Detroit Budget, Finance & Audit Committee: FY2027 DPW Budget Implementation Discussion — September 23, 2026

The Detroit City Council Budget, Finance, and Audit Standing Committee met on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, with Councilmember Denzel Anton McCampbell presiding and Councilmembers Letitia Johnson, Mary Waters, and Angela Callaway present. The committee held Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Implementation Discussion #2 with the Department of Public Works (DPW), reviewed the status of FY2025/26 council appropriations and administration commitments, and acted on contracts, resolutions, and reports.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the September 9, 2026 committee meeting.
• Received and filed 6.1 (2023 property tax reform ordinance questions, combined with item 7.10).
• Received and filed 6.5, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer's quarterly special revenue report for Q4 FY2026 (April–June): $148,836.67 in fire department revenue and $701,674.90 in police department revenue, totaling $850,511.57 for the quarter. The FY2026 total was $2,917,722 compared with $2,663,667 in FY2025; the increase was attributed in part to the Pistons advancing further in the playoffs.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Bean Cunningham offered a prayer and encouraged listeners to join him in prayer.
• William M. Davis, a former Board of Police Commissioner and city employee since 1978, invited the public to the annual Detroit Get On Block Club block party (Sunday, 2–5 p.m., rescheduled due to rain); advocated for readily available HR data on how many city employees live in the city versus outside, including racial makeup; expressed concern about city vehicles leaving the city for employees who reside outside Detroit; and urged retaining more city dollars by encouraging employees and residents to spend money in the city.
• Cindy Darr was on Zoom but did not unmute; her comment was not delivered.
• Mr. Crawley ("The Rattler") accused three council members of being "cheated in" public officials, alleged that Gina A. Walker and Janice Winfrey should be questioned about election funding before the committee, and claimed the U.S. president received information from him about alleged Detroit election fraud; he asserted that nobody had called him a liar during his 46-year reputation.

Discussion Items — FY2027 Budget Implementation Discussion #2: Department of Public Works

DPW Director Ron Brundish, Deputy CFO James Stewart, and Complete Streets Deputy Director Christina Peltier joined the committee. The Chair framed the session as one of seven oversight discussions on shared priorities agreed to by the City Council and administration in April and in closing resolutions. The Chair referenced five shared items, while Deputy CFO Stewart noted that six items were added to DPW's budget through the resolution process.

• Truck traffic studies (items 1–2; street fund; Districts 3, 4, and 7): DPW will use internal traffic engineering staff and street fund appropriations 3301 and 3304. The District 3/4 study covers the area bounded by Mount Elliott, I-94, Connor, and Jefferson (including Mack, Warren, Connor, Van Dyke, Mount Elliott, and Jefferson), revisiting the 2024 study for the Fiat Chrysler (Cylantis) plant and assessing the traffic signal at Connor and Mack using existing traffic-signal detection technology. The District 7 study revisits the 2022 traffic impact analysis for the former AMC site to verify that trucks adhere to established routes and use the primary driveway, with a field study on Plymouth and Hubbell. Director Brundish confirmed East Warren and Mack are truck-permitted corridors and that signage needs will be assessed. Both studies are to be completed, with recommendations, by the end of the third quarter of the current fiscal year (end of March 2027).
• Bike parking racks (item 3; $50,000; sponsored by Member Santiago Romero, joined by Member Benson): Funding supports up to 100 bicycle parking racks citywide. DPW has acquired 30 racks and received requests from three businesses so far. DPW will install the racks itself in the public right-of-way, avoiding permit costs for businesses; however, street funds cannot be used for racks on private property. Outreach flyers to businesses and schools are being developed, and all seven council districts are eligible. Todd Scott, executive director of the Detroit Greenways Coalition and co-chair of the Green Task Force's Transportation and Mobility Committee, expressed strong support for the item: bike parking is badly needed (bikes are commonly chained to street signs and trees); combined permit and labor fees for a single rack can reach $2,000 under Detroit's one-size-fits-all encroachment permitting process; a local manufacturer has donated $5,000 worth of racks; and the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge multi-use pathway is bringing cycle tourism that Detroit businesses should be positioned to capture. Director Brundish said the $50,000 can be a starting point if demand exceeds 100 racks.
• Schaefer and James Cousins streetscape study (item 4; $200,000; sponsored by Member Callaway): DPW initially scoped the study from Linden to Seven Mile because existing Safe Streets for Detroit and Detroit Safe Access for Transit grants already target Schaefer as a high-crash corridor (striping, crosswalk enhancements, signal upgrades, and speed feedback signs). Member Callaway insisted the study extend past Seven Mile to Eight Mile, citing accidents and speeding near Greater Emanuel Church — where a congregant was hit and nearly killed at Schaefer and Seven Mile — and cars speeding through the church parking lot; she shared examples from Royal Oak's Main Street and the John R/Mack pedestrian signage and said she wants Schaefer to look like Coolidge. Director Brundish agreed to extend the study from Linden to Eight Mile. Larger-scale beautification (such as landscaped medians) would require additional funding beyond current grants.
• McClellan/Jefferson/Kercheval traffic calming study (item 5; $250,000; sponsored by Vice Chair Johnson): DPW is focusing on McClellan between Kercheval and Jefferson — about a third of a mile — responding to resident speeding concerns amid new development; planned elements include pavement markings, crosswalks, speed feedback signs, and possibly a traffic signal. Vice Chair Johnson flagged a parking enforcement problem on Jefferson near McClellan, where cars park illegally close to the corner and block sight lines; she noted that several apartment buildings in the area have very limited dedicated parking and said reducing parking requirements has contributed to the problem.
• Kercheval/Jefferson/Lafayette traffic calming (item 6; $2 million; sponsored by Pro Tem Young): Jefferson Avenue work must wait until Great Lakes Water Authority and DTE utility construction is finished (not before the end of the current fiscal year); the city has applied for a $20 million federal transportation grant for Jefferson Avenue with significant traffic calming and beautification components, with a decision expected in early 2027, and the $2 million could serve as local match. On Kercheval, DPW will enhance the existing protected bike lane streetscape by painting or adding reflective striping to concrete bump-outs, constructing additional bump-outs, and relocating the traffic signal from Harlow to Cadillac (an initiative from Member Johnson), likely by the third quarter at the latest, possibly before the calendar year ends. On Lafayette, the initial focus is near Moses Elementary School (Sheridan to Townsend), where residents report speeding; speed humps are not an option on this major/emergency route, so DPW is considering a raised speed table or a traffic signal.
• Community engagement (Christina Peltier): Two large community meetings are being finalized for October covering these locations; DPW is developing a transportation safety game for schools and community meetings and partnering with the health department's Safe Routes ambassadors on traffic and pedestrian/bike safety education.

