Our public health and safety standing committee for today, July 20th, 2026.

May the clerk please call the roll.

Good morning.

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero.

Present.

Councilmember Denzel McCampbell.

Present.

Councilmember Mary Waters.

Present.

Madam Chair, we have quorum.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Given a quorum, we'll go right into the agenda for today.

We are at our second to last session.

Before I go to chair remarks, um, is there a motion to approve our last minutes?

Oh, sure.

Hearing no objections, our minutes from our last session will be approved.

Uh, for brief chair remarks today, um, as I was saying, we are at our second to last session before council recess.

We do have a 1015 presentation regarding the demolition process and where we are in our demolition pipeline.

We also have a 1030 a.m.

public hearing today.

If anyone is calling in interested in making comments regarding chapter 28's amendments uh to re to make changes to city licenses, um, making amendments in technical corrections by removing the definition of adult arcade, um, adult uh public theater, uh sexually oriented businesses uh from uh this uh this article.

If you are calling in, we will have opportunity for public comments at 10 30 for the 10 30 public hearing.

But what we'll do now is go into general public comments for general public comments given the 1015 discussion, the 10 a.m.

public hearing, the 1030 a.m.

public hearing, excuse me, and we do have a 130 p.m.

dangerous buildings.

Uh given the busy agenda today, we will give everyone a minute and a half for general public comments, and we'll go into general public comment now.

A cutoff general public comments at 1007.

So folks have three minutes to either raise your hands if you are online, if you are here in person for general public comments, please raise your hands now.

And we I see one person uh in person for general public comments.

Again, if you're online, please raise your hands now.

Uh, we will begin with the folks that we have here in person.

Brother Cunningham, whenever you're ready, we do have the uh time on the screen.

And we will begin first with general public comments.

Again, if you want to make gener if you want to make a general public comment now regarding the 1030 a.m.

public hearing, you're able to do so, or you can hold your comments until until then.

And if you have any questions regarding demolition, uh now would be a good time to ask given the presentation that we're gonna have shortly.

With that, brother Cunningham, whenever you're ready.

Brother Cunningham, D.

Ambassador 313, 444-9114, 313, 444, 9114, 313, 444, 9114.

That number was made, so you can remember it.

And on Facebook for subservience Cunningham.

I want to talk about hate.

Hate is an intense negative emotion of extreme hostility, adversion towards someone or something.

Other names for hate, detest, loathe, despise, abominate.

In my life, hate has shown more power than love.

Hate has been more abrasive and in action.

Love is very passive in action in my life personally.

Uh appraise report at the D dot input meeting.

There were 50 attendees at the July input meetings.

I'm not sure if uh can't uh city council uh staffers were there, they didn't put the information in the chat.

Um D dot still not on time.

Where is the sense of urgency?

It's not showing up and not on time.

Also, I plead with all of you under the sound of my voice.

Hate or love without schism.

Be left or right, hate without schism, love without schism.

313 444, 9114.

Let's do a bus ride along where we give our resources on board.

Thank you.

Thank you, Brother Cunningham.

We will now turn off for cutoff general public comments.

We will turn it over to the folks that we have online.

How many hands do we have raised and who do we have first?

We have 12 hands online, and our first caller is Dr.

Denise Darnell.

Good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes, good morning.

Good morning, Dr.

Denise Darnell here.

I see where there's going to be a discussion regarding demolition.

I know that Detroit faces major controversy regarding dirty dirt that has been used to backfill residential holes left by demolished homes.

There are reports that testing reveals hundreds of sites contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and chemicals like lead and arsenic that exceed the state safety limits.

The situation threatens public health and has triggered criminal criminal probes and driven cleanup costs up towards 27 million dollars.

The news has reported that roughly 650 suspected demolition sites are now requiring environmental review and testing and remediating.

This is extremely costly.

I would urge the city of Detroit to do everything they can to make sure that when demolished structures are backfilled, that the soil meets EPA standards.

And lastly, I am on the August 4th ballot in Wayne County Precinct 203, delegate for the county convention and would appreciate your consideration and vote for those in this precinct.

I'm running for precinct delegate because I believe everybody can do something.

God bless you and your efforts today.

Thank you.

Thanks, Doc you as well.

Who do we have next?

Our next caller is Betty A.

Varner.

Good morning to all within the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Varner, president of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association here today to talk about our annual event that we are having August 1st.

It's almost here.

We will uh uh be blessing our children with book bags, school supplies, hygiene products.

We're gonna have a bouncy house, free haircuts, free hair braiding, giving away bikes and helmets.

There will be resources to um help families.

There's gonna be plenty of family fun activities and games.

We are in need of volunteers to help us uh so that we will have a successful event.

We need help setting up, well, uh setting up and breaking down our tents.

We need volunteers to help us monitor the games, and we will have big widths, spades, checkers, and dominoes, and Uno for those who want to play.

Uh some of the council members know how to contact me if you're willing to volunteer your time uh Saturday, August 1st from 11 to 3.

Our setup time uh is at 10 a.m.

6451 Ellsworth, near Monica.

And thank you.

Thank you for this time.

Thank you.

Sounds fine.

Hope it goes well.

Who do we have next?

Our next caller is Cindy Dara.

Good morning, Cindy.

Yeah, good morning.

Uh I just want to repeat, I don't like the idea that they're doing another tax capture out of a 10-year uh the millage on the commercial property.

And it does affect the renters because the renters are gonna have to pay more to uh to the landlord.

So the point is I found out finally from the uh Board of Education that this uh the DIA tried to get out of the tax capture and they couldn't, I guess, without going to court.

So they they had instead of going to court and getting this unconstitutional thing stopped, they got the state to pass a law exempting them, the zoo, and the libraries, and probably the libraries got exempted because Russ Ballant and the community fought against those tax captures that were starving the libraries.

So I'm gonna vote against school millage.

I've never voted against schools, but I want to put the pressure on them to change that law.

And it's affecting cities all over the state, too.

Because a lot of those cities, we don't, I don't think we have to adopt that law.

We could, even though it's a state law, and we if we don't, we should quit adopting it, and we should stop the state from even using that law.

It's unconstitutional.

I think it's totally wrong.

We vote for the schools, not for the business of downtown.

Our next caller is Jedante Smith.

Good morning, May Burr.

Yes, good morning.

Good morning.

I want to say uh I'm gonna start off by saying I've been going pretty hard on uh Madam Mayor, but I'm gonna go just as hard on uh our former mayor, uh Duggan.

So our former mayor was taking money from his now wife in 2013 in the form of campaign donations.

Then in 2018, he had an extramarital affair with said woman, Sonia Hussein, uh, and he gave her preferential treatment in the make your date scandal and gave her city funds without the proper contract process.

So I think that is alleged corruption, and I think there's no form of corruption that should be allowed in the city of Detroit government.

Um, I think Cronos Congress should be down zone to shut down.

I think the contaminated dirt scandal is very, very big.

I think it far stretches beyond just the one contractor.

I think that there is a uh a widespread uh net that needs to be cast around that issue.

Uh, I think no solar farms should be on the ground, especially not to uh have to go through imminent domain and take private lane, private land, put those solar panels if you want to put them on the side of buildings on the top of buildings or on already city owned land.

Um I think that we have so many issues with people just calling out the wrongdoing of politicians, especially when it comes down to people who are giving preferential treatment to people based on their personal relationships and their personal connections.

There's no way that it's not criminal that Sonia Hussein was giving uh Mike Duggan money in 2013.

Then he gave her public funds, hundreds of thousands worth in 2018 and avoided any trouble.

I'm gonna post evidence.

Good morning, well, well, well.

Uh I ran with the biggest pimp in the history of the city of Detroit for decades, a couple of them.

Now, what I'm gonna say is the criminals in the KMAC, SU.

You one of them uh Gabriela Santiago Romero.

You also a district six uh city council representative, and Jorge Santiago, your uh relative.

See, I got a relative too.

I got a relative, it's a valedictorian from the University of Michigan, my big cuz.

I also got a salutarian from Michigan State University.

That's my little cuz who I looked out for his entire life, and I looked up to my big cuz, the valedictorian from the university of Michigan.

That's why I say go blue.

Now, you criminals in a KMAC and you democrats in the city of Detroit, gotta fill it.

I'm a whole street NYGA.

A real one.

Name real, McMayre.

It's over with you, go blue.

Who do we have next?

Our next caller is William M.

Davis.

Good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes, good morning.

Okay, I'd like to start off by saying that uh I was just up with Adam Butzel, and I see that there's a very, very limited supply of masks up there.

I know myself and another executive board member from Barkman Farm Neighborhood Association was out there to you know, see about masks, you know, just so that y'all know, do y'all know if they're gonna be replenishing the mask that y'all tell people to go get?

Uh also separately, a lot of the streets over here are still looking bad, you know, like say with a lot of um tree debris on the streets.

Of course, my backyard still looks horrible from major, you know, branches falling and what have you.

Uh also I would like to say that uh I strongly encourage people to vote.

I strongly encourage to help other people to vote.

I strongly encourage for Detroit numbers need to be higher.

Uh I am a Democrat, but I know some people are not, but uh hopefully we could get our numbers up.

Hopefully, we could have an effect on this coming uh election uh in in August and then September, you know, in uh November.

And uh we need our numbers up.

We need to be doing better.

The city of Detroit used to leave the state.

Um also think Mike Dugdan was a criminal.

Thank you.

Our next caller is phone number ending in 534.

Yes, good morning, may I be heard?

Yes, good morning.

Thank you.

Well, some of you may know I repeatedly asked the question.

Why did some people in the targeted solar areas get housing upgrades and the rest of us didn't when there wasn't a community benefits agreement?

Most disappointing the three I get to elect, and the council didn't respond.

Um, but I did get a response from Mr.

Sean Rositano from Member Denzel's office.

Thank you for having responsive staff, although I'm still waiting to hear about Plywood on board ups.

But it does, he wrote on why residents in the solar areas receive upgrades when others do not.

The city's rationale is that those upgrades are compensation for hosting a solar array.

Residents in those areas are bearing the burden of industrial land use on their black, and in some cases, relocation.

Yeah, but the people getting pushed out and get that, and the home improvements are directly tied to that.

So you know what I translate that as the people there got bribed to sell their neighbors out, right?

So that they got the housing upgrades the rest of us didn't, but I can guarantee you those people were suffering a lot worse under this wildfire smoke, which I predicted this would happen because the city and the or the DT contractors rushed to cut down all these carbon capturing trees that give us oxygen.

So this was completely unnecessary to do it this way.

I'm so ashamed of the city of Detroit for doing this to their own residents, cutting down all these trees that we desperately needed in this time.

Umer is Denise Lyles.

Good morning.

Good morning.

I also I also agree about the trees.

That wasn't what I called about, but I agree.

We have to get back to bringing our trees in our communities.

I live in the Dexter Linwood area, District 5.

We used to have trees on both sides of the berm that met up in the street like a canopy.

Not only was it beautiful, but when it rained, you didn't have to worry about it.

Just walk on the edge of the curb and you didn't get wet.

The next thing I'd like to speak on is our city planning department.

I'm all for development in Detroit or commercial corridors.

But I have a problem with planning and development because they don't come talk to the people where there are active block clubs.

Bring these developers out, have meetings with the community as to what you're trying to put in where we live.

I've heard so many people sit about, and I'm doing this and I'm doing that.

But this is where we live.

You don't live here.

Where are our community benefit agreements?

