

So just sharing that so that everyone is aware.

Um, I think we have to come up with some creative solutions on how we provide housing and shelter for all of our residents, and it's just going to become that much more difficult.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

My colleagues, we have a motion on the floor for approval line items 18.1 through 18.4.

Any objections?

Objection, Mr.

Chair, Councilmember Callaway on line item 18.1 and 18.4.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Colleagues, any further none.

All the items have been approved.

For the uh member Johnson.

I'd like to make an attempt to make a request for a waiver for line items 18.1 and 18.4.

Request for a waiver on line items 18.1 and 18.4.

Objection, Mr.

Any objection.

Okay.

Waiver shall not be attached to those items.

For the planning and economic development standing committee from the city planning commission.

Council member Johnson and introduction of an ordinance line item 18.5.

Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I move that the ordinance be read twice by title order printed and laid on the table.

Motion to approve line item 18.5 colleagues with introduction.

Any objections?

See none that action shall be taken from the city planning commission.

Madam Clerk.

Council Member Johnson, a resolution setting a public hearing.

Line item 18.6.

Line of 18.6, Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman for approval for a date to be determined.

It's a motion for approval line item 18.6 for a date to be determined.

Any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

From the housing and revitalization department, Madam Clerk.

Councilmember Johnson, a resolution line item 18.7.

Line 18.7, Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Move for approval.

There's a motion to approve line item 18.7.

Any objections?

See none.

That action shall be taken.

From the planning and development department, Madam Clerk.

Council member Johnson, two resolutions, line items 18.8 and 18.9.

Member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line items 18.8 and 18, excuse me, point nine.

Any objections?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

For the public health and safety standing committee now, Clerk.

Council Member Santiago Romero, three resolutions, line items 19.1 through 19.3.

Contract number 6006589-a1.

100% black funding.

Amendment one to provide an increase of funds for environmental due diligence.

Contractor, the Manick and Smith Group Incorporated Total Contract Amo, 4,500,000.

That's for construction and demolition.

Contract number 6006243-A1.

100% city funding.

Amendment one to add funds for duration of agreement to provide sodium.5% solution for city pools.

Contractor PBS No Award Chemicals Incorporated.

Total contract amount 180, 768 dollars.

That's for construction and demolition.

Contract number 6006412-83.

100% city funding, amendment three to add location for citywide elevator maintenance and repair services.

Contractor, oldest elevator company, total contract amount 1,565, 469 dollars and 92 cents.

That's for construction and demolition.

Council member Santiago Romero, three resolutions.

Thank you, Mr.

President's motion to approve with discussion 19.1.

With discussion, umber Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Just want to note that 19.1.

Um this is a contract for uh environmental due diligence.

This is to help address the issues with the hazardous dirts.

Um we have been asking in committee whether or not we will be able to get funds paid back because we are quite frankly fixing a problem that we did not create, and I am asking that we uh get paid uh for um having to fix this issue.

Uh just wants to ask uh the law department if they wouldn't mind sharing.

I know that there is a lot going on right now when it comes to the Gyenga case.

Um, but it is a question that I'm asking is whether or not we can get reimbursed uh for this due diligence for filling out the dirty dirts with clean dirts, um, and would like to hear from them where we are in that process.

Yes, through the chair, Graham Anderson Law Department.

Um, as we discussed in committee, council member Santiago Ramiro.

This is a matter that plan on pursuing in litigation as uh you know there is a lot of pieces involved to the Guyana litigation and matters involving that.

We hope to be able to have this as part of our total damages and cost recovery.

We're seeking um, not just recovery uh from the money put into this contract, but from damages beyond that from Gaionga.

However, as I expressed in committee, Guyanga has a long list of creditors.

Uh but so because of that, I don't want to promise the moon here by any stretch of the imagination.

However, I can assure this body that the law department will be moving with as much force as possible in trying to bring cost recovery for these damages as well as others.

Discussion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And and and I wanted to add a discussion as well.

I'm actually asking if we can postpone the vote because I have some outstanding questions that I have.

