Public Health and Safety Standing Committee Meeting – July 6, 2026
Public Health and Safety Standing Committee Meeting – July 6, 2026
The Public Health and Safety Standing Committee of the Detroit City Council convened on Monday, July 6, 2026, at approximately 10:00 AM. Chair Gabriela Santiago Romero called the meeting to order with a quorum present. The agenda included public comments, a quarterly update from the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), discussion of multiple contracts and memos, and emergency response updates from city departments following a severe holiday weekend storm that caused power outages, water main breaks, and tree damage.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes from the previous session were approved unanimously.
- Several items were approved or received and filed without objection, including memos on fire hydrant vandalism (6.1), ARPA community health funds (6.14), dangerous building findings (7.10), and the impact of school closings report (7.16).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Brother Cunningham (313-444-9114) spoke on behalf of Mr. Kemp and advocated for improved DDOT service, saying “mechanics, mechanics, mechanics” are urgently needed to fix frequent bus breakdowns. He requested bus tickets and a vehicle donation for his outreach work.
- Jalen Kemp, a father of two, asked for free legal help to fix his name with Social Security, stating he has exhausted other options.
- Denise Darnell (online) supported Proposal S for Detroit Public Schools millage renewal and the Wayne County Transit Millage, noting the former would cost homeowners nothing and the latter about $4/month for the average homeowner.
- Ruben Crowley alleged misconduct by a former Wayne County medical examiner and questioned Councilmember Santiago Romero’s rental properties.
- Betty A. Varner, president of Soda Ellsworth Block Association, requested volunteers for the Arise Detroit event on August 1st at Diva Community Park.
- You Matter (online) asked for clarity on plywood boarding rules and questioned why residents in targeted solar areas receive housing upgrades without a community benefits agreement.
- Tahira Ahmad thanked Mayor Sheffield Bravo and council members for property tax reform and called for reparations for Black Americans.
- Janante Smith expressed dismay at Black people celebrating July 4th and noted blight issues in District 2.
- Mr. Foster criticized DDOT for spending $5 million on an incident and asked about the Community Education Commission’s lack of results.
- Owner Papa questioned the effectiveness of ShotSpotter and spending on in-car cameras, and asked about the LA28 relay and island land transfers.
- Jacqueline questioned the benefit of the transit millage, arguing it would send Detroiters to suburbs rather than creating local jobs.
- William M. Davis noted longer street flooding after storms, criticized DTE’s $25 compensation for power outages, and called for assistance with downed trees.
- Renard Monchinski (Detroit People’s Platform) explained that DDOT’s budget is unstable and that the transit millage would provide stable funding and better connections with SMART.
- Samsung caller reported poor workmanship on a home repair (rivets instead of screws) and complained about freezing temperatures on a DDOT bus.
- Cindy Dara raised concerns about tax capture laws and the lack of mailed election information, advocating for proportional representation.
DDOT Quarterly Update (Q1 2026)
Director Robert Kramer and Government Affairs Liaison Stephanie Davis presented. Key points:
- The new Coolidge Terminal opened April 27th, replacing a facility closed since 2011-2012, at $165 million, on time and on budget.
- Technology upgrades: Contract approved for Swiftly software to improve real-time bus tracking; riders encouraged to use the Transit app.
- Transit Employee Operators (TEOs): Active TEOs rose from ~500 to over 600 after a new contract with pay parity; retention improved significantly (voluntary separations dropped from 15-30/month to 4-8/month).
- Service metrics: Revenue miles missed 15% in Jan/Feb but improved to under 4% in late June; on-time performance around 70%; preventable crashes declining.
- Ridership: up 8% year-over-year before the Ride to Rise free student fare pilot (started April), which doubled student rides.
- Bus availability: daily availability increased by 40 buses since January; new buses had HVAC issues in hot weather.
- Mechanic pipeline: first cohort of six Detroiters graduated from a Henry Ford College program; 9-10 mechanic positions remain open.
- Benches and shelters: 35 of 200 planned benches installed; a GIS map for bus stop amenities is publicly available.
- Paratransit: trips growing but on-time performance dipping; same-day DDOT Now service operates ~100 trips/day.
- Safety incidents: disturbances are the most common DPD response at transit centers.
During Q&A, council members raised:
- Vice Chair McCampbell: asked about mechanic openings (9-10 open), student fare pilot (aiming for permanent program with schedule optimization), and benches at specific stops (e.g., St. Suzanne’s).
- Member Waters: questioned shelter theft prevention (bolted down), student rides (247/365, including summer), and real-time rider notifications (Swiftly now provides accurate updates).
- Chair Santiago Romero: noted on-time performance of 84% is below the 90% goal but above national average of 85%; asked about Swiftly being local (it is not); suggested social media interns for bus stories; highlighted need for 24-hour service (7 routes have it, but gaps remain).
Discussion Items (Contract & Memo Actions)
- 6.2 (DDOT risk management): Brought back in one week.
- 6.3 (Emergency demolition at 3035 Holberts): Brought back in one week.
- 6.4 (Medical services at detention center): Approved to new business; Chair noted gap in social workers.
- 6.5 (EMS service charges ordinance): Received and filed.
- 6.6 (Detroit Public Safety Foundation ATV donation): Approved to new business; Chair said ATVs needed for river patrol safety.
- 6.7 (Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety services): Brought back in one week.
- 6.8 (Flock safety update on license plate readers): Received and filed.
