The Detroit City Council held its regular formal session on September 15, 2026. The meeting opened with an invocation by Pastor Keenan R. Knox, followed by a special presentation of the Spirit of Detroit Award to Avalon Healing Center for 20 years of service to sexual assault survivors. The council then heard extensive public comments from 14 in-person speakers and 18 online callers on topics including property tax foreclosures, alley maintenance, police misconduct, city services, and economic development. The council voted on numerous resolutions, ordinances, and appointments, including a failed commercial facilities exemption certificate for the DoubleTree hotel, approval of a rezoning on Mack Avenue, and emergency contracts for freeway litter cleanup.
This is the regular session of uh formal session for the city council, September 15th, 2026. It will come to order. Madam Clerk, will you please call the role? Councilmember Scott Denson. Councilmember Letitia Johnson present. Customer Beneda Miller. Councilman McGabbita Santiago Mero. Member Santiago Romero sent a memo indicating that she would be tardy today. Councilmember Mary Walters present. Councilmember answer with Phil Colloway. Councilbus Pro Tim Coleman A. Young II. Approach him young indicated that he would not be present today. His absence is excused. Excuse me. Clerk was so no and council president James Tate. Here you have a quantum present president. Thank you so much. We have corners means now in session. Um we'll now begin the collection of public comment cards. So if there's anyone who would like to provide a comment to this body, please raise your hand if you have not uh received a comment card, and someone will come by provide you that card uh to allow you to provide whatever comments you have to this body. If you're online, the same thing. Please raise your hand and we'll put you in the queue as well. All right. We will begin very shortly. But before we begin the meeting meeting, we will now uh call for the invocation and providing this morning's invocation. We have none other than Pastor Keenan R. Knox, founder and senior pastor of Impact City Church, located at one two eight four four Elmdale in the City Council District 4. Uh, Pastor Knox was ordained in 1998 and launched his ministry with just 22 people in the basement of a home. Under his leadership, it has grown into a congregation of hundreds of members and expanding online community as well as a 52,000 square foot debt-free church facility. His ministry extends well beyond Sunday morning. His belief the church should be an anchor in the community has led to partnerships with Detroit schools and organizations focused on education, health, and neighborhood well-being. That commitment includes supporting this year's uh St. Jude praise radio thing, which raised more than 105,000 for children and families all across the metro area. We thank you, uh Pastor Knox, for your uh nearly three decades of ministry and your continued commitment to the city of Detroit. And the floor is yours. Um, so you think we can uh begin this meeting as you shall. Thank you again for joining us. Thank you, sir. We appreciate you so much. Good morning, President Tate, President Pro Tim Young, your absence, and the members of the city council, especially our district representative, none other than um councilwoman Letitia Johnson. Uh I'm so thankful to be here this morning. The city carries a model that's older than everybody in this room. It says, let me get it right, Spiramus Milona, resurgent cineb, which means we hope for better things. It shall rise from the ashes. And I love my city. Detroit has never been a city that waited on better. We always built better with our hands, with our families from the ashes. More than once we've risen. Jeremiah wrote to the people living in a hard city and told them, seek the peace of the city and pray unto the Lord for it.