It sounds like there's still some money on this particular kind fund still on this contract.

So it should not interrupt anything for a one-week postponement.

So I was going to request for a one-week postponement.

Um, and I'll do that.

Uh I can't motion myself, but I know member Benson had a question, so I didn't want to stop that question from being asked, but I I would ask for a one-week postponement.

Okay.

Um, discussion on that.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, is there a bond or insurance that can be attacked to make the city whole of the situation through the chair?

I'm not sure.

I can make sure I get that information.

I hope we'll look for that.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Postpone for one week.

There's a motion to postpone line item 19.1 for one week discussion with further discussion.

Uh member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um I um good with postponing for one week.

I just want to bring up because MPHS, we are now starting to get multiple contracts to address this issue.

Um, as I know that in committee, this is a um contract for due diligence on the environmental aspect.

We will be seeing soon um uh contracts to uh remediate and remove dirt and put new dirt into one property.

For me, is that I know we should be working quickly, and we and the administration is to solve this issue, and it sounds like they are in the process of solving it, but we have not had a full conversation of where things are.

Um, and also what does it mean for this to be solved and what steps will be taken in that way?

Um, so I um I made this request in PHS, but I'm I'm making a request to the administration that we get some type of uh briefing on that, as we are now being asked to allocate funds to solve this issue.

Um and and I know the law department is working hard to get cost recovery, but at this aspect, we are spending money um that we may not get back.

So I we need to have a full conversation about this.

So I just want to lift that up.

Thank you.

Um, member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

To to my vice chair.

Um, we also think that maybe we can discuss offline, but maybe a discussion that we have here at the full table, because I'm going to assume more questions will be asked when this when this gets here.

Um, so we can hold it in PHS, but frankly, I think it should be in front of the full body.

I roll a little note on my paper.

All right, thank you.

Yep, thank you, Mr.

Anderson.

Through the chair.

An issue with this level of sensitivity with some matters still either in uh preparing for litigation or already in litigation.

I think it would be best to have the law department prepare an opinion.

That way, this body can review that opinion, and it may even be necessary to then have that opinion as the basis for a closed session to have more back and forth and questions answered.

Uh, we understand you know how important this matter is and how sensitive it is.

Uh, so I I would make that uh suggestion and recommendation to this body as well.

Is there a motion for a request for writing from the uh law department?

There's a motion on the floor, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none that action shall be taken.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh and again, I don't think we voted on there's a no, Mr.

President.

Quest for a motion for a postponement for one week on line item 19.1.

Any objection?

Discussion with further discussion.

Yes, um, I don't know if this goes to you, Mr.

Anderson or who this would go to, but I would like to really see what the metrics of how we're measuring mitigation completion.

Are we talking about soil contaminant reduction?

Are we talking about percinages, average soil toxic uh toxicity index, dust suppression efficiency, groundwater protection rate, illegal dumping recurrence rate, brownfield to productive land conversion rate?

Like what are the actual measurements that we are using to be able to determine mitigation, and then can we make that plain and transparent so the citizens can be able to see that Dr.

Powers might am I breaking the rules here?

If you give me the funny eye.

Well, I'm just gonna ask if that can be added as into the memo that is being provided by so what a what person, what do I say withdrawal or what?

No, you just okay.

No, you just okay.

So I just stopped talking at this point.

I just don't know what to do now.

Through the chair.

Because if I can keep talking, we're gonna be talking now.

Come on, let's not get carried away here.

No, I think uh the the what you add what you just asked is very pertinent to the request for the memo from the law department that we have.

So um Mr.

Anderson, you heard the request?

Yes, those are items that are being requested to be uh dressed in that memo to us so we can determine uh after review if we would like to have a full session through the chair.

I understand, and uh from my understanding, um this contractor does fantastic work and we'll be able to get those type of details to you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

There's a motion to postpone for one week, line item 19.1.

Any objections?

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

Uh member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Motion to approve 19.2 through 19.3.

There's a motion to approve line items 19.2 and 19.3.

Colleagues, any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

We'll now move to the new business portion of the agenda from the mayor's office.

