This meeting of the Detroit City Council Committee of the Whole, chaired by Councilmember Denzel Anton McCampbell and attended by Councilmember Mary Waters (Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero absent), focused on several key agenda items including contract amendments for two solar projects in five neighborhoods, a proposed renewal of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology contract, and a new BrassTracks equipment contract. Public comment was extensive, with strong opinions both supporting and opposing the solar projects and ShotSpotter.
Good morning. Good morning. Councilmember Denzel Anton McCampbell. Present. Councilmember Mary Waters. Present. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero. Councilmember Santiago Romero has indicated she will not be here today. The clerk will note. Mr. Chair, you have quorum. Thank you so much, ma'am. Clerk. That will move us on to the approval of the minutes. Members of the committee should have uh received the minutes from the June 1st meeting. With that, is there a motion to approve? Motion. It's been a motion to approve the minutes and no objections, the action shall be taken. Now to move us on to chair remarks. Um no remarks from me. I know we have a full room and a full agenda here. So thank you all for joining us in person and virtually as well. And with that, we'll move on to public comments. Um request for public comment will close at 1020. Uh please limit remarks to two minutes, and we'll start with those in the room. And for those participating remotely via Zoom, please use the read the raise hand feature, and you will be called in order. And with that, I believe we have our first speakers here in person. Um Travis Peters. Yes. All right, you may come forward, and then followed by uh Travis, we'll have Donna Anthony and then Misha Parker. Good morning. Good morning. Councilman, uh thank you for allowing me to speak publicly. Um I want to thank the uh office, City of Detroit's Office of Sustainability for the invitation to speak. Um speaking on a manner uh regarding a um recent discussion over uh agro voltaics project. Uh that's the combining of uh farming with the uh proposed uh solar fields that uh DTE will be building in our neighborhoods, particularly in the state fair area and uh grassy friendly. Uh I just wanted to speak to the importance of uh uh combating food scarcity. Um I was one of the farmers that was selected to farm and on two acres of space uh east of the state fairgrounds and um the planning and logistics that took place into that, promising uh veterans. I'm a veteran, so uh my organization is veteran-led. Umising veterans, workforce development, paying um in dollar amounts well above the minimum wage, promising them credits and food for their assistance in developing this space. Um is totally um it's disappointing to go back to them and say that this is not gonna take place. Like I said, it was two acres of space. I had to plan uh for farm machinery. I reached out to several organizations, one of which promised in kind uh donations that I have to match their portions. So I found myself in a financial somewhat I don't want to call it a rut, but a financial space of accountability uh because of this proposition. Um this pretty much disrupted our interstate uh free food distribution. Last year, my organization uh Green Boots Gardens. We donated over 10,000 um pounds of food. Thank you. Thank you.