You want to say you're bringing this, you're bringing that, but it's also a commercial benefit to you.

And when I say you, I'm not talking about planning development, although it may be.

Talk to us first about what we want or what we need in our community.

Thank you and have a fantastic week.

Thank you.

You as well.

Um, we have three more callers in the queue, noting that one person, one hand uh was raised after the cutoff.

And our next caller is Susan Stagerwald.

Susan, if you can hear us, you're up next.

You have been made a panelist.

You just have to hello.

Oh, yes, we can hear you now.

Okay, great.

Hi.

Uh my name is Susan Steigerwald, and I think little bits of what everyone has said so far are really important.

I'll echo the trees.

I'll echo making sure the dirt is clean.

Um, I'll echo how important it is for us to do uh community work.

I'm a 50-year uh resident of Detroit.

I'm also a retired physician.

I'm calling today with some great concern though about the drones that are going to be brought to city council on the 28th, but are still, I think, resting in this uh in this committee.

Um police use of drones are used, uh have uh risks for severe privacy violations.

You want a drone looking in your window or in your private space in the back, risk of escalating the use of excessive force, uh, and also targeted surveillance based on race for there's a demonstration.

In addition with fire department, uh they discussed drones as first responders.

However, last time I looked, the drones can't rescue someone out of a burning building.

I'm very concerned that these represent a risk of severe privacy violation as well as questionable efficacy.

I want council to vote no, and I will we will be back as part of DSA and others to say stop at the next city council meeting.

Thanks so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next caller is owner Papa.

And good morning.

And through the chair, may I be heard?

Yes, good morning.

Thank you.

I believe there should be a moratorium on all um demolitions.

We pay for this.

This is our blight money.

It comes from our tax dollars.

This is our bond money.

We're paying these bonds off.

And I'm saying to you, this is not new.

You all have known about the dirty dirt for years.

Um the federal government came down, the state of Michigan came down, and now you're pretending as though this is all new, and then you're dragging your feet on cleaning it up.

I don't think that we should have any more demolition coming from this committee until we clean up what we have messed up.

You guys have dirtied up the entire city with dirty dirt, and you had vendors that were supposed to be checking this, and you need to sue them as well, um, or yourselves for not doing your jobs.

Um I'm I'm in a total agreement with uh Cindy.

Yes, this we we should not vote for any millage giving us more taxes.

And S is a is is just a way of moving the something, the debt bond funding on the CD on the other district.

Uh, please don't let them do that.

No on any millage and no on S.

Um, I am in agreement with uh John Jadate um uh what he said about this whole corrupt thing that's going on within this whole body.

And Mr.

Um uh Councilman McDougall, when is the police?

Are the police going to answer the questions that you have put forth to them?

Uh it seems as though we get lots of memos and no answers.

Uh and diddle to uh Joanne.

Thanks.

Our last caller is phone number ending in 169.

Hello, can you guys hear me?

Yes, good morning.

Good morning.

Um, thank you for praying for Brother Cunningham, less thinking cunning ham and more banking cunning ham.

Um, 333, 444, 9114.

That number was made so you all can remember it.

This past riot eight Cunningham gave our ice water and bus tickets.

Thanks to Councilwoman Waters off um office Miss Clover, also helped an honorable councilman Denzel.

I see that Chantel Walk in Sheffield gave a donation.

She is the lead at DABO.

When you help Cunningham help people, God looks out for you.

Thank you for my time.

Thank you.

I believe we have one more caller.

That was our last caller.

That was our last caller.

Okay, thank you.

All right, everyone.

I need comments, uh, vice chair.

Madam Chair, thank you.

Um, just a few uh Commissioner Davis.

Um, we have additional masks in our St.

Suzanne's office.

Um so if you just give us a call, we can coordinate um getting that over to Barb McFarland.

Um I just want to give a shout out to not only the health department for the mask, but also uh Senator Santana's office dropped off additional masks as well.

Uh and uh I also have questions on the tree debris.

I did reach out to um director parking parcel just waiting on a call back on that uh just to get a timeline.

And Ms.

Hughes, I also have a question on when we will get those answers back from the police department because I want to make sure that folks are um safe when it comes to heat at the detention center.

So thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

I was gonna mention the same.

Uh we will be, I know as members of the task force regarding um climate recovery.

Uh we are discussing emergency management and how to respond to the air quality.

Uh so we do have questions.

I know that I do also have questions around how we maintain support for masks.

Um right now there seems to be a combination of the administration, different council offices, and really community members coming together to support each other.

I think that is what it's going to take to make sure that everyone's okay when it comes to uh these um issues of air quality.

Um I know Mr.

Washington is listening.

Um when it gets down to member reports, maybe we'll have time.

Uh but if we do, would like to get an update on tree uh pick up removals post the last storm that we had.

I know that there was work being done.

Um thank you for folks calling in regarding drones.

Uh this will be discussed back in committee.

I don't believe either uh drones have been uh have left committee for fire or police.

Um, but these are um pieces of technology that is being socialized around council offices right now.

So if you do have concerns or questions, let us know what those are now.

Uh reach out to my colleagues and myself because I'm going to assume this discussion is going to happen within the next few weeks before council recess, I would assume.

All right, everyone.

Uh I will move us along and key tee up our 1015 presentation.

I see folks from the Department of Demolition are here.

Feel free to join us up in the stage here in the front.

We have three seats.

If we need more, let us know.

But if you need all three, please feel free to take them.

Um if you need to present, uh, please do let us know.

We can give you access uh to the Zoom.

And folks that are tuning in, we are about to receive an overview on where we are on the city's emolition process, the pipeline, get some updates on uh where we are also in remediation of the uh of the unapproved fill that was previously used, and then also allow for questions from my colleagues.

Um I'm trying to kill 30 seconds or so because it's 10:30, and I will need to call our 1030 a.m.

public hearing to order and recess to the call of the chair.

Thank you, Dr.

Powers, and I will uh go back now to our 1015 presentation.

Uh so turn it over to our director.

Feel free to introduce yourselves if you wouldn't for mine for the record, and then you can feel free to begin.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Tim Pell is all the director of construction and demolition.

Raquel Harrington, Assistant Director of Communications, Construction and Demolition.

Good morning, Nick Payne, uh, planning and strategy manager for the construction and demolition department.

Good morning.

And if we could make Mr.

Payne a panelist so he can present.

I believe he has been made a panelist.

Yes, he's been made a panelist and been given permission to share screen.

Okay.

Everyone should be all set.

And whenever you guys are ready, you can begin.

Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the public health and safety committee.

Uh pleased here to present uh brief update on some of our blight-related activities and answer any questions that you might have.

As with any presentation, I do like to begin with our core pillars uh for construction and demolition department.

We strive to provide service that is customer focused, data-driven, and dependable.

Those are the goals to which we strive every day.

Uh we begin and end every day with our customers and clients' needs in mind, whether that's the residents of the city or our fellow client departments.

Uh we aim to uh understand what those needs are and respond appropriately as quickly as possible and efficiently as possible.

Uh for FY26, I just want to give you all a quick snapshot of our stabilization activities.

Uh last year we performed about 271 stabilizations on properties of interest.

These are the uh DPD BC task force properties where we are called in to secure and clean up properties that are under investigation for any one of a number of issues by either DPD and or B seed.

Uh last year we performed 33 stabilizations for the DBA.

These are city-owned high-value city-owned commercial real estate assets that are in a disposition or potential redevelopment pipeline.

We get called in to support those activities by securing those properties or providing access to properties we've previously secured for developer walkthroughs or any other activities that might support the redevelopment of those properties.

We also, of course, respond through any one of a number of means, whether it's C click fix, people who simply call our department for securing services, our standard board up, which is what you would typically consider the plywood.

We've done thousands of those, we do thousands of those every year, and we project it we'll continue on this base for FY27.

And finally, we are called in to support cleanup activities on typically publicly owned properties, residential properties, usually they would be land bank-owned where there is a potential disposition or sale.

We come in and help clean those properties up to make sure that they are moved along in the process.

So at a high level, those were our FY26 stabilization properties, and we have similar projections for FY27.

On the demolition and fill removal and replacement side, we generally categorize our activities in three buckets.

The first is the residential demolition program.

There are really two different types of residential demolitions.

There's either the emergency residential demolitions, those are demolitions that are referred to us by either the building official or the fire marshal, where they issue an order to us for rapid response and deployment of resources to stabilize the situation, remove the structure, or get it to the ground so that we can then clean it up later.

We have the then planned demolition program, those are blighted properties for which redevelopment does not appear to be moving forward.

We then proceed with a process that I'll outline in a little bit that surveys the property, abates any safely accessible hazardous or regulated materials, demolishes the properties and moves on to site finalization.

At the cost level, our average emergency residential demolition costs over FY26 is almost $18,000.

For planned residential demolitions, we're a little north of $25,000 for FY26.

On the commercial side, the sec next big bucket of demolitions is what we would consider our commercial demolitions.

These are anything that is not a one to four unit residential structure, so it could be a small retail storefront, it could be a large former school building, it could be an industrial parcel.

The range is really quite wide.

So when we say commercial demolitions, we use that as really a catch-all for anything that is not a one to four unit residential structure.

On the commercial side, we do also break it down by emergency response and then by planned activities.

Emergencies come to us in the form of a B seed emergency order or a fire marshal order.

Planned structures come through, and those are the ARPA funded properties.

So as ARPA winds down, the planned commercial demolition pipeline is similarly winding down.

For FY26 in terms of cost, our average planned commercial demolition cost was almost 400,000, but again, that range is wide because the varying types of structures is significant.

It can be a small retail storefront, it could be a large school or an industrial complex, so the costs vary widely.

On the emergency side, our average emergency residential cost is not quite $63,000.

Finally, on the fill removal and replacement, we have excavated a little over 100 properties so far.

We have identified a little north of 450 properties that have exceeded the contractual standard, which is the state's strictest environmental standard, that's the generic residential cleanup criteria.

To date, our average fill removal and replacement cost per site is about $34,000.

Once the fill is excavated and hauled off to the landfill, we then have another environmental consultant come in to collect samples of the excavation to ensure that the constituents of concern are not present at the limits of the excavation.

That's the verification of soil remediation cost.

On average, that costs about 2300.

All in, we're looking at a total cost for the removal and replacement of about $36,000, a little north of $36,000.

Now, what this does not account for the initial sampling and analysis cost.

That is approximately another five to six thousand dollars or so for the sampling of the fill material in the first place.

Emergency demolitions, I talked about this briefly, but again, these are properties that come to us from either the city's building official or through the fire marshal.

You can see examples of an emergency versus a planned demolition on the screen.

But we will always prioritize emergency demolitions over planned demolitions.

So when an emergency order comes through, our team's direction is to move the emergency properties along as quickly as possible, immediately initiate uh utility disconnection requests with DTE so that we can get the structure on the ground as fast as possible.

Typically we are waiting on DTE's response before we demolish the structures.

At a high level.

So once we receive the emergency order from the building official or from the fire marshal, we then immediately initiate the utility disconnections.

Once we submit those requests, we simultaneously move the property through the procurement process with OCP.

OCP procures the vendor.

Once we have completed the procurement process and we receive notification from DTE that utilities are disconnected, we then authorize the contractor to proceed with the demolition.

To kick off the process, we conduct a an engineering and a hazardous and regulated material survey of every planned residential demolition.

So we go through that process.

We have environment series of environmental consultants that go in and conduct those surveys.