Mr.

President.

Um, before we go there, member Santiago Romero.

Request a waiver for 19.2 and 19.3.2 and 19.3.

Any objections?

See none that action shall be taken.

Thank you.

Uh member Johnson.

I'd like to request a waiver on line items 18.7 and 18.8.

These are in regards to the UC Lafayette, Lafayette West property.

See none, that action shall be taken.

Uh Madam Clerk from the mayor's office.

Custom President Pro Tem Young, two resolutions, line items 20.1 and 20.2.

So Tim Young.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I move to approve line items 20.1 and 20.2.1 and 20.2.

Any objections?

Say none.

That action shall be taken from the Office of Contracting and Procurements.

Council Member Santiago Romero, three resolutions.

Noting that all line items 20.3 through 20.5 were postponed from last week's formal session, and also knowing that they are all from the fire department.

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 506, 540 and 42 cent number 600727, 100% city funded to provide supplemental emergency ambulance coverage for the city of Detroit.

Contractor of MR Pro EMS of Michigan LLC.

Total contract amount.

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.

Council member Santiago Romero, three resolutions.

Motion to approve with discussion 20 points three, 20.4.

20.5 as well.

There's a motion to approve line items 20.3 through 20.5 with discussion.

Member Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

These three contracts are our emergency uh ambulance contracts.

Um just wondering if there are any more questions.

I believe you might be a little torn on this still, but I think today we need to decide whether to vote these up or down.

Not sure if there's any other session that's needed.

If not, motion to approve.

I saw Member Miller's hand, and we'll go to Member Benson.

Member Miller.

Good morning.

Um for me is the voters no, I would not be supporting a three-year contract.

I do have another uh commitment in later on in our notes, you'll see for an update on their strategic plan.

They talked about a strategic plan during budget season, and I like to hear uh exactly what they're planning to do with uh bringing things in house.

So for me, until I can understand and see and believe that they're actually attempting to do that.

I I can't support a three-year contract.

Thank you.

Member Benson.

No, that's what was my question.

Discussion.

Uh, with further discussion, Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um I was going to ask for this to be brought back, but I understand if folks want to move forward.

I have not had a conversation with the firefighters, with the firefighters union who have uh been advocating for a shorter contract.

Um, I did receive text messages yesterday, and um although I know they were here in person, um, I thought it was interesting that they hadn't reached out to me.

I will say um that I did receive the document that was emailed over.

I have a number of questions.

I will ask for the fire department as we look at rolling out a plan and figuring out how to bring this back in house.

I would also like to have a plan on how do we get more Detroit residents that are members of the Detroit Fire Department, because what I hear right now is advocacy for bringing this in-house to the tune of an additional 10 million dollars to pay salaries for suburbanites, where we have 77% of our fire department that lives in the suburbs, and only 23% that lives in the city.

That is a tremendous issue for me.

Um, especially if we're talking about increasing our budget, making sure we have fleet and all of that for firefighters to do the work.

Um to provide 40 EMS ambulance vehicles in the city of Detroit.

It to me says we're adding additional dollars onto the city's budget to pay salaries for folks that do not live in the city of Detroit.

And that just does not sit well with me.

So as we identify how we roll this out to bring everything in house, let's figure out how we employ Detroit residents to become firefighters as well.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

All right, thank you.

And this is to Member Johnson.

I'm hoping we can divide that question.

I believe that the bringing more firefighters into residence is a much larger uh conversation.

And I hope that wouldn't be lost based on the timeline for this contract.

I would hope that that could become a larger, longer, more nuanced conversation about how we do that.

I'm glad to hear that somebody else is prepared to have those conversations uh through the chair.

I'd like to hear from the fire department as well as officer procurement about the immediate plan to move the conversations into a longer term in-house presence from for EMT services in the city of Detroit.

I know that we have the three-year contracts before us.

There's been lots of conversation about the need to see a transition to in-house the uh concern about doing that immediately and then those costs.

