OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Detroit City Council Committee Meeting Summary - July 22, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, July 22, 2026
BodyDetroit, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, July 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:56:48

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Madam Chair, you have a corn present.

0:10

Oh, that member Miller is here.

0:12

So note.

0:13

Thank you, Madam Clerk, and good morning, Member Miller.

0:16

Yes, ma'am.

0:19

Okay.

0:23

Okay.

0:26

All righty.

0:29

And maybe one day, Member Miller will uh will or Member Benson will share a word.

0:35

We know that they are both Christians, at least that's that's that's the um my belief of the discussion.

0:42

Um Madam Chair, was that an invitation to share a word in the future?

0:46

Or today?

0:47

We will work with your office on a future so I can prepare myself.

0:51

And you too.

0:52

And I think that would be amazing, and it just demonstrates um the spirit of this of this body, this this committee, and our cohesiveness.

1:00

At least that's what we strive to do to make the best decisions on behalf of our residents.

1:04

That being said, this is the prayer for the day, and the scripture is Ruth 116.

1:09

But Ruth replied, don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.

1:14

Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.

1:18

Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

1:22

And then he has arrows going ever in every kind of direction.

1:25

So Peter, I'm gonna read this because I believe I um read the scripture, but this is the prayer.

1:31

Dear Lord, be with us when we are asked to make the decision to follow a new way or a new path.

1:37

Give us the support we need when the newness is difficult, and the desire to go back to the familiar creeps in.

1:47

Let us instead be like Ruth, venturing boldly toward a new destination.

1:53

Amen.

1:54

Thank you, Peter Rhodes, for the word for the day.

1:57

And that's how we're gonna start this morning.

2:00

That was the invocation.

2:01

Is there a um motion for the approval of the minutes?

2:04

Motion.

2:05

Any objections?

2:07

Hearing none, that action shall be taken.

2:10

There are zero chair remarks, public comment.

2:12

We'll close in one minute.

2:14

Public comment will be closed virtually in one minute.

2:16

Do we have anyone here in the chair in the chamber of the whole who'd like to make public comment?

2:21

If so, you all know the routine, and good morning, sir.

2:24

You are a very familiar face to this space.

2:27

It's always good to see you, young man.

2:31

Great to see you, madam chair.

2:32

And if you can introduce yourself, and you'll have two minutes, sir.

2:35

Absolutely.

2:36

Uh my name is Maurice Weeks.

2:38

Um I uh and good morning again, everyone.

2:42

Um, I'm here about the uh uh proposed ordinance around regulating uh cryptocurrency ATMs.

2:51

Um as uh the request uh from member Benson's office said, these ATMs have been used around the country to scam uh mostly seniors and also uh younger people newer to financial markets out of millions and millions of dollars.

3:09

Um just last year the state of Texas uh recorded over 50 million dollars had been scammed from folks using these crypto ATM machines.

3:17

Um the consumer financial protection uh bureau before uh this new administration took over was going to actually pick up this issue, and uh there's a tremendous amount of research that they uh have that uh folks uh like me have scraped from the website before it was destroyed by the Trump administration.

3:36

Um that uh we would love to work with your office on on crafting this uh this policy when it finally gets to the stage of fully crafting it.

3:44

Um so just putting that out there as as a way to uh reach out and uh resource of folks who you know know about financial regulation and have uh it's a space that I've worked in for the uh the past uh decade plus um uh so and thank you for putting it forward, Member Benson.

4:00

And that's it.

4:01

Okay, well um here during um this committee meeting, we um allow um our colleagues please stay there, Mr.

4:08

Weeks, to um comment.

4:10

And I know um Member Benson would like to comment while you're sitting here.

4:14

We don't want you to leave.

4:15

Go all the way back to where you came from, and then you miss what we're saying in response to your question.

4:19

So uh Member Benson.

4:22

Thank you, madam chair, and uh thank you for those comments.

4:25

Um what we'll probably do is start an invitation only working group, and you will get an invitation.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Comment██████████████████████████26%
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Economic Development█████████9%
Property Taxes████████8%
Public Transit███████7%
Board of Review██████6%
Public Engagement████4%
Pending Litigation████4%
Public Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Detroit City Council Committee Meeting Summary - July 22, 2026

The Detroit City Council Committee of the Whole convened on July 22, 2026, to hear public comment, interview appointees for city boards, and deliberate on a broad agenda covering legislation, legal settlements, and administrative items. The meeting addressed cryptocurrency regulation, neighborhood development, and the appointment of key figures.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimously approved the minutes from the previous meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Maurice Weeks expressed strong support for the proposed cryptocurrency ATM regulation ordinance introduced by Member Benson, citing nationwide scams targeting seniors and younger people. He offered to assist in policy development.
  • Dr. Denise Darnell provided a summary of the new 21st Century Road to Housing Act, highlighting caps on large corporate investors owning single-family homes (350+), streamlined building permits, and updated housing vouchers.
  • Black Bag alleged that a voter fraud report was sent to Council Member Callaway's office but was not acted upon, demanding accountability.
  • D. Dot Ambassador criticized DDOT service reliability and alleged that opposition to the transit millage is racially motivated.
  • Betty A. Varner, President of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association, promoted an upcoming Arise Detroit event on August 1st providing free school supplies, food, and hygiene products.
  • Shadante Smith raised concerns about nepotism affecting leadership quality, incorrect water bills from DWSD, and criticized the public's defense of past disgraced officials.
  • Ronald Foster praised the transparency of a project representative who registered as a lobbyist. He expressed concern that heterosexual men are excluded from city resources (Council Member Miller responded acknowledging this, inviting him to her office).
  • Ms. Warwick criticized the city's solar plan for destroying trees and raised conflict of interest concerns regarding appointee Steve Ogden's role at Bedrock. She also criticized the Master Plan update process for community disengagement.
  • William Davis supported the crypto ATM regulation and called for better financial education, local spending retention, and improved city infrastructure maintenance.
  • Call in user two (Ms. Shay) called for action on open drug sales in downtown and what she described as disrespectful treatment of foundational Black citizens in Districts 5 and 6.
  • Cindy Darrow expressed deep concerns about election security with Dominion voting machines and absentee ballot handling in Wayne County.