We take that information, we then move forward with utility disconnections from DTE, and we work on the process of assigning an abatement contractor to begin the removal of safely accessible hazardous or regulated materials from the pro from the property.

Once the abatement contractor is complete with the process, we call in a third-party environmental consultant who performs a post-abatement inspection.

They verify that all safely accessible hazardous regulated materials are removed from the structure.

And then we work with OCP to procure a demolition contractor.

Again, once we complete the procurement process, we issue the notice to proceed to the demolition contractor and they move forward.

This is the work that you all have approved Mannequin Smith's amendment so that they can continue that process of the initial sampling and analysis of the film material.

Once those laboratory results come back, we then take a look at those results and we move into the process of assigning or I'm sorry, we don't assign.

We actually work with OCP to procure a contractor to remove and replace material that does not meet the contractual standards.

The contractor will move forward with the remediation process.

They'll dig up the unapproved fill material, and we then call in, as I mentioned before, another third-party environmental consultant to test the limits of the excavation to make sure that the constituents of concern have been remediated.

And then once the assigned contractor receives clearance to move forward with the backfill, they come in with the new fill material and grade and finish off the property.

One of the questions I always get is what have we done to ensure that the unapproved fill sites do not happen.

So we've taken some additional measures over the last several months to tighten up our process for approving fill material.

The first thing is that we collapsed the number of sites and sources from which we receive fill material down to seven public pits.

These only excavate native sand gravel soil from uh longstanding operations.

We inspect those sites on a monthly basis.

We send our own staff as well as our environmental third party environmental consultant staff out to those sites to observe operations to make sure everything looks in order.

And then starting this year, we have also started sampling and analyzing the material before it ever leaves the source site.

So we are collecting fill material samples from the source at the location, and then we are going to conduct random sampling of sites after that material leaves the source location and is deposited on our sites, regardless of whether that's a demolition site or a fill removal or replacement site.

So we will move forward with the random sampling uh later this year.

On the fill material uh removal and replacement process, uh we do want to stress that we have encountered uh materials that do exceed the state's generic residential cleanup criteria that said based on every indication that we receive from uh our own consultants and uh from other experts in the field.

Most of these sites do not present an imminent risk uh of public health precisely because for the most part they are buried between uh a foot of film material that does not indicate that it has been in any way tampered with or is not what we paid for.

It's also beneath a layer of vegetation that should protect any airborne uh particles from from leaving the site.

So we believe that the health risks, uh the public health risks for these sites are generally very, very low.

If there are sites that give us concern, we move forward with uh a rapid removal and replacement process to try to get those uh get those sites excavated and get those sites remediated.

So we have maintained a public-facing web page where anyone can access the information uh that that we have collected so far.

Uh we have a uh public map that allows anyone to see the sites in question that we have sampled or intend to sample or would like to sample, and you can see the results of those analyses as they're coming back, and you can also see where properties are uh in the removal and replacement process.

There's also links to uh a frequently asked questions that we receive uh from residents from this body and from anyone else that uh that has reached out with any questions or concerns.

Uh we continue to monitor and update that site on a regular basis, and as new questions come up, we'll monitor and modify our our FAQs to make sure that that information is available.

So we encourage anyone and everyone to please visit our designated dedicated web page.

The web address is up there on the screen.

Uh and we're happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.

If anyone even just wants to call us, we encourage them to do so.

They can call the general line.

We have a dedicated team of people who are there to answer questions.

Uh that number is 313-224-4737.

So you can always call us, and we have people that are there to respond to whatever questions or concerns that you might have.

So I open the floor to any questions that you might have, and we're we're happy to talk through whatever.

Thanks, Director.

Whatever answers you have.

Appreciate the presentation and the work that you guys do.

I do have a number of questions that I'll go through before trending over to my colleagues.

Um I'm gonna start from the beginning of the presentation.

So stabilization process or progress that you have here.

Um just to confirm the cleanups that you have, the 134, these are primarily land bank.

Yes.

The standard board-ups or C click fix for people are calling in for you to do the standard board-ups.

DBA, this is the Brownfield Authority or I'm sorry, the Detroit Building Authority, the Detroit Building Authority.

The city's real estate managers.

Okay.

And then properties of interest, DPD B seed.

Uh, are these currently the the 275?

Are these what you would call in your Dumble pipeline then?

No, not necessarily.

No, these are merely properties that have been identified by the DPDBC task force uh that require stabilization services.

Okay.

So in fact, most of those properties we do not demolish.

We merely clean them up, stabilize them, secure them, and then BCED or DPD or law department follow up with the owner.

Understood.

Thank you.

Would you happen to know how many properties and I'm assuming this changes every day?

But the number of properties that we have in the demo pipeline that are that are on their way to be demolished.

So I can say from the land bank at least, we have a little north of 250 properties.

Okay.

That the land bank has identified for demolition.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Um we get a lot of complaints about land bank homes, so I'm sure they might need to come down.

Um for the costs of your different activities for the remediation of the unapproved fill dirt.

So total cost 36,000.

Um just to confirm, we've already addressed over 100 properties.

Correct.

There are over 400 that still need to be addressed.

There are 400 properties that exceed the generic residential cleanup criteria, yes.

Okay.

So then just very quickly, that's going to cost us anywhere from 15 million, depending on how things are, everything costs more, anywhere to 15 to 20 million.

Last I heard we set aside maybe 10 million for this.

Any updates on what we're doing to make sure that we're filling the need um that that we're gonna have to cover.

So we're always in conversations with the administration with finance, with all the relevant departments to find the resources that we need to do the work that's required.

So we're we're always in constant talks with the relevant departments, I can assure you that.

Okay.

All right.

So then we shouldn't be surprised when we see amendments made to the budget.

I'm gonna assume we're doing what we always do, pull money that's not being used from other places, trying to really tighten up our our our budget because yeah, we are we're pulling money from other places at this point, correct?

There is funding right now, there is funding set aside in a dedicated cost center for these activities.

So technically we are not at this point.

We're pulling, we're not pulling from any other cost centers.

Uh but uh uh obviously it we'll we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Okay, thank you.

I like to know what bridge is coming up.

Um so this is helpful.

Um appreciate knowing uh what emergencies look like for you.

That is uh what I would also hope we are demolishing moving forward given the limited resources.

A question that I had was how are we to your point, you know, what are we doing to prevent what happened in the past from happening again?

So in your plan demolition process, really what we have enhanced is the abatement process and the post-abatement verification.

We're adding more steps to ensure that we are utilizing clean dirts and that we are testing more often.

So the the abatement process and the post-abatement process have actually existed for probably close to eight years now, uh if not maybe a little longer.

Um that that process has been around for quite some time.

Uh the changes to fill material are new.

Those uh additional quality controls that I talked about uh are new as of this year, this calendar year.

Understood.

So we're not changing the process, we are enhancing quality control.

Particularly around the fill material, that's correct.

Okay.

And we think this will be enough.

Uh I I I believe it will significantly close potential uh gaps in the process.

Okay.

Yeah.

I I believe that this process is above and beyond what anybody else is doing.

I really do do believe that we are at the a vanguard of quality control in this issue.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Um grateful to hear that what we currently are experiencing should not negatively impact us too bad.

I I think at this point we we will hope for the best, but really grateful that we're addressing these issues because we shouldn't be risking people's health with this kind of material around the city.

My my only final question that I have is really funding.

Um we are wrapping up on ARPA prop N money.

I I think we are also wrapping up if not we are we are we are we're clear of that.

So I'm just wondering, Director, would you happen to know how much funding we have aside for commercial residential and emergency um demolitions?

We can certainly get you the numbers as of the start of FY27, but we have uh a certain set aside of prop N funds to cover emergency residential demolitions for FY27.

We don't believe that that will be a problem based on based on our past uh counts.

We typically receive anywhere between 130 to 160 residential emergency demolitions a year.

Uh and we believe we have enough set aside in prop end to cover cover those costs.

Commercial emergencies are admittedly a little more difficult to predict, and it's precisely for the the reason that I had mentioned earlier.

The variation in size and type of structure and the potential environmental issues that we could encounter on a commercial site are so much greater and and uh so much more unpredictable that it it's very it is difficult for us to to project what cost might be.

We do have money set aside in the blight budget to uh address commercial emergencies as they come through, but again, if uh we have uh a commercial emergency of significant size and scale, it will it will impact, it will significantly impact the budget.

And for residential for planned residential, we do again uh through the chair apologies for leaving that out.

Uh for planned residential, we do have some prop end money left over set aside to to address uh some of those properties as well.

And and we are working with our our partner departments and and agencies on the uh the list of properties that move forward first.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um and I know I we've been looking at the properties coming uh through for emergency demolition and for dangerous buildings.

I appreciate um B seed and your departments really working together to make sure that we are demolishing properties that are at most risk, at most dangerous conditions.

Um because we do have limited resources, and I have found that if people are given time and they're able to work on their properties, they fix their properties.

So now we're able to to keep those intact.

Um any questions from my colleagues.

If not, oh member waters.

All right.

Um I was looking good morning.

Good morning, council.

I was just looking at this uh this picture of you said planned demolition, then emergency demolition, you know.

And so I'm I I'm always checking out things like that.

Um of the properties that are brought before us look much much better than the planned demolition photo.

And it's always concerning for me because I'd like to see us save as many properties as we can.

Um sometimes I see very nice brick homes being proposed for demolition.

And so I just want to ask you all if you could maybe focus on in the future, not demolishing so many of those homes.

I mean, our homeless population is growing here in this city too.

Um not demolishing so many of those homes that could potentially be saved.

Somebody can save them and somebody can live there, you know.

Um and that's just what I wanted to point out to you all, because you know, and even when you can't find the owner of the property, that has to be some kind of way that that we can make sure that those um properties are saved and put back in with the city or or the land bank or somewhere so that those properties can be saved and potentially use uh by detroiters and become a part of the tax rolls or part of housing for uh needy people, the people who really need them.

I mean, that's just where I am with with this demolition thing.

Through the chair, I I appreciate the the observation council member, and uh I I can tell you that I have very regular conversations with Director Bell and their dangerous buildings team about that very opportunity and that we to the chair's point have limited resources, we need to use those limit limited resources wisely, and where it is possible to stabilize and secure a structure, that is our preference.

And if BCED will give us the authority to do it, we will gladly do it.

And I believe that the process that we've developed through the properties of interest task force is uh exemplary of of that commitment.

Okay.

All right, so we should see some changes in the future, then is what you're saying.

Madam Councilmember, I again I can assure you that I have very regular conversations with my my personal friend Director Bell and his team at Dangerous Buildings, and we are working on that.

Okay, is Director Bell listening?

I he I'm sure he's always listening as he is through the chair, as he as he always likes to remind me, yes.

Yeah, okay.

All right, I just I just want to make sure that everybody's kind of thinking the same way because I'm pretty sure uh as director of such a very important department as BC, um I am sure that his main priority is safety uh for the residents in the neighborhoods, you know.

I get that, but I also want to just ensure that that we are preserving some of those homes so that so that uh detroaders can have an opportunity uh with them, or at least we put them back on a tax roll or something other than demolition.

So I wanted to just emphasize that point, um, Madam Chair, and you know how I feel about that that whole thing since uh since I got here.

So anyway, that's all I had to say.

Thank you.

Thank you, Member Watters.

Vice Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair, good morning, everyone, good morning, director.

Um couple questions for me.

I I want to go back to the um the available resources for budget.