But I just want to make sure that that conversation is had again, and I'm going to support if the motion is made, uh, bringing this back for an additional week for people to get additional information.

I want to make sure that we're not losing sight of the challenges around a one-year contract, which we do not have before us, and that would be a administrative issue from the mayor's office to bring that back to this body and just what we're doing to address the concerns brought by this body to bring these services in-house over a phased period.

Hit your mic at the bottom.

There we go.

Through the chair, um, council member Benson, great question.

Chuck Sims, executive fire commissioner.

So that was the plan from the start is to ensure that we can roll this in-house.

Uh, three years ago when we started this, the the um idea behind it was to first stabilize the MS system across the city of Detroit.

Uh, we had 18 ambulances at that point on our own with um an additional five to seven from the peppers, which gave us 25.

We decided to each year we're gonna increase our fleet by three.

And right now we're at 26 or 27 or 28, even on the weekends.

We're gonna continue to do that over the next three years if this contract is passed, and that way we'll be able to decrease the amount of peppers or even um situate them in another role.

But that has been a plan all along.

I appreciate the question to allow me to answer.

Thank you.

Okay, and then I just want to refresh the conversation at this table.

This will be a longer term conversation that we're gonna see revisited.

I hope in March of next year, but also want to remind people that once we start having that conversation.

This is a zero sum game here, that something will have to be cut in order to provide the level of service we're demanding here.

And good city services in-house city services is not sexy.

It means that this is not going to be seen on the street, people aren't gonna start waving their hand about this.

Well, this is what we want.

We have to be prepared to start looking at areas where we will have to make cuts.

I want people to be prepared for that now because unless our revenues start to grow exponentially, it's gonna be another tight year, and we're gonna have to make tough decisions on how we implement a program of this nature.

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

And I also want to acknowledge I also received a number of text messages and phone calls yesterday about supporting a one-year contract, which is a contract that we do not have in front of us, and is a contract that we cannot motion to approve because it does not exist.

We can either vote up a three-year contract or vote down the three-year contract.

So we need to make a decision, and I'm gonna support bringing it back for more information, but we can't make that decision.

And so I know people have been told that we can in one year vote on the one year, that's not for us to make, that's for the administration to put before this body, which has not happened.

We have a three-year contract before us to make a decision upon, and I'm okay with extending that.

But the to tell people that we as a body have the power to modify contracts before us is unfair and it's wrong.

We can vote on what we have, and I'm prepared to make that vote.

Thank you.

All right, college.

I just asked if we're if the motion is going to be to but bring it back in one week.

Instead of us having 30 minutes of discussion only to bring it back next week.

Um I'm just asking if the request is to bring it back in one week.

Let's just touch it a chase and bring it back next week.

Motion to close debate.

I'm okay with voting, but if it's moving forward, we're trying to bring it back.

There's a motion to close debate.

Any objection.

See none, that action shall be taken.

Motion remake of one week.

There's a motion to uh postpone the vote on these three items for one week.

Any objections?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

See you next week.

Thank you.

Mr.

President, member Watts.

Since we can't seem to before the administration leaves, before they leave, I have a question.

Um we I need to make a motion that they come back with something more concrete within a week to show colleagues what their plans are uh to move this process forward.

I've been asking for that for a while, and and until until they bring it back so that we can visually see what the plans are, map it out.

This is what happens in one year.

In the second year, this is what we can do, and this is what's gonna cost.

We need to see that, and I think if you can do that, it will make things go a lot smoother.

I do.

And so uh that is my motion.

Uh Mr.

President, Ms.

President.

Yes, here.

Um I know.

I'm just helping you out there.

Um appreciate you.

So so the motion that you're asking is for them to provide a a list to us.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

On how similar to what uh uh Commissioner Sims outlined here, but with more concrete details.

All right, there's a motion on the floor, colleagues, and that is the request is to bring it back to have this for next week.

Yes, all right.

There's a motion on the floor, colleagues with discussion.

Some member Sancha Gomero saying first, then uh pro Tim Young.

Member Santiago.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

To that motion on a plan, just want to share again to member Johnson's points.