Discussion Items

Appointments & Board Interviews:

  • Steve Ogden (DDA Board): Ogden, SVP of Government Affairs for Bedrock, was interviewed for the DDA Board. He discussed the DDA's role in supporting both large projects and small businesses (e.g., through the BIZ program and infrastructure grants). Council Members Benson and Miller questioned him on DDA's support for small enterprises and future challenges under the new administration. The committee voted to send his appointment to Formal Session with a recommendation for approval.
  • Dr. Latosha Patman (Board of Review): Reappointed for her work on property tax appeals and the HOPE program. Mr. Donwell, a key board support figure, highlighted an "unfunded mandate" requiring MCAT certifications for board members and requested city funding. He also announced a planned small business tax roundtable in August. The committee voted to forward the reappointment.

Legislation & Resolutions:

  • 8.1 Crypto ATM Regulation: Member Benson reported working with the Law Department and Police Department. The item was scheduled to return on September 17, 2026.
  • 8.5 SB 1035 Support Resolution: A resolution sponsored by Member Callaway was discussed. Member Miller requested to be added as a co-sponsor. The amended resolution was moved to Formal Session.

Legal Settlements & Contracts:

  • 8.4 DDOT Settlement ($450,000): The settlement was forwarded to formal session. DDOT Director Kramer updated the committee on a camera modernization project for the 288-bus fleet, which will address issues of missing video footage that contributed to the lawsuit.
  • 9.5 Adams Settlement ($24,900): Forwarded to Formal Session.
  • 9.6 Quick Trans Settlement ($3,500): Forwarded to Formal Session. Member Benson clarified the amount.
  • 9.7 Macklin Settlement ($145,000, Workers Comp): Forwarded to Formal Session.
  • 9.1 Land Bank Authority Appointment - Donna Givens Davidson: Council Member Benson moved to deny the appointment due to negative quotes about council members attributed to the appointee. The motion was carried without objection.

Key Outcomes

  • Appointed/Recommended: Steve Ogden (DDA), Dr. Latosha Patman (Board of Review), Raymond Lozano (term correction).
  • Denied: Donna Givens Davidson (Detroit Land Bank Authority).
  • Delayed: Crypto ATM ordinance (to Sept 17), OCP legal contract ($15k, to after recess), CAC ordinance amendment (to Law Dept, return placeholder after recess), Safe Restroom Study (to after recess), Tenants' Rights Commission (to after recess), HR compensation schedule (to after recess), CAC grant funding authority (to after recess), Gaston Munols investigation (to after recess).
  • Next Steps: The DDOT camera project is on track for complete installation by end of August. Council will formally vote on forwarded appointments and settlements during the Formal Session on July 28. Several items were directed to return to committee after the July recess.

Meeting Transcript

Madam Chair, you have a corn present. Oh, that member Miller is here. So note. Thank you, Madam Clerk, and good morning, Member Miller. Yes, ma'am. Okay. Okay. All righty. And maybe one day, Member Miller will uh will or Member Benson will share a word. We know that they are both Christians, at least that's that's that's the um my belief of the discussion. Um Madam Chair, was that an invitation to share a word in the future? Or today? We will work with your office on a future so I can prepare myself. And you too. And I think that would be amazing, and it just demonstrates um the spirit of this of this body, this this committee, and our cohesiveness. At least that's what we strive to do to make the best decisions on behalf of our residents. That being said, this is the prayer for the day, and the scripture is Ruth 116. But Ruth replied, don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And then he has arrows going ever in every kind of direction. So Peter, I'm gonna read this because I believe I um read the scripture, but this is the prayer. Dear Lord, be with us when we are asked to make the decision to follow a new way or a new path. Give us the support we need when the newness is difficult, and the desire to go back to the familiar creeps in. Let us instead be like Ruth, venturing boldly toward a new destination. Amen. Thank you, Peter Rhodes, for the word for the day. And that's how we're gonna start this morning. That was the invocation. Is there a um motion for the approval of the minutes? Motion. Any objections? Hearing none, that action shall be taken. There are zero chair remarks, public comment. We'll close in one minute. Public comment will be closed virtually in one minute. Do we have anyone here in the chair in the chamber of the whole who'd like to make public comment? If so, you all know the routine, and good morning, sir. You are a very familiar face to this space. It's always good to see you, young man. Great to see you, madam chair. And if you can introduce yourself, and you'll have two minutes, sir. Absolutely. Uh my name is Maurice Weeks. Um I uh and good morning again, everyone. Um, I'm here about the uh uh proposed ordinance around regulating uh cryptocurrency ATMs. Um as uh the request uh from member Benson's office said, these ATMs have been used around the country to scam uh mostly seniors and also uh younger people newer to financial markets out of millions and millions of dollars. Um just last year the state of Texas uh recorded over 50 million dollars had been scammed from folks using these crypto ATM machines. Um the consumer financial protection uh bureau before uh this new administration took over was going to actually pick up this issue, and uh there's a tremendous amount of research that they uh have that uh folks uh like me have scraped from the website before it was destroyed by the Trump administration. Um that uh we would love to work with your office on on crafting this uh this policy when it finally gets to the stage of fully crafting it.

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