Uh because as Madam Chair pointed out just remember in my first budget season, um, we are really we don't have a lot to dedicate um to a lot of the very important issues that folks are facing across the city of Detroit.

Um hearing that the contaminated dirt a remediation there would be around between 15 to 20 million, and then also the additional uh demolitions that will come this year that we've seen is it your under your um is it your thought that we will be able to pay for the remediation and continue the additional demolitions that will come this year, or has there been a thought of pumping the brakes a little bit so we can make sure that we handle the um the remediation of the uh uh contaminated dirt uh through the chair.

I I will say that we have money, of course it is early in the fiscal year.

That said, we have money set aside to uh tackle all three of the tasks generally that that I that I talked about.

We have funding set aside for stabilization, we have funding set aside for demolition, and we have funding set aside for removal and replacement of the unapproved bill.

So uh we certainly don't believe it's uh an all or nothing on any of them, but uh we are we are working again with all of our fellow departments and agencies to prioritize and and deal with all three of those issues at the same time.

And currently those that money is set aside uh just to make sure to confirm are already in cost centers within your department or and or prop in as such.

Through the chair, that is correct.

Yes, yes, we have we have funding in separate cost centers uh for all of those activities.

Okay, yes.

And then looking at um, I know you said that 100 around 100 have already been addressed, and I know we've gotten some of those um contracts, but I'm not sure that we've seen all of those.

Can you just go into the process in which those 100 were addressed?

Right.

So uh this was a process that started uh about eight to ten months ago now, where as properties were tested, if they exceeded the contractual standard, which is the state's generic residential cleanup criteria, we would then immediately move that property individually through the process.

And so we would competitively bid with OCP the removal and replacement work.

OCP would issue an award, and then we would move forward.

Uh there have been uh I believe it's two properties now where the bids for those properties exceeded the threshold for uh requiring uh your this body's review and approval.

So most of the properties have not.

Got it.

Okay.

And that is from those 100, that is the average of the $36,320.

That is yes, correct.

Got you.

Yes, that's thank you.

Um and then for uh uh just a question, because you talked about the um vegetation layer.

Sometimes I know I've seen it and it may be please educate me on it because it may be a different process in the step of the process.

Sometimes on demolitions we see that there is a layer of sand at the top.

Um is that the common practice, or what is the in product that folks are supposed to be seeing when there's a demo lot?

So our standard specification requires clover, which generally does grow in sandier soils or sand sandier material.

Uh but yes, so we allow uh there's really two parts the two part answer to your question.

The first is yes, we do allow uh certain content of sand up at the top at the surface.

Uh we do that primarily for filtration purposes and for better stormwater management, as sandier soils tend to process stormwater better than more of the clay soils.

Uh in the terms that in terms of the vegetation, the specification requires clover, which will uh usually grow in a sandier soil uh but also doesn't require as much uh cutting or mowing so that we we have a little bit of a burden uh lifted off of uh our our partners in GSD or cutting most of the lots.

Okay, got it.

Thank you.

Um and another question I have I'm wondering, and I don't know, Madam Chair, um, because I'm I'm also have my but BFNA have on I don't know if uh it would be appropriate to make a motion just to get the breakdown of the call centers of the um what's already budget I think that should be fine a motion the memo and then we can we can learn together, yes.

Okay, so if I can make a motion that we get a breakdown of the various cost centers related to um remediation, uh commercial demolition and ri residential demolition.

There's a motion for information regarding call centers.

We'll follow up with a memo.

Absolutely that will be approved.

All right, thank you.

And um my last question on the I know we've identified the 600 um parcels just so we've gotten a couple questions in our office of just the the widespread because we have done a lot of demolitions as such and folks concerned of demolitions outside the scope of where we found the 600, right?

Um that may have come a couple years ago or years in the past.

Yeah.

Can you just give folks an idea of of the steps that the department has taken of our do you have reassurance that folks aren't dealing with um contaminated unapproved dirt there in those properties?

And I can restate it if if I if that's not if I'm not clear on that.

Through the chair, I I I understand the question.

Unfortunately, I don't know the extent to which I can answer because it is an active investigation and because of the work that various investigative agencies has has done and they have done.

Um I'll need to think about how better to answer in writing, and and to be honest with you, I would probably need to refer the question to the law department for a formal answer to be honest.

Okay, thank you.

I'll follow up and running.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Director.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

Um colleagues, if there are no other questions, um director, I appreciate this overview.

I appreciate um the continued focus on making sure that we're trying to preserve and demolish um only what is extremely dangerous.

Um I know that we requested this in order to move along.

Um the rest of the departments, I mean excuse me, the rest of the demolitions moving forward.

Colleagues, before I let them go.

Do we have any other questions uh to feel comfortable moving demolitions out of this committee uh moving forward?

Um, or do we feel comfortable?

We're gonna get call centers, we're gonna get the information.

We are now in a new uh fiscal year, we have funding set aside, we have a renewed focus.

Um wondering is there anything else that we would need at this moment?

Seeing nine, while we have them, we do have demolitions on our agenda today.

Do you want to go through those now?

Or uh we can also actually so sorry.

I I I will send you back to your desks and do the 1030 a.m.

public hearing, and then we'll go into those items just to make sure that I don't keep folks waiting for that either.

Uh so I'll wrap up if there's nothing else.

Thank you all so much for being here.

I appreciate it.

Well, thank you all.

Thank you.

Um motion is there a motion.

Do we need a uh receive or foul on this one?

For the presentation, I don't believe so, Dr.

Powers.

We just we complete, we we close the presentation.

Yes, I think the last part.

Oh, I was just uh through through the chair, just asking if we need to receive a vowel on the on the presentation.

Um I don't believe so.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

We will now close out our 1015 presentation.

Thank you all.

We'll see some of you soon.

And uh just a note there there is a memo to follow up regarding call centers.

Um but what we'll do now is go into the 1030 a.m.

public hearing.

Uh so I would like to call to order our 1030 a.m.

public hearing.

The 1030 a.m.

public hearing is an ordinance to amend chapter 28 to the 2019 Detroit City Code Licenses, Article 1, City Business Licenses by amending sections 28-1-1 definitions to make necessary technical corrections by removing the definitions of adult arcade, adult bookstore or adult video, adult cabaret, adult motion picture theater, nudity, semi-nude, semi-nude model studio, sexually oriented business specified anamodical areas.

Uh this is um for this is the public hearing for said amendments.

I will turn it over to the law departments to go over um what we are looking at, but quite frankly, it is what we heard.

We are removing these definitions from this article.

Um, but I'll turn it over to the law department now to share a little bit of an overview of why we're doing this.

Good morning to this honorable body, D Hill Law Department.

Um, this is a to the through the chair.

This is a matter of housekeeping.

Uh, this ordinance amends chapter 28 of the 2019 Detroit City Code by removing the definitions of all of the words that you just said uh to this chair um from section 28-1-1.

While these definitions are being removed from section 28-1-1, they already exist in chapter 5, Article 12 of the code.

So this is simply removing duplicative and unnecessary definitions.

Okay, thank you.

Uh are there any questions from my colleagues?

If not, we do have a uh opportunity for public comments.

So what we'll do is go into public comment now.

This is a pretty straightforward ordinance with just amendments um being made.

If you are listening, tuning in, and you would like to make public comment for the public hearing this morning, please raise your hand now.

I will be cutting off the public comment section going once.

We're cutting off public comment going twice.

Going three times, we will now cut off public comment for 1030 a.m.

public hearing to amend chapter 28-1-1.

And we will turn it over to the folks that we have online now.

Who do we have first and how many hands do we have raised?

Madam Chair, we have four hands raised.

Um, with our first caller being owner papa.

Good morning, Ms.

Hughes.

You have minute 30.

Well, thank you, and good morning, and through the chair, May Abby Heard.

Yes.

Carolyn Hughes, I think it's absolutely atrocious that you had a presentation and not a public hearing with these people.

What they said is not what you re-eriterated.

I are you talking about the I'm talking about the last presentation that you had.

It should have been a public.

And ask everyone and remind everyone again that we are making public comments regarding the 1030 a.m.

public hearing, uh, which is regarding the amendments to chapter do chapter 28.

And Ms.

Hughes, as a reminder, I did mention that we were going to hear from demolition departments, and I did ask everyone to please ask your questions during general public comments because I knew they were going to present.

So I did um I did encourage everyone to ask your questions, make your comments to demolition departments who was going to present to us.

Unfortunately, it's not a public hearing, it was just a presentation.

Um, and we did hear from them, and I really would have um loved to hear your questions and comments before when I asked, so that we could have asked them when they were in front of us.

So, Ms.

Hughes, I will give you back the minute 30, remind you to please only speak on the 1030 a.m.

public hearing, which is regarding licenses and removing the uh the adult uh words.

Um, and if not, I I welcome you to come back any other time during general public comments.

Um, but again, everyone, reminder to our four callers.

Your comments will need to be focused on the public hearing uh regarding the changes to chapter 28, and if not, I will have to remove you and ask you to come back during general public comments.

Thank you all.

Who do we oh it will go back to Ms.

Hughes?

Ms.

Hughes, I will give you back the floor.

Uh good afternoon or good morning, and through the chair, may I be heard?

Yes.

This hearing, this hearing we just had could have waited until uh recess was over.

We have many more pressing issues.

The one which you just had a presentation on should have been a public hearing.

We the public have a right to have a say on what is what we hear the present presenter say, especially about important issues that affect our lives.

Uh this is not life affecting, it's uh it's doodling, it's much to do about nothing.

Um I really believe we can better utilize our important time to discuss important issues of which the presentation was.

Um I don't believe that this deserved to be heard before recess.

Um we have many more things that we should talk about in terms of what's going on with this body, the corruption in the city, and I don't think that this warrants a public hearing before uh you go on to this long, long vacation.

You you guys have a blessed time, but you you should look in the uh in the mirror at yourselves and really do some soul searching.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Hughes.

I do it every day.

Who do we have next?

Our next caller is Cindy Dara.

Yeah, um I actually I feel stupid, but I think I'm just ignorant.

I didn't follow what you were just doing now, and I don't even know like uh Caroline Hughes says why why is this a public hearing right now?

I I can't believe the lack of democracy in this body.

I mean, I've I just it's shocking.

Now I've asked you, well, can you put your transcript up on the internet so people can read it at night, and then we could better understand what our government's doing and the people who work and can't listen in the days.

You think they want to go home and listen to your meetings at night when they're with their family or friends?

Oh what's going on?

I mean, I I listened to that.

I thought that was a public hearing I was listening to about demolition, and I was writing out notes about what I wanted to say, and I think they should have to have an escrow.

I'm gonna have to pause and invite you to come back during general public comments.

Um, you were speaking on the demolition presentation, which is a reminder.

I did ask everyone to make comments on right before general public comments.

Who do we have next?

Our next caller is Mr.

Foster.

Mr.

Foster is here in person.

I will allow him to speak um right after our third public commenter online who is waiting.

And this is our final caller online before we go to Mr.

Foster.

Our last caller is legendary Detroiter.

Mr.

Ruben Crowley, you have a minute 30 to speak on the chapter 20 amendment.

Yeah, and to in regards to this chapter 20 amendment.

Now, um, when we're having these public hearings here, uh noticed this had to do with adult uh licensing for adult uh porn shops, bookstores, and oh you let listed off a whole bunch of stuff.