We probably will not know that plan concretely until the negotiations with the unions are complete.

So that's information that we probably will not get in a week, which is why we we need to give ourselves the time to discuss um and and and give us that that ramp, but just want to share that.

I don't believe we'll be able to get that information in one week.

So this might continue to be pushed back over and over again.

Um but just wanted to share that.

Thank you.

To that point, Mr.

President.

Um I had a discussion point.

Okay, hold on.

I know you had a point.

I don't know you guys.

Yeah, to her point.

I know, but we don't do the on that point.

Oh, we don't.

No, ma'am.

We don't because we got to stay the same.

Okay.

Every day we can't change them.

So we had a member miller had her hand.

You're next.

Yes.

I want to ask the question.

Um to the chair.

I know we have a so it seems to me that we have a motion on the mean we have a um lime item to vote on, and it has come back before us several times, but it appears to me that they don't want to budge.

So do they just keep coming back and keep coming back?

Or will somebody get the impression like we're not trying to hear what they're putting out, and they need to re-go back and reevaluate what they're bringing before us.

I think if we continue to vote it down, they'll get the message like we need to come with something different.

I find it to be redundant to keep saying the same thing over and over again.

We do not want what you're presenting.

They should go back to the table and figure something out that's lucrative for what our body is trying to bring in.

Member Johnson had an excellent set of questions, and she hasn't had a chance to talk to or interview with with anyone.

Um, everyone seems to be on the same page, but I don't think they're hearing us.

So we collectively need to just shut them down and force them to do what we're asking them to do, which is support our residents, bring jobs in house.

That is why online item 26.8.

I asked for a request for the fire department strategic plan update because during the budget, they claim they had a plan to bring this in-house, and we still have not seen it yet.

So I think until they do what they're supposed to do and be of their word, but they were gonna provide for us, we should not continue to play games with them.

No vote it down, let them go, do their homework and figure it out, and then we deal with them because otherwise we can keep bringing it back week after week, but I think they're trying to wear us down, they're gonna wear some of you down, and you're gonna give in and say this is what we need to do.

We can't we cannot be that type of body.

We have to stand for something, and I mean I'm I'm asking that even if we bring it back, that's what they want you to do.

Bring it back.

No, keep bringing it back.

No, do not come to us unless you're coming in full support of what our body is trying to do.

So that that that is it's just it's just watching and hearing this repetitious.

The commissioner needs to go figure it out.

He had he's a one-man commissioner, and when I say we need a um fire advisory council, because they need help.

When you have an advisory council, the council will publicly have uh hearings, they will give reports on what the fire department should be doing.

They will put them out to make sure they fall in line with how we should be operating.

If you want to be transparent, I don't think they want to be transparent because they want full authority to make the decisions.

So I'm just saying, let's vote.

Thank you, member Miller.

For the record, we we've already voted on this item too.

We voted postponed them for one week.

So I was trying to eliminate all the conversation, but we're gonna postpone the motion, and now we're back.

And there's a motion that's actually on the floor.

The member waters placed requesting for more concrete details on the plan uh that uh commissioner sims uh uh mentioned.

Member Santiago Romero brought up a good point.

It's gonna be tremendously difficult to have the concrete, but if you're looking for a framework, I think that is more than appropriate.

Thank you so much, Mr.

President.

Yes, ma'am.

So there's a motion on the floor, comments.

We just need framework.

Any objections to the motion that is on the floor, the member waters.

Yeah, but question about the motion.

Okay.

Question about the motion that member waters has on the floor.

I want to ask to the fire department if we were to pass this motion, would this hinder you in any way from producing the documents or the other things that you had planned to show us next week?

What how?

But because it's pretty it's pretty detailed.

So that's not on the motion.

Well, oh well, I thought because the motion was it was just bringing the reason for just provide a framework.

Oh, how they're going to continue to move.

So we we have a report to framework.

It's a framework.

Okay, that's the okay.

That's the word her support.

I'll think I can't say another word.

All means, Mr.

Chair.

Yes, on the motion.