- 6.9-6.13 (various memos): Most brought back in two weeks; 6.11 (DFD recruiting) received and filed after reconsideration.
- 6.15 (Specialty uniforms for police, contract with Alley Brothers): Approved to formal with one objection (Member McCampbell).
- 6.16 (Emergency demolition at 1456 Trinity): Brought back in one week; work completed in February/March.
- 6.17 (Fire prevention code amendment): Brought back in one week.
- 7.1 & 7.2 (Vactor services contracts): Approved to formal after removing duplicate 7.5; two vendors for capacity reasons.
- 7.3 (Underground utilities locating): Approved.
- 7.4 (Emergency demolition at 20515 Mound): Brought back in one week.
- 7.6 (Media planning/buying for health department): Brought back in one week; Member Waters motioned for cost comparison of outsourcing vs. in-house.
- 7.7 (Court reporting for Board of Police Commissioners): Brought back in one week; Vice Chair asked about consolidating contracts.
- 7.8 (Recycling education contract): Approved.
- 7.9 (Clinic buffer zone ordinance amendment): Brought back TBD; Chair requested dedicated police for clinics.
- 7.11-7.13 (Building deferrals): Concurred.
- 7.14 (Grant for truck enforcement): Approved.
- 7.15 (Teen Kickbacks grant): Approved.
- 7.17 (Haywood Development encroachments): Removed.
- 7.18 (Detroit Public Media encroachments): Approved.
- 7.19 (Legal evaluation on federal tort claims from ICE vehicle pursuits): Brought back in one week.
- 7.20 & 7.21 (Detroit at Work and autonomous vehicle memos): Brought back in two weeks.
- 7.22 (Firework curfew violations): Brought back in one week.
Emergency Response Updates (from administration)
- Hilton Kincaid (Emergency Management): Provided updates on Marathon refinery flare-up (alert sent via Detroit Alerts 365 and GovDelivery to District 6).
- Sam Smalley (Detroit Water & Sewerage): Reported <40 water main breaks due to heat; crews knock on doors; a GIS map for breaks is being explored.
- Ron Brundt (DPW): Over 200 tree debris locations; GSD clearing rights-of-way; DPW collecting curbside debris with relaxed pickup rules for major storms.
- Brian Peckamp (Neighborhoods): Wellness checks at senior buildings; Liberty Temple and other churches opened as cooling/resource centers; DTE resources at Crowell Recreation Center.
- Traffic signals: 134 impacted, 88 lost power; down to 40, with 16 on generators.
- Chair asked for better public communication and broader 365 sign-ups.
Key Outcomes
- DDOT quarterly update noted as informative; a second-quarter update will be scheduled.
- Several contracts approved for formal consideration: 6.4, 6.6, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.8, 7.14, 7.15, 7.18.
- Multiple items postponed for further review: 6.2, 6.3, 6.16, 6.17, 7.4, 7.6, 7.7, 7.9, 7.19, 7.20, 7.21, 7.22.
- Member Waters’ motion for a cost comparison of media services was approved.
- The committee requested the administration improve emergency alerts and consider dedicated police for clinics.
- Public encouraged to sign up for Detroit Alerts 365 and check on neighbors during the ongoing cleanup.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone. I would like to call to order our public health and safety standing committee for today, Monday, July 6th, 2026. May the clerk please call the roll. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero. Present. Councilmember Denzel Anton McCampbell. Member McCampbell did indicate that he's running tardy. So note it. Councilmember Mary Waters. Present. Madam Chair, you have a quorum present. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Given a quorum, we'll go right into the agenda for today. For chair remarks, I hope everyone had a blessed and safe weekend this holiday weekend for the 4th of July. We know there were a number of issues, a lot of power outages, water main breaks, and there was a powder outage over at Marathon Refinery, which has led to a lot of flare-ups in 42 and 7. Uh so to the administration, I know you're listening. If you can please help us give us some updates during member reports. Communicating with the public is really important during these times, as well as any updates from the water department or at least a note for the water departments. We also reached out. I reached out to our director Brown about communicating with the public about water main breaks. There were some homes that had water turned off for I think for a few hours, um, maybe overnight. Um but another piece of information that needs to be communicated with the public whenever these things happen, because what ends up happening is we get the text messages as council members as residents, and if we don't know what's going on, um, it kind of causes chaos and confusion. So to the administration, um, any updates regarding communications, how we're using our emergency management system, uh, would be much appreciated. All right, I will move us along. I saw you, Mr. Washington. Thank you. So know that, madam chair. Good morning. Good morning, appreciate you. Thank you. If the clerk can can please note you've been joined by our vice chair. Thank you. So, oh, and I just remembered uh Mr. Washington. Another piece of information. Um, because of the storms, there were a lot of trees that fell down around the city. Um, so another piece of information, updates on where we are on tree removals if possible as well. Well done, and my apologies. I was being promoted um initially in your remarks. Is this for in writing or to uh in committee this morning? If possible, during member reports at the end of today, we are gonna have a presentation. We should it should it's gonna be a lengthy committee, but it's gonna be good. It's always good. Um, and at the end, would like to hear updates um just regarding communications in times of emergencies, like when trees are falling down, um, when there's power outages, when there's water main breaks. Um, just wondering if there's been any communication with the public regarding the tr uh the power outage in uh 42 and 7 around marathon around any updates for communication for water main breaks and um I guess any information the administration has on tree removals. We'll do it thank you, madam church. Appreciate you. Thank you. All right.
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