Now, when you are holding these uh public hearings, and you have uh your changing ordinances, I would uh think that well, no, common sense says that the people that will be voting on these matters need to be, I guess, informed.

Well, first of all, they need to not be cheated in officials, and what we got on the city council that's overseeing all these committees holding these hearings, are cheated in public officials.

You are yourself one.

You know you're cheated in, and you're acting like we're retarded or something.

I got great sense, and I know that Jan has been cheating way longer than you've been there.

So we're gonna pause him as well and turn it over to Mr.

Foster.

Thank you, Mr.

Crowley.

Um, you veered into topic off topic.

Um, so I'm gonna move us along now.

Mr.

Foster, you are our last public commenter for 10 30 a.m.

public hearing, whenever you're ready.

Oh, good morning through the um chair.

Just a couple things as it pertains to this hearing and this ordinance.

I think that this has been a taboo topic more recently.

I think our community have stood up and spoke against some things that are similar to these um type of ordinance and businesses.

I think that when there are targets of things and we have these ordinances, I think that we have to be compliant with community input over government surveillance, right?

Uh heard the AC talk about last week.

Targeting at some of these places or not targeting at some of these places.

I think that it's important that the community really be involved in all of these things, and that this body enforces the charter ordinance as far as community input over government surveillance as it pertains to anything and all things that are applicable.

I think that ordinance highlighted everything that deals with social media output, it deals with particular target targets of investigation, whether it's these type of establishments or anywhere, and it's supposed to be published on the internet, visibly for any citizens that go up and see an encounter and to know what's going on with these type of businesses as well as targets and surveillance.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Foster.

So heard a lot of questions of why the demolition conversation was not a public hearing.

Uh just again a reminder, folks.

Um I welcome and encourage questions and and comments being made.

Um, and uh we'll continue to remind folks before presentations are made and continue to encourage you to please ask questions and make comments during that time so that we are able to ask them um during those presentations regarding this public hearing.

The the biggest question that I heard was why?

Why are we doing this now?

Um, what is even this?

Um, and and just uh for clarity, any time city council makes any changes to our ordinances to our legislation because of our democratic process, because of the community inputs um that we want to receive, and that is legally required of us, uh, we have these public hearings for any of these changes to hear your feedback.

Today, the public hearing is something that's very minimal, I would say.

Um, and and pretty easy.

We are removing the words adult arcade, adult bookstore or auto adults video, adult cabernet, motion picture theater, nudity, semi-nude, semi-nude model studio, sexually oriented business or specified anemonical areas, removing these words from chapter 28-1-1, um, to make some technical corrections.

Um to the law departments, anything that you would like to add, anything that I missed as far as questions um made from the com uh from the public.

Uh to the chair, uh no, you did one full in the summary.

Uh, again, this is just a matter of housekeeping the definitions uh of the words that are being removed from chapter 28, um, specifically section 28-1-1 are already existing in section 5-12-2 of the code.

Okay, thank you.

Colleagues, any comments or questions from what we heard?

Okay, if that if we've got nothing else, um, we did our public comments.

We um this is uh really housekeeping uh for chapter 28.

So if there are no other questions or comments, is there a motion to send our 1030 a.m.

public hearing?

There's a request uh to my colleagues that everything from today's agenda, unless we decide not to, uh, but that we send everything to new business to try to lighten our load for next week.

Um, which I am agreement on.

Let's try to spread spread the the the items around.

Um, so just a note for us as as we move things out today.

Um, is there a motion to move our 1030 a.m.

public hearing to new business with the recommendation to approve?

Motion to send to new business or recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objection, our 1030 a.m.

public hearing uh amending chapter 28 will be sent to new business with the recommendation to approve.

With that, our 1030 a.m.

public hearing will now close out, and I will now move us along to the rest of the agenda and try to get through this rather swiftly to give us a break before our 13 p.m.

Dangerous buildings hearings.

Our seven points two item.

This is a memo relative to resolution requesting data center water usage.

Um is yes, 7.1.

7.1.

Thank you.

Um, uh we are now under unfinished business.

I skip 7.1.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

Under unfinished business, 7.1.

This is a memo relative to firework curfew violations.

Is there a motion to discuss or receive and file?

So discuss discussion, vice chair.

Thank you, madam chair.

Um, so we did not get this memo.

We got the memo via email.

Is now you scribe, so just wonder if we can get the on e scribe and bring this back in one week.

Okay.

So there is just a note to add the memo for fireworks curfew violations to e scribe and a request to bring 7.1 back in one week.

Hearing no objections, 7.1 will be brought back in one week.

7.2 now.

7.2 is the memo relative to resolution request for data center water usage.

I believe we can receive and file unless there's a motion to discuss.

Discussion.

Uh member waters.

All right, thank you.

Um yeah, we're being able to receive and file, but I I uh I want to make a motion to send it with an amendment.

Okay.

Um I want the resolution to go to uh Eagle.

Um the legislative uh Michigan legislature and the governor's office because the Great Lakes, of course, are Michigan.

So I want it the resolution to be amended to reflect that, Madam Chair.

If I might make that motion, okay.

There's a motion to amend the data center water usage resolution to add the Michigan legislature, Eagle, and the governor's office.

Hearing no objections, that's amendment.

That motion is approved.

Um discussion, yes, member waters.

I just I want to ask um LPD through you, if in fact such an amendment can be made by tomorrow if we send this to new business.

LP Dean That's probably possible.

I I didn't exact I couldn't exactly hear exactly who you wanted to send it to, the governor's office and who else.

Um Eagle.

The governor's office, Eagle, and the Michigan legislature.

Thank you to the chair.

Okay, can that be done by tomorrow?

If I send it to new business, to the chair, yes.

Okay, okay, all right.

Thank you.

Um madam chair, motion to um send it to uh new business.

All right, member waters, just one second.

I want to make sure 7.2.

This is the memo.

Oh, that's a memo.

I I so a motion to receive and file that.

Okay, and then we will once we get to the resolution, because I believe it is 7.2.

8.15 to the chair.

Okay, thank you.

Once we get to the memo, we will approve it as amended.

No problem.

Thank you.

All right, so we will receive and file 7.2.

Hearing no objections, 7.2 will be received and filed.

Thank you, member waters.

We will amend the other item once we get to that.

Moving us along to 7.3.

7.3 through 7.5 are various demolition contracts.

7.3, this is contract number 3090139 utilizing 100% splight funding.

This is to provide emergency demo at 20515 mound.

The contractor's inner city contracting, they're in Detroit.

This will cost 30,000 with 300, and this will go to construction and demolition.

Is contract number 3091703?

100% bond funding.

This is for emergency residential demolition of 3035 Holberts.

Contractors, DMC consultants, they're in Detroit.

This will be 32,319.

And again, this would be for construction and demolition.

7.5 is contract number 3091448.

100% spawns funding to provide residential demolition at 1456 Trinity.

The contractor is SC Environmental Services.

They're in Detroit.

Discussion.

Discussion.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I know these have been waiting for a little bit.

So I would be okay with moving though the demos that are in unfinished business, but for any additional, I would love to or would like to wait until we get that verified with the cost centers.

All right.

So new business bring back unfinished business.

We can move forward.

So then for 7.3 and 7.5, these items are under unfinished business.

These all have been completed.

And all of them are in pretty dire state as well.

So have no questions on why we decided to demo these.

Motion to send 7.3 to 7.5 to new business without recommendation.

Are there any objections?

Hearing none.

For approval.

Moving us along.

7.6.

This is memo relative to requesting draft ordinance concerning a waiver of blights.

Finds and fees assessed by the Department of Appeals and Hearings.

Is there a motion to discuss?

Motion to discuss.

Thank you.

To the law department.

Um is there a date for when this would like to be you'd like for us to bring this back?

It's it sounds like you're still working through this.

To the chair, that is accurate.

Can we please bring this back after recess?

Okay.

After recess, that would be September 14th.

Is there a motion to bring back 7.6 back in on September 14th?

Motion.

Hearing no objections, 7.6 will be brought back September 14th.

7.7.

This is a memo relative to request for a resolution to prioritize demolition properties.

We've been asked to bring this back in one week.

If there's draft resolution, we do have a draft resolution.

Um, but we are we have some amendments that we'd like to make to it.

So if we could bring this back in one week, motion bring back in one week.

Hearing no objection, 7.7 will be brought back in one week.

7.8.

This is a petition of a mere requesting to vacate with an east with easement, the east-west public alley bounded by Joy Road, Sussex Ave, and Wickcombe Ave.

Is there motion to approve or discuss 7.8?

Motion to discuss.

Discussion, Vice Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My team is still checking into this.

I know we had uh identified as an auto shop, but it seems to be closed now.

So just trying to figure out what they are doing with this property now.

So um, if we can bring this back in one week, hearing no objections, 7.8 will be brought back in one week.

7.9.

This is contract number 6007 eight nine one, utilizing 100% city funding to provide HRD KMAC 9th floor renovations.

Contractor is uh DA Angelis Diamond Construction.

They are located in Novi.

This will be for 780,000, and this will go towards construction and demolition.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss 7.9?

I have questions if there's a motion to discuss.

Thank you.

We should have Nick Pain or Raquel Harrington on from demolition and construction to discuss.

If we have them on, if we can please move them over as panelists, madam chair.

Yes.

It doesn't look like they're on yet, so we might have to move this to the end of agenda.

Okay.

So we can without objection come back to 7.9 to the end of the agenda.

We're also bring back.

I don't know how urgent this is.

Um, but okay, I'm gonna move us along.

7.10 and 7.11 R CBI contracts.

7.10.

This is contract number 6007211 amendment number one to provide an increase of funds for the community violence intervention services.

The contractor here is team pursuits global.

They're located in Detroit.

This will increase their contract by 1,400,000.

And this is through the Health Department 7.11 is contract number 6007180 amendment number one.

Utilizing 100% city funding.

This is to provide an increase of funds and extension of time for community violence intervention services.

The contractor here is Hand of Hope.

Live in Peace Organization.

They're in Detroit.

This will increase their amounts by 962,000 with 500.

Again, this will go through the health department.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss 7.10 and 7.11?

Motion to send to the business with recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objection, 7.10 and 7.11 will be sent to new business with the recommendation to approve.

7.12 through 7.23.

Noting that I believe we are still under.

Are we under new business now?

We're still nope, we're still in unfinished business.

So these next item 7.12 through 7.23.

Oh, Mr.

Washington.

Yes, good morning through the chair.

We do have Raquel Harrington who's joined us.

Thank you.

I might bring her back in a second.

We are also about to discuss other construction and demolition contracts.

So thank you for the flag, Mr.

Washington.

For the items in front of us, 7.12 through 7.23.

These are all various demolition contracts.

7.12.

This is contract number 3091966, utilizing 100% bond funding for emergency residential demolition at 2053 Charleston.

Contractor is DMC consultants.

This is for 15,795.

All of these will be for construction and demolition.

Contractor is DMC consultants for 28,350.

7.14.

This is contract number 309293.

100% spawn funding for emergency residential demo at 12404 Maine.

Contractor is inner city.

This was for 20,744.5 is contract number 3092037.

100% bond funding for emergency residential demolition of 11364 coil Kyle.

Contractor DMC consultants, this will be for 20,777.

Madam Chair.15.

Yeah.

For 7.16.

This is contract number 3091970, utilizing 100% split funding to provide emergency commercial demolition of 1170 Livernoy.

The contractor's DMC consultants in Detroit for 107,000 with $32.