On the motion.

Yes.

On the motion.

Absolutely.

Member McCown.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I'm going to stay on the motion.

I would I would uh ask that or motion to amend it because I heard also a plan on how we increase Detroit residents.

So if we could just get this all if we can just get this all in one.

Can we do two motions?

Two separate motions.

Okay.

That's right.

Mr.

Chairman.

Okay.

Is that two separate or is that one?

Yeah, I think it's separate.

Yeah, separate motion.

All right.

Okay.

So we got a motion on the floor, colleagues.

Any objections to the motion?

See none.

That action shall be taken.

Sounds like there's another motion.

I just have a couple questions, and it might it might qualify to go into his motion, I guess, or into line item 26.8.

So I just have two questions for so I can wait, Mr.

Chair.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, I think you had a second motion, Member McConnell.

No, uh, Mr.

Chair, I'll I'll withdraw that.

Oh, go ahead, member Callaway.

I just thought it would be uh beneficial to the first one, so we're good.

Go ahead.

But we're not on 20.8 yet.

No, but I know through the chair, member Miller mentioned 26.8, and I threw the chair to Mr.

Member McCampbell.

I support what you were saying.

I don't think what I was going to say would have impacted your you know proposed motion.

I just wanted you to know that I I heard what you were saying, and I support it through the chair.

We'll get to 26.8, I promise you.

Okay.

It's coming.

All right.

So Mr.

Chair.

All right, but uh do you have a motion of member McCammel?

Okay.

Okay, so Mr.

Chair.

Um member Callaway.

Okay, Mr.

Chair.

Um I'm hoping, and I don't know if this, I don't think this is a motion, and I'm gonna put it in writing.

I'm hoping we can uh train our um firefighters in Detroit and not have to go to school craft college in Lavonia.

We used to train our um firefighters, Mr.

Chair, and now they have to pay 250 for the CPAC, which is the candidate physical ability test.

If they flunk it, don't pass it, they have to pay another 250.

So I want to um recommend that we bring in in-house.

Our firefighters should not be going to Lavonia to probably some retired um firefighters from Detroit, Mr.

Chair, to train our firefighter force.

I find that objectionable.

We have always trained our own men and women in that fire department, and Mr.

Chair, I do not believe we should be going to Lavonia, and they're charging us 250 to take that test.

And I'm going to um put it in writing.

I want it to be brought back in house at Wayne County Community College, and I also found out, and it could be I could be wrong, that we don't have our fire cadet program anymore.

I met a young man, he said that's how he came into the fire department through the fire cadet program.

I'm hoping we can bring that back.

Um it could it might be active now.

I heard that it isn't, but there's a number of ways, Mr.

Chair, and to my colleagues that we can get some firefighters who live in Detroit um and may be struggling with the test or maybe not, may not have transportation to Lavonia, maybe not, but there's no reason why, no conceivable reason why our firefighters or prospective firefighters should be driving to Lavonia to take a test when we have everything right here in Detroit.

Things have changed around here.

We don't have that Lavonia component anymore, so we should not continue to do all the business that have been moved from Detroit to Lavonia, and we all know probably why or why not, but Mr.

Chair, that's that's what I'd like to see.

I'm hoping that the commission will take that into consideration.

I will put it in writing, but we should be testing our own people, not charging them 250.

They could be charged 50 or 100, and some who exhibit or display or demonstrate a hardship, it should be free.

If we're really serious about recruiting from Detroiters, our Detroit um residents, we can start right there, making it easier and not so difficult to get out to school craft college.

Who chose school craft college?

Thank you, ma'am.

What happened to Wayne County Community College?

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and I'll put it in writing.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Right.

From the Department of Public Works Administration, Madam Clerk.

Well, I guess I think it's member Santiago Romero, a resolution.

Line item 20.6.

Line item 20.6 member Dantiago Romero.

Motion to approve.

This is a request for banners.

It's a motion to approve line item 20.6, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none that action shall be taken.

A craver, Mr.

President.

Request for a waiver on line item 20.6, colleagues.