7.17 contract number 3092519.

100% spawn funding to provide emergency residential demolition of 5979 Pennsylvania.

Contractors, DMC consultants, this will be for 32,400.

7.18 contract number 309296.

100% bond funding.

For 17,500.19 is contract number 3090129.

100% spawn funding for emergency residential demolition of 1733 brush.

Contractor is inner city for 13,900.20.2294, utilizing 100% spawn funding to provide emergency demolition of 2635 pin gri.

Contractor is DMC consultants for 21,120.

7.21 is contract number 309298.

100% spawn funding for emergency demolition of 558 underwood.

Contractors inner city contracting for 18,600.22 contract number 309297.

Utilizing 100% bond funding.

Contractors DMC consultants for 20,412.

And 7.23.

This is contract number 3091962 utilizing 100% bond funding to provide emergency residential demolition of 9074.

Monica contractors DMC consultants for 17,745.12 through 7.23.

Discussion.

Discussion.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

I had the same question for that item.

Miss Harrington, if you wouldn't mind setting your name and title for the public.

Again, we're discussing 7.13.

All the other images for the demolitions.

Make it very clear that those properties are in pretty dangerous condition for 7.13, though.

From what we can see, the outside of the structure looks pretty intact.

It does look like the roof is caved in.

Would you have any other insights to the damage that this property has?

Because it this seems like something that if we could have uh prevented a demolition, um, that that this would have been one that um we could have tried to prevent and through the chair.

This is for um which line item uh my apologies all good 7.13.

7.13 chair.

My notes uh indicate that this was in emergency residential demolition.

Uh no clear issue on my end, but I can get some more information on that and provide it in writing.

Okay, that's for 7.13.

Um it does look like there's homes immediately next to one side of the property.

I don't know if that's the case in the other.

Okay, Miss Harrington.

That would be helpful.

Vice Chair, uh, would you like to bring this item back in particular?

Or what would you like us to do?

If we can bring back 7.13 in one week.

Okay.

Hearing no objections, 7.13 will be brought back in one week.

And madam chair.

Yes, vice chair.

Um motion to send uh 7.12 and then 7.14 through 7.23.

Uh to new business without recommendation.

There's a motion to send seven points twelve, seven points fourteen through seven points twenty-three to new business without recommendation.

Hearing no objections, seven points twelve, seven point fourteen through seven points twenty-three will be sent to formal with no recommendation.

Thank you, Ms.

Harrington.

I will now move us along.

Just mad chair.

Yes, vice chair.

Just to know to new business.

Oh, those items will all be sent to new business.

Thank you.

Madam Chair, did you want to speak to um oh regarding 7.9?

Yes, thank you, madam clerk.

Um, Miss Harrington, if you're listening, just kidding, if you wouldn't mind coming on back, if we can make Ms.

Harrington into a panelist, and if there's a motion to discuss 7.9.

Motion to discuss.

Thank you.

Yes.

Just need a moment to get her back as panelists.

Thank you.

Madam Chair, it looks like she's rejoined us as panelists.

Thank you.

Oh, would we happen to have Ashley Franklin on as well?

And if so, if we can make them into panelists, because if they're from procurement, I do have a procurement question.

Yep, Madam Chair, she's also rejoined us or joined us as a panelist.

Thank you.

And then once our panelists have joined us, if you wouldn't mind stating your names and titles for the public office of contract and the procurement procurement specialists.

Good morning.

Thank you for joining us.

Um I will ask procurement questions.

Um while I have you, there were multiple Detroit vendors uh that were part of this bid, um, but none of them were selected.

If you wouldn't mind sharing with us why why not so we follow the procurement process and we evaluated each proposal, um, and it was determined that the Angelus Diamond was the highest ranking technical proposal.

Meaning meaning that their proposal um illustrated that they were the most qualified uh and provided the most capacity to be able to pull off this project.

Okay, and then this is renovation.

Is this for the whole ninth floor?

No, this is for the HRD suite.

I believe it is suite 908, I believe.

So this will be for HRD on the ninth floor for their suites.

Okay.

Understood.

Those were my major questions.

Are there any other questions for 7.9?

Hearing none.

Is there a motion to approve?

7.1.

Motion.

There's been a motion to approve.

Is there a motion for new business?

Motion.

There's a motion to new business.

7.9 will be sent to new business with a recommendation to approve.

Thank you, Ms.

Franklin.

I will now move us back to 7.24.

7.24.

This is a memo relative to questions on Detroit at work.

We've been asked to bring this back in two weeks.

Motion.

Hearing no objection, 7 points 24 will be brought back in two weeks.

Oh, excuse me.

Del law department.

Hi, um next week is last week.

Oh, correct.

Okay.

You are correct.

So member waters.

After recess.

After recess, September 14th.

There's a motion to bring back 7 points 24 after recess on September 14th.

Hearing no objection, 7 points 24 will be brought back on September 14th.

Okay, thank you for the flag.

Item 7.25.

This is contract number 6007 381 utilizing 85% grants, 15% city funding to provide tethered drones maintenance and support.

The contractor is Dings Partners Group LLC.

They're located in Illinois.

This will go through December 18th, 2023.

This total contract will be 327,558 with 90 cents, and this will be for fire.

Is there a motion to discuss 7.25?

Motion to discuss.

Thank you.

Who do we have to discuss 7.25, Mr.

Washington?

Yes, through the chair, we have Alisa Malillo as well as Jamal Island.

If we can make them into panelists, they have both joined us as panelists.

Thank you.

And as folks join us if you wouldn't mind stating your name and title for the public.

Good morning.

Um Alisa Millel, Chief of Staff, Detroit Fire Department.

Good morning.

Good morning, Jamal Island, Detroit.

Emergency Management Homeland Security.

Good morning.

Thank you both for joining us.

If you wouldn't mind sharing with us uh what this contract would do, uh we know it is for drones.

Um, what you're hoping to utilize the drones for for the fire department to whoever can answer the question.

So these drones are are tethered drones, and the drones to to be working uh with the fire department.

Uh these drones currently um have a capacity to stay up in the air for continual time.

Um these will be used during uh fire search and rescue, uh commercial buildings that are on fire, residential uh structures that are on fire.

The drones have infrared that are also able to point out hot spots uh so that and provide real-time uh visuals on the ground so that firefighters can have safe entry into these structures and things of that nature.

Okay, um these drones will be used solely by fire.

Uh will these be shared with DPD at all.

Um, through the chair, um, no, unless there's uh an incident command that DPD is present.

So if we, for example, um, like the Southwest Water Rescue.

Um, if we have multiple agencies online, we could we could show access points for the teams that are uh needing access, but they will uh be controlled and monitored by the Detroit Fire Department.

Okay, madam chair.

Oh, yes, we've also been joined by Director Kincaid to answer some of these questions.

Oh, wonderful.

Uh good to see you, sir.

If you wouldn't mind sitting a naming title for the public.

Good morning, everyone.

Uh Director Hilton Kincaid, uh the Homeland Security Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division.

Thank you for joining us, sir.

Um, we're just asking questions right now of the the fire department request for drones.

Uh so won't be used with police unless you have a shared assignments.

Um, next question was going to be around.

I guess you it was mentioned tethered drones.

How is this different from other drones?

These tethered drones are connected uh with a wire uh that gives them power, constant power.

The other drones are free flying, and what happens is when we have an incident with these uh regular free flying drones, uh we spend a lot of time bringing them down, changing the batteries because they only last a short amount of time.

If we have an incident of fire or something big, and we need that drone to be up there for a consistent amount of time, we don't lose that uh officer safety or that visibility for our firemen or any other event because we can keep these tethered drones up.

Uh their line of sight and they're for lack of a better term, they're attached like by an extension cord.

That continuous powers allows us to keep those drones up there, and we can make sure that there's no gap in between monitoring officers going through a fire and making sure they're safe.

Uh if they go into a hot spot or something like that, we can tell them, hey, slow down because they're they're monitored.

Uh so that's the purpose of having the tether drones to so you don't lose power and have to bring them down, spend a lot of time changing batteries and sending them back up.

Okay, thank you for that education.

Um a follow-up is are we going to be recording, capturing data, storing data at all while using the drone?

No, these drones are for real time, they're for real time access for emergencies for fires and things like that.

There's no data or recording necessary for a real-time fire.

Uh the purpose is to keep the the firemen and or whoever is being monitored safe at that time.

Uh they the recording aspect does not apply to these particular drones.

That's why they're utilized for emergency purposes only.

Okay, thank you.

Are there any questions from my colleagues regarding these drones?

Seeing none.

Uh I I will say, and I mentioned this to DPD.

Um, I do have concerns with drones.

I want to make sure that if we have them, uh we are being responsible that we are ensuring um that we are not collecting data, and if we are that we're keeping it safe.

Um 7.25, this drone um makes me feel a little bit um more comfortable knowing that it won't be used with police.

Um there was a caller that mentions the the issues now with drones being utilized, particularly with police departments.

I have yet to hear any issues with fire.

If anyone does come across it, let me know.

Um, but uh there seems to be some kind of control um within the fire departments for drones.

Um so unless this changes, um, I feel comfortable with with supporting this contract.

Um, but again, uh really hoping that we are able to be responsible with with the technology that we have.

Um seeing no other questions, is there a motion for 7.25 motion.

There's a motion.

Um send it to business or okay.

Okay.

Motion to new business.

There's a motion to send seven points 25 to new business with the recommendation to approve.

Are there any objections?

Um hearing nine, seven points twenty-five will be sent to new business with the recommendation to approve.

Thank you all.

Are we asking for a waiver as well or no?

Um I'm confused about that.

Director, if you're asking for a waiver, you um can ask us for that tomorrow.

So if you would like a waiver, uh, we can keep that in mind as a request.

Moving too fast.

I apologize, madam chair.

All good.

I know that you guys have been working on this for a while.

Um so there's a note for for us colleagues, uh waivers being requested for tomorrow.

Understood.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Moving us along to 7 points 26.

This is from the office of the chief financial officer, Office of Development and Grants.

7.26 is an authorization to submit a grant application to the U.S.

Department of Justice for the fiscal year 2025 Justice Reinvestments Initiative grant.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss 7.26?

Discussion.

Discussion.26.

Mr.

Washington, who do we have to answer any questions?

From the chair, we have Deputy Chief Mark Bliss.

If we can make DC into a panelist while he's being moved over, Vice Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Just wanted to go into deeper background what this grant is and what particular what do we plan to spend or what do we plan to do with the grant.

Okay.

We can ask DC once he's joined us.

Madam Chair, he's been made a panelist.

Thank you.

Good.

Good morning, still, if you wouldn't mind seating your name and title for the public.

Deputy Chief Mark Ballis, Detroit Police Department.

Hello, DC.

Thank you for joining us.

We are at 7.26, the grants application.

If you wouldn't mind sharing with us and the public, uh what this grant application is for.

Yes.

This uh grant application is to uh procure um drones in order to we're looking at in regards to uh drifting drag racing and also um large public gatherings.

Uh one of the things that we wanted to do is possibly used uh drones as first responders to um address some of those calls for service uh to see if the in regards to drifting and drag racing, we do get a large amount of calls uh in order to uh confirm that there is a a drifting or drag racing issue at the location, and we could uh uh request additional resources there.

Um in a lot of these cases, uh, as you know, for drifting and drag racing, uh these vehicles move around quite a lot.

So we may get calls to a location, and um when we send officers to that location, uh they have already moved.