Any objections?

See none that action that action shall be uh approved.

For the president's reports on standing committee referrals and other matters from the budget, finance and audit standing committee, madam clerk.

Three reports for various city departments.

The three reports will be referred to the budget, finance, and audit standing committee for the internal operation standing committee.

Mr.

President, um Madam Clerk.

Yes, before uh we finish.

There is a request to walk online item 10.6 to new business.

Line item 10 point.

This is from the Department of Transportation motion.

Yes.

It's a motion to walk online item 10.6, and that is the resolution to approve the Detroit Department of Transportation 2026 Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan for the purpose of meeting federal transit administration requirements.

The motion to place his item on new business for a vote.

Any objections?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Madam Clerk.

Council member Santiago Romero, a resolution.

Member Santiago Romero.

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve.

Any objections, colleagues?

Seeing none, that action shall be taken.

Request a waiver, Mr.

President.

The request for a waiver on the safety plan.

Any objections?

See none.

Then action shall be taken.

For the internal operations standing committee, madam clerk.

Um three reports from no sorry about that.

The 15 reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the neighborhood and community services standing committee.

Three reports for various city departments.

Three reports would be referred to the neighborhood and community services standing committee for the planning and economic development standing committee.

The 10 reports would be referred to the planning and economic development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee.

Nine reports for various city departments.

The nine reports will be referred to the public health and safety standing committee under consent agenda.

Mr.

President, before we go through the consent agenda, you do need to go back to line item 17.3.

Line item 17.

Hermit Kiefer.

Member Callaway stepped away.

Oh my apologies.

That's Member Benson.

Yes.

Council Member Benson.

Thank you so much.

All right, Mr.

Anderson, Attorney Anderson, what do you have?

Yes, through the chair to uh pro tem young's question regarding the Herman Kiefer complex litigation matters.

Uh what think pressic has been doing in that matter is working with the law department involving the failure of the developer to redevelop the Herman Kiefer hospital property and the surrounding neighborhood.

Um that to make it consistent with what the developed agreements um should be.

This involves interpretation and enforcement of multiple different contracts.

Um it's very complex litigation.

Um, but what the goal is to try to make sure what uh the mayor and city council's redevelopment plans are thought that it can move forward properly.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um member Calvin.

Thank you.

This is regarding the Fink contract.

Um, Mr.

Chair, we had an opportunity, my team and I to meet with Fink and his um team.

We had it was a very, very um informative meeting, but I would ask through yourself, Mr.

Chair, to the law department with these massive, in my opinion.

16 years he's been doing plus with the city um business.

It would be um wonderful if he could just give quarterly reports.

He's working on a lot of large um lawsuits cases that this body, not just internal operations, but us as a whole should have a quarterly report from Fink.

Absolutely.

So that's that's my request, and I'll put it in writing, Mr.

Chair.

But we deserve to know what's going on with Herman Kiefer and all the other lawsuits.

Nooses abatements.

He's working on that.

He's he's got a lot of contracts going on.

So thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

That absolutely can be done.

Um, in addition, I know with the upcoming election, there is a lot of anticipated litigation with uh potentially the DOJ, uh challenging the city of Detroit on a variety of potential issues.

I know that's something that we'll want to have a big presentation for this council to keep everyone up to speed as uh we want to make sure that Detroit citizens' right to vote is properly protected.

Thank you.

President uh member Santiago.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Through you to attorney Anderson, very similar questions here.

Um, this uh companies in Bloomfield Hills.

This is now going to be over six million dollars that we send to them again outside of the city.

Um, and the 16th amendment.

My question is has there been any new work added to their plates uh from the first contract, or are we just extending their time for the current work that they were approved for?

Through the chair, yes.

Um there is uh various different uh matters that have been added to their contracts since that initial contract.

Also, they do have an office in Detroit as well, not just the Bloomfield Hills location.

So then my follow-up is why not go through a new RFP process to allow for a more local Detroit or different legal company to bid for that new work.

Why are we are we just giving them the work then?

Because I I think it would be helpful to you know, put out a bid if there's new work, but we seem to just then give this company again outside of the city of Detroit millions of dollars.

And you know, we often hear from our our very own chair while trying to bring these in-house, wondering if we can do that.

Through the chair, as um, you know, legal contracts are very unique and compared to the rest of contracts that go before city council.

We do not bid out for legal contracts.

What we do is corporation council or um other members, typically corporation council seeks out the right specialized talent to handle the very niche matters that would best represent and protect the citizens of Detroit and their interest.

The Fink Law Firm, they are fantastic attorneys that have been serving the city of Detroit longer than this 16-year contract.

Um, speaking with David Fink, they he's been serving the city of Detroit.

Uh uh Mayor Coleman Young was the first one who actually first brought in his firm and his services.

Uh but so these are services that we don't want to bid out.

We select Fink for a reason and for a matter.

Uh this is very specialized knowledge, very uh skillful knowledge, um, fantastic attorneys that help um uh the city of Detroit, um, our law department.

Um so but I I understand your um uh reasoning and your frustrations.

Uh, Chairwoman Councilwoman Callaway um has expressed those in the past too.

I can definitely speak to corporation council if it would feel more comfortable for this body for the next contract that we don't make it an amendment that we start from a new place and it'd be contract number one for Fink Bresseck.

Uh but I I don't see any reason why that would be an issue.

I I know we've just kind of been doing it that way because I think it's uh the most just fluid way to do it.

But if it would make this body more comfortable and it would be a better presentation, um I I have no problem with uh seeking that out for the next contract.

Through the chair, thank you.

I think um collaboration is is really what I ask, and if there's an opportunity for us to share other lawyers, um, other companies that we think would be helpful for the city.

Um, to be frank, I I don't love the idea that we've been having the same person since forever because we've had issues since a long time.

Um so uh the having a process where we're able to share who we think would be best hearing also why we are deciding to to go with these um law firms would be helpful as well.

Um, but thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

I saw Member Miller's hand, followed by Member Caller.

Member Miller, you're on mute.

Thank you to the chair.

I just wanted to let the council know you can arrest assured that at iOS we are vetting every contract, every lawsuit.

Um, we are adamant about bringing everything in house.

This I think uh associations, we have been seeing their name pop up several times, and our chair has met with them, set with them, and we've asked the same thing.

Why do we continue giving the same people the same additional jobs when there's other in-house attorneys and firms here?

We are diligently out diligently seeking out firms, companies, contractors that it's locally in Detroit.

That is a commitment that I have promised.

And I would say that our chair is doing a phenomenal job at trying to bring those in-house.

You're not have to worry about it, but feel free to come sit in if you have any questions.

But that is our goal and our biggest desire is to uh support Detroiters, Detroit businesses, so we can keep our our money in Detroit.

That's where our dollar circulates.

But I just wanted to give you that confidence to let you know that we are uh betting them.

And we have been told by the law department, some contracts for various reasons are given to certain people for longevity and some of it's disheartening, but we can't fight every single battle.

Thank you to the chair.

Thank you.

Member Bellowin.

Yeah, thank you so much, um, Mr.

Chair, and to my colleagues' point.

When we met with them last week, um, I insisted, can't make them that they diversify.

Um, they don't have any minority um women, African Americans, blacks, browns on their team.

And um, but getting a lot of um getting the huge piece of the pie um with these large contracts, and uh I I still find that problematic.

I did express that to Mr.

Fink, um, David Fink and Nathan Fink, and I did not bite my tongue.

I just know that they need to diversify and collaborate perhaps with some um women firms, African American um firms in this city.

They cut their teeth, they got their first contracts with the city, and they've been going at it ever since, doing an amazing job.

But it needs to be diversity.

We need to, you know.

So they so to my colleagues or anyone else listening, let's get some resumes together.

Let's talk to some, you know, some um African American attorneys, some women attorneys, and see if we can help uh think and Brezak diversify their team because most of their work is in this black city.

I thought they probably say they have other work elsewhere, but we know they're getting a large amount of money.