Um, due to the speed that a drone can get to a location uh versus a scout car.

Um what the the grant is is to propose utilizing drones to respond.

Um they will visually see it, and then what they can do is they can contact and confirm uh sending additional resources because there are people at the location.

Understood, thank you.

So this is solely going to be used for drag racing, correct?

Uh that and also uh large uh public gatherings.

If there is, you know, if there is a public gathering or a um a house party or something where there's an alb where we're getting calls where there's an ablarge abnormally large uh group of people, um, we would send a drone out there to confirm that there is something there.

Okay, will these be used for any other calls like a mental health call or domestic violence situation or any other calls outside of those two situations?

Uh right now it's just for those two stipulations for this grant.

If we do change anything, we would have to uh uh make a change to the grant and ask for uh permission in order to change that.

Okay.

And then I know um when we spoke about this, I also asked regarding storage data storage and um sharing whatever data we have with federal agents.

Can you share with us um if any data will be collected and stored and and how so, and if that will be shared with federal agents?

Uh so it will not be shared the uh drone footage uh regarding the drifting and drag racing and things under this grant will not be shared uh with any federal agencies.

Um we have a a tentative 30-day um uh retention period for the uh for the audio video.

Um what we'd like to do is if there's nothing there, we'd like to uh delete it uh far sooner um if there's no evidentiary purpose for it.

Okay, and 7.26.

This is solely for the grant application, not for the drone itself.

Um there was a caller that called in regarding concerns of drone usage.

Um, so just uh a note to the public again.

Questions, concerns, comments regarding this, let us know now before this comes back to this committee so we can discuss um and ask any questions as needed.

Are there any other questions uh for 7.26?

Actually, Vice Chair, did you have anything else you wanted to be reviewed?

Yes, Vice Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good afternoon, DC.

I have a question.

Is my understanding that the Board of Police Commissioners are still having discussions on the technical aspect of the drones that this grant would be used for?

Is that correct?

We are still going through the uh the COX process.

Um this we would just to clarify, we would have to procure uh drones in order to uh uh partake in this grant.

Uh so this is just the first step to secure some funding.

Um, but we'd still have to go through the CAUs in the procurement process.

Uh so that includes going through the the Board of Police Commissioners.

So this doesn't circumvent any of that.

Um we would still have to go through our normal channels if we were if we were procuring drones outside of a grant.

Um so we would still have to do that.

This doesn't uh circumvent it at all.

Thank you.

Um glad to hear that it doesn't circumvent.

I would I would like um for me personally, I think it would be best for us to go through those processes before uh applying for grants on this, just so we can know what our policies will be, what the board of police commissioners have said and such.

So that uh Madam Chair, that would be my preference.

I'm not sure on the timing of these things, but since there are active conversation and coming up with COGs and all of that, um, I would want us to settle that first before application to grants.

Uh DC, any idea when that process with the Board of Police Commissioners will be completed.

Uh we're looking at the next couple months.

So one of the reasons why we applied is there was a due date and this was available, and we wanted to make sure that we could apply for it.

Uh of course, if we don't get the permissions, we can turn down the grant.

Okay.

And when is the due date for the grant, sir?

Uh I don't have that available to me right now, but I know that it was it's right around this time.

And that's one of the reasons why we put in for it is to uh know that uh we still have a couple months until we would even know if we're uh awarded the grant.

Uh and again, if if we don't get the approvals uh to procure the uh drones, then we will just uh turn the grant down.

Okay.

So this seems like everything's happening at the same time.

Um reviews happening with the Board of Police Commissioners.

Uh this application, sir.

If you wouldn't mind, um we can bring this back in one week.

Let us know what the due date is.

Um, because if we still have some time, then we can still discuss this when we get back.

Um, have you apply, give the board of police commissioners the time that they need.

Um, but that would be helpful for us to know um uh how how to help as well, if we can get a sense of when this application is due.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

So any other questions while we still have DC.

If not, is there a motion to bring back 7.26 in one week?

Motion to bring back in one week.

Hearing no objection, 7.26 will be brought back in one week.

Uh DC will wait for that information.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Under new business, under the Office of Contracting and Procurement, 8.1.

This is contract number 6007 910, utilizing 100% city funding to provide emergency mass communication system via MIDEL agreement.

MA250156.

Contractors ever bridge, they're located in uh Burlington, Massachusetts.

And this is going to be a three-year contract at 186,450.

This will be used for Homeland Security and police.

It looks like we should have Director Kincaid as a panelist if we can make um into a panelist if there's a motion to discuss 8.1.

Oh, hello, sir.

If you are if you're also here to discuss 8.1, please feel free to join us here on the stage.

And once you've joined us, you can feel free to introduce yourself with names and titles.

Motion to discuss.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

I was wondering, thank you.

So we are discussing 8.1.

Uh we have our director, if you wouldn't mind setting your name and title, director, and to our panelists uh that have joined us.

Hilton Kincaid, director of emergency management and Homeland Security Division.

Robert Millen, director of public safety IT.

And I also have through Homeland Security, we had Mr.

James Bufer, he was gonna be on here as well to help us discuss this one.

He should be here.

We can bring on as a panelist, ma'am.

Do we see James on?

Yes, we see him, so we'll make him into a panelist.

Thank you.

Brandon Phillips, director of uh technology adoption and innovation for uh DOIT.

Thank you all for joining us.

We will be making James into a panelist as well.

Yep.

And Madam Chair, he's joined us as panelists.

Thank you.

So this is 8.1.

Uh while James is being moved over as a panelist.

Uh if anyone can please give us an overview of what this contract will provide us.

Um through the chair, I'll give it and I'll also let Homeland Security provide more detail than I probably can provide.

Well, this contract's gonna provide today.

It's a mass communication system, so alerts have happened for emergencies around the city of Detroit.

It's being used currently today with the air quality problems that we had.

You've seen mass alerts go out through the city around the city of Detroit.

It's also used for IPAWs and asked Jan Put probably helped with IPAs and different emergency alerts like that to go around.

So the main purpose of this contract today is we'll replace our existing application that is doing that.

This is a new application that was chosen for it today.

So that is the main purpose of what you're seeing before you today.

And we're asking you to prove through the chair.

Thank you.

I do see uh I see your hand, Director, but I'll have James introduce himself uh briefly before turning it over to you.

James, if you wouldn't mind sitting your name and title for the public.

Good afternoon, Madam Chair.

James Buford, emergency management coordinator for the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Thank you for joining us, sir.

Director.

Uh through the chair, uh, madam.

Uh just to piggyback on what Director Millender said, uh, the contract with Code Red is up.

And just like anything else, we like to stay on top of our processes.

Uh we start reviewing well before the contract is up and to make sure we have the best product going forward, and we're not paying or wasting any money.

So uh several people have already talked about communication.

When we finish writing some of our plans like citywide evacuation, other things like that, we realize we needed something to communicate with the public.

This will give us the the best opportunity to do that going forward.

Um so as I say, we always review our plans and processes uh every so often.

And when anything is coming up for a new contract, we always review to make sure we have the best product uh for our residents to keep them set safe and utilization uh internally as well because these tools we use to go from knowing to doing uh and serving the community as well.

So it's internal and external communication.

Thank you.

And you mentioned this is going to Everbridge is going to replace code red.

That's correct.

Okay.

Uh thank you, sir.

I'm gonna go into just brief questions then.

Um I have received the notifications.

I'm grateful for them.

I'm wondering if we're able to send out notifications in Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, and Arabic moving forward.

Through the chair, I can answer that yes.

With Everbridge has has is multiple languages on there, and Spanish is definitely one of them.

I can buy the more detail, but definitely it's multi-language, multilingual is probably that was one of the deciding factors and help us choose every bridge for moving forward.

Okay.

Um, because even that the last notification that I received, there was so much space that I could have easily fit in.

I I think multiple languages.

So I think there's the capacity, just want to make sure we do it.

And through the chair, I will verify with our existing application of why we can't do that as well.

So I'll work with the call we had to see can we do that until we move to the new Everbridge where I know it's possible.

Okay, thank you.

Uh very much appreciate that.

Um, so I know that um we often hear of need of notifications for so we we we're doing this for for air quality now, we're doing it for storms.

Um I know that this isn't necessarily um always a a natural um incident that causes water main breaks.

Um, but could this be usable to notify the public when there is a water main break that is going to impact their drinking water, or should I still work with the water departments and how we notify the public on that?

It can be utilized for that.

Uh what has been happening as you know historically when there's a break in a certain area of the water department shows up as well do we.

Um one of the things they do is determine where that line is.

Uh once they determine what that line is, they have to contact all those residents in that area before they can shut it off.

Utilizing this, we'd have to know in advance where covered to geofence that area and only notify those people.

Uh but it seems like currently us physically being out there and notifying that small group has been kind of working.

Uh, if it's a huge massive break, of course, we were able to uh geofence the area and notify everybody at one time.

Okay, thank you.

And then the code red system, you had to opt in.

Would it be the same thing for every bridge?

We have to encourage everyone to sign up to receive the information.

The chair, that's correct.

You still have to opt in.

It'd be the same procedures as was called red with every bridge.

One thing I do want to add the branding and nothing will change.

It's just the back end system that you'll be seeing.

And I won't need to reapply.

Right now, no, if you were applying there was an issue where we may have lost some of them with code red.

This was about in it was about a year ago.

We had an issue with COVID and we lost maybe a hundred thousand of the people who applied.

But if that's the case, anybody who's in there now, we're gonna migrate over, and that's the reason why we did it ahead of time.

It gives us time because we have core red and a new system in place.

So it's gonna give us time to make sure we have a smooth migration of the data.

Okay, thank you.

Colleagues, any other questions?

Oh, director, I I heard you, and then I'll turn it over to my colleagues.

I was gonna say through the chair, ma'am.

That was one of the criteria we demanded uh that those people and those groups, because we have prefab groups in there for notification for activation of this uh incident or that incident, uh, that we could dump the information into the new system.

We didn't want to go out and have to re-register people because that would have been too cumbersome, and then you lose kind of the faith of the community uh because they've done it once.

They don't want to have to do it again.

So that was one of the criteria of having the new people being able to do that uh seamlessly.

Thank you for that.

Vice Chair.

Thank you, madam chair.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Um, just uh question, two questions for me.

So the alert, the public alert system, you have to opt in.

Is that the way to get those?

I don't want to confuse the two.

Uh so that we have IPALs and with that was mentioned that's the integrated public alert warning system.

Uh that's the FEMA national system that we have access to.

Uh you'll notice we did our 365 during the um initially with the health department when the weather, when the uh air quality got bad.

Uh then Madam Mayor had us elevate that uh to a broader notification so everybody would get it.

So we use the WIA system, wireless emergency alert under the IPALS auspices.

There's two different main things under IPALs, and that's EAS emergency alert system that does the TV and to interrupt your TV and the WIA, which is the wireless emergency alert that does all the cell phones.

So uh Everbridge and this process gives us the ability to tap into those.

But what we use this for is when it's more local uh situation or just an area.

Uh if we want to uh just tap that area, like if Marathon or some other area has an issue, we can just geofence that area.

That's what this system is for.

It gives us control internally on how we utilize it.

Use it also to uh activate uh again any for any emergency, our activation teams, and each activation is uh incident specific, whether it's public safety, whether it's weather, uh so that's what this system gives us the ability to do.

Thank you, Director.

And um thank you for that background.

So for the ladder that you the system that you just described, if we were geofences or such, the folks that we're able to reach, do they have to opt in to it to get those alerts?

They do.

Okay.

And if just for the public and just for you know public education, how does someone register for that?

So we have that on our website, and it should not change, but the numbers may change.

You can use a uh a text to opt in.

You can go to the website and they'll walk you through how to walk uh to opt in.

Uh generally when I go to all the uh community meetings, uh mandated charter community meetings, I have documentation that I pass out there to show people how to easily register.

You can also register for the type of alerts you want, because this will do cell phones, landlines, email, Facebook, uh, Twitter, all those things.

So you can pick and choose what type of alert you want to get when you register.

That's the other uh I think good nuance to the system.

Thank you for that.

And if you are able to send over any of those documents, even especially if you have them digitally to uh my office, that would be great, just so we can put the newsletter.

All right, thank you, Mount Chair.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

Any other questions?

Seeing none, is there motion to send a point one to new business with the recommendation to approve?

Motion to send 8.1 to new business for a recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, 8.1 will be sent to new business with the recommendation to approve.

Thank you all for joining us.

Thank you.

Have a good day.

You as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Moving us to 8.2.

This is contract number 6007 914, utilizing 100% grant funding to provide environmental and engineering services for central lounge elimination and rail adjustments, the clear Detroit project.

The contractors HRD Michigan, they're located in Ann Arbor.

This will be a five-year project at 6 million 64,315 with 89 cents.

And this will be for public works.

Is there a motion to discuss 8.2 motion?

Thank you.

We should have Director Brundage on or Pamela Crump to discuss this item.

Madam Chair, they're moving over to panelists in just a minute.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, if you wouldn't mind seating a name and title for the public.

Good to see you, Director.

We have also been joined by our next panelist.

If you wouldn't mind seating your name and title for the public.

Thank you both for joining us.

This particular project will provide for preliminary engineering community engagement, as well as performing environmental review, which will ultimately lead to uh NEPA approval uh for the preliminary portion uh of the project.

Uh ultimately, uh the scope of the project uh will provide for uh for uh readers and realigning railroad tracks, removing aging bridges, as well as removing four at gray crossings uh in southwest Detroit.

Uh and these are railroad crossings online central uh near John Crown Street.

Uh so again, this would just be the first phase of the project to provide for uh the preliminary engineering and environmental assessment.

Uh, once that work is completed and NEPA approval is uh received, the next step would be to obtain grant uh funding to move forward with the final design uh and the construction of uh of the project in Southwest Detroit.

Thank you, Director.

Uh this is exciting.

We have truly aging infrastructure regarding our our railroads in throughout the city.

Um, just being in district six driving on this roads, it is quite awful, very bad for um the public if you're trying to bike, if you're trying to drive over these.

Um, so I appreciate this work.

Um, and looking forward to the process.

You know that uh we will be uh more than happy to help engage the public in this process.

Um so looking forward to that.

Uh Vice Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good afternoon.

Um, director, I have a question.

I do agree that there's a lot of work needed on our railroad crossings.

Um my office sent the memo, I'm not sure if it has been referred yet, but um in D7, there are quite a few uh railroad crossings that are causing issues for residents.

Um I it's under my uh it's my understanding that uh your department of folks have been in conversation with um MDOT and the railroad company, but could you just go into any progress there or any plans to um get uh for in particular Wyoming and Plymouth and West Chicago and Central Umtiremen and Greenfield uh are in particular poor condition.

So could you go into any plans on those?

Uh through the chair, the member McCampbell, I I am aware that my team has been uh working with a couple members on your staff, uh, my engineering team.

Unfortunately, uh I I can't at this particular time uh provide information, but I I can certainly meet with my engineering folks uh today and provide a response to you uh if you like before the end of the day uh or before this particular contract uh comes before uh the entire body for approval.

Oh, or before this particular contract uh comes before the entire body for approval.

Okay, thank you.

That would be great.

Yeah, I I will say um for you, madam.

Like I just was with uh residental Saturday, and um this is a resident who does cleanups over the district and is deeply concerned about the damage caused for to cars there.

So yeah, we would love any urgent activity on those crossings in particular.

Thank you.

Thank you, Director.

Uh Madam Chair.

Yes.

I do just want to point out that uh the primary firm that we selected for this uh contract, uh HDR uh is as you indicated located in uh Ann Arbor.

How are they do have uh three Detroit-based subconsultants that are gonna be performing about 44% of the work?

We did already take into consideration.

Uh, how much work would be performed by Detroit companies?

Uh in addition, HDR is currently in the process of establishing an office in Detroit, and we expect for that to occur uh in the fall of this year.

So while there were other firms that submitted proposals uh where the prime where Detroit based uh companies uh taking into consideration, uh the three Detroit-based sub firms that are gonna be doing 44% of the work in fact the HCR is showing their commitment to the city of Detroit.

We felt really comfortable making a recommendation HDR.

Okay, thank you, Director.

I do appreciate that insights.

Uh are there any other questions for 8.2?

Um I know that there was there's still a request for more information.

Vice Chair, did you want to hold this until you receive that?

Or um this is uh the first phase for this process.

Do you feel comfortable moving this through?

Okay, yeah, I will I do not want to hold this up.

Uh I don't want to cause any the quicker we can get to not impact on the front ends and axles, the better.

So okay.

Uh with that, then is there a motion to send eight point two to new business with the recommendation to approve?

Motion.

Hearing no objections, eight point two will be sent to new business with the recommendation to approve.

Thank you, director.

Thank you, OCP.

Thank you.

I will move us along to 8.3.

This is contract number 600 7767, 100% public acts 301 302 funding to provide command and staff training services.

Contractors clear clearly university, they are located in Detroit.

This is a two-year contract at 136,000.

And this will be for police.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss 8.3?

Motion.

There's a motion.

Uh is that a motion to approve to new or or regular business?

Um business.

To new business.

All right.

There's a motion to send eight points three to new business with the recommendation to approve.

Hearing no objections, 8.3 will be sent to new business with the recommendation to approve.

And this again is to provide command and staff training for police.

8.4 is under the department of appeals and hearings.

It is a dangerous buildings findings and orders for June 26, 2026.

If there is a motion to receive and file.

Motion.

Hearing no objections, eight points 20, excuse me, 8.4.

Yeah.

8.4 will be received and filed.

Under the buildings, safety engineering and environmental departments.

8.5 is a recommendation for deferral for property 19386 Yanka and 8.6 is a recommendation for deferral of property at 5731.

Is there a motion to concur?

Motion.

Hearing no objections, we agree to defer both 8.5 and 8.6.

The properties look great now.

Seeing these changes.

Under the departments of public works, city engineering division.

8.7 is the petition of the Olympia Developments Michigan LLC.

Request for encroachments of Columbia for various encroachments, such as an underdrain, metal tree greats, and at grade exposed aggregates paving area.

This will be for the University of Michigan student housing projects.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss 8.7?

Motion to approve.

Hearing no objections, there's a motion to approve 8.7.

Is there a motion to new business?

Motion.

Hearing no objections, 8.7 will be sent to new business with the recommendation to approve.

8.8, a petition of Metro Nets request for encroachments.

This will be for an installation of proposed five borough fiber topic.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss 8.8?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve 8.8.

Is there a motion to new business?

Hearing no objections, 8.8 will be approved, sent to new business with the recommendation to approve.

And 8.9 is a petition of SOEV.

So I suave enterprise.

This will be for uh do do to do.

Just a request for it to to vacate.

Is there a motion to approve or discuss 8.9?

Discussion.

Discussion.

Vice Chair, we should be able to discuss this with Mr.

Doherty, if we can make them into a panelist.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

If you wouldn't mind stating your name and title for the public.

Good afternoon, Richard Dority, City Engineer.

Thank you for joining us, Vice Chair.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, uh, Mr.

Doherty.

Just wanted to know if you had any um insight of what they plan to do with the vacation.

Uh so they uh own all the abundant properties.

Uh this vacation will allow them to combine the their properties into a parcel that's a developable parcel.

I don't personally have the particulars on the uh on their um the project they're proposing there, but they have uh uh already recorded uh an easement uh for an alleyway between parcels on the converted parcel 82 to uh to uh public alley so that the alley north of uh the open alley to the north will continue to have access over to Urth Street.

So the uh southern parcels uh they'll be able to consolidate into a single developable site uh fronting on Warren Avenue.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Um chair, I don't know if I would love to get more information on what the what type of development they're planning, um, if possible.

But um yeah.

Okay.

Uh we can, if you would like, we can bring this back in one week to get some more information.

Uh motion to bring back in one week.

Hearing no objections, eight points will be brought back in one week.

Thank you, Mr.

Doherty.

Moving us along to miscellaneous eight point ten.

This is a memo relative to a request for resolution for MPSC public hearings in Detroit when DTE asks for a rates hike.

I uh I believe this is the memo.

There's a motion to discuss.

Motion to discuss.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

I don't know if we have the memo just yet.

I don't believe so.

Are you an 810?

I am on eight ten.

We requesting one week.

Bring back in this.

Okay.

If you have it.

Understood.

Anything else to discuss?

Discussion.

Yes, vice chair.

Thank you, madam chair, and thank you to LPD for the work on this.

Um, just for folks to know, uh, it has come up in public comment, but also uh with the hope uh that the MPSC uh would do this more often, but with the impacts of the July 4th storm and the roller ou just that we have seen throughout the city of Detroit and with DTE asking for another rate hike.

Um I feel that it is very important for the MPSC to be accessible and to also have an in-person meeting um or hearing on that in the city of Detroit, as we are a community that has been deeply impacted by the allegers, but also continue to see our bills go up and not see the reliability that we expect.

So just want to add a little color to this request.

Thank you, Vice Chair.

Agreed.

Every time they want to ask us for a rate hike, they should listen to our thoughts and what that would mean.

Uh so there's a motion to bring back in one week.

Motion to bring back in one week.

Hearing no objections, 8.10 will be brought back in one week.

8.11.

A memo relative to uh request for information regarding heat mitigation plan at Detroit Detention Center.

There was a request to bring this back in one week.

Motion to bring it back in one week.

Hearing no objections, 8.11 will be brought back in one week.

8.12 is a memo relative to railroad track improvements in district seven, which we just heard about.

There was a request for one week bring back as well.

Motion to bring back 8.12 in one week.

Hearing no objections, 8.12 will be brought back in one week.

8.13 memo requesting information for complete site-by-sites accounting of every sites that receive contaminated or potentially contaminated backfill or filled dirt.

Another request for one week bring back.

Motion to bring back in one week.

Hearing no objections, 8.13 will be brought back in one week.

8.14 is a memo relative to questions on community violence intervention programs.

There's a request to bring back after recess.

If we can bring this back, sure on September 14th, hearing no objections, 8.14 will be brought back on September 14th.

8.15, the memo relative to resolution opposing the usage of water resources for data centers.

If there's a motion to discuss, motion to discuss.

For 8.15, we have received the amended resolution.

Um member waters, I believe.

Uh, if you are okay with the changes, we can approve 8.15 as amended to new business.

Hearing no objections, 8.15 will be sent to new business approved as amended.

That brings us down to member reports.

Madam Clerk, am I forgetting anything?

Okay.

Uh to my vice chair, any member reports.

No, madam chair.

To member waters?

No.

All right.

Same here, negative reports.

Just want to remind everyone we do have a 130 p.m.

dangerous buildings hearing, so we will recess until 1.30.