FY2025/26 Council Appropriations Status Report (7.8)

Mr. Corley of the Legislative Policy Division presented the status of Schedule B monetary changes and administrative commitments from the FY2025 and FY2026 closing resolutions. Table 3 shows a number of FY2025 items still in progress (capital items can be carried forward from year to year), and several FY2026 items remain open. A full PowerPoint update will come in four weeks. Vice Chair Johnson raised a "grave concern" about the Monteith Library: the Detroit Public Library must show it has the full $8.7 million to renovate the entire building before the council's $2 million allocation is released, even though the intent was to bring the main floor online for youth, seniors, and residents in an area with little community space; accessibility upgrades (elevators/upper floors) are the greatest cost challenge. Mr. Corley called the withholding "disingenuous" and recommended that Vice Chair Johnson send a memo to the Construction and Demolition Department; Johnson confirmed she would send that memo, focused on securing the structure and activating the main floor. The committee voted to bring 7.8 back in four weeks.

Contracts, Resolutions & Other Actions

• 6.2 (OAG wards claims ordinance): one-week bring back; edits are being submitted to eScribe.
• 6.3 (Mayor's Office budget questions): two-week bring back per Ms. Sullivan.
• 6.4 (grant opportunities list for Detroit community organizations, Member Waters): responses were sent September 21; one-week bring back.
• 6.6 (OCFO risk management council report): one-week bring back.
• 6.7 (DSS-Number 9 Amendment 4; additional vendor for architectural, engineering, and plan-of-service work; 100% city major streets and grant funding; five-year schedule; $81,300,000 maximum order limitation): approved as amended and sent to formal.
• 7.1 (auto wash contract with Hill Consulting LLC dba Celebrity Car Wash, 8641 Woodward Avenue, Detroit; two years; $56,760): approved. OCP staff confirmed they are working with two east-side car washes to participate as vendors.
• 7.2 (Splash Business Intelligence Inc., Duluth, Georgia; financial reporting assistance; two years; $134,743.50): approved. Controller John Naglik explained the product creates an efficient data pipeline from the Oracle ERP system for the annual comprehensive financial report; in response to a question about the recent FBI breach traced to Oracle, he cited Oracle cloud security, the city's Department of Innovation and Technology, and noted external auditors Plante Moran will appear before the committee on October 7.
• 7.3 (financial report for the month ending July 31, 2026): one-week bring back.
• 7.4 (CDBG reprogramming across multiple fiscal years): approved. Unspent or expiring CDBG dollars from FY2020–2025 are being reprogrammed into the Cabinet Apartments and Lundwood Apartments (2295 West Grand Boulevard) permanent supportive housing projects; demolition of the unsafe city-owned building at 1737 West Grand Boulevard (collapsed roof, leaning walls; across from the 1723 West Grand Boulevard affordable housing project); and a recurring Detroit Housing Market Study required under the tenants' rights ordinance. This frees HOME-ARP funds for tenant-based rental assistance. Officials also discussed the prior zero-percent home repair loan program (construction management contracts with GS Group and Nora Construction; Nora's contract was not extended, and fewer loans than expected were written). Rico Razo (HHFS) said a new RFP for a home repair loan program is weeks away, serving Detroiters of all incomes: zero-percent loans for households at or below 80% AMI, low-interest loans (roughly 3–4%) above 80% AMI, a grant component for lead remediation, about $4 million per year, and a goal of roughly 100 loans per year.
• 7.5 (OAG third interim report, citywide payroll performance audit — public safety): two-week bring back.
• 7.6 (NEZ certificates for 8643 and 8655 East Jefferson Avenue and 915 Fisher Street, Shellfont Riverfront Detroit LLC; 20 condo units): approved. Staff reported the 1911 three-story buildings (locally historic, purchased in 2015 for about $650,000, within the 0.4-acre Shellfont Riverfront Detroit NEZ approved July 2016) will be rehabbed at $43,000–$48,000 per unit (about $860,000–$960,000 total) and converted from apartments to market-rate two-bedroom condos (roughly 1,000 square feet) priced at $175,000–$275,000; buyers may qualify for income-based down payment assistance through Bank of Ann Arbor and Flagstar Bank. Staff cited four current renters, while the developer said there are currently three; all were given six months' notice, leases end October 31, 2026, and the developer said he is personally assisting tenants with relocation. Parking: 13 on-site spaces plus 10 leased from the adjacent church (23 total); HOA fees are under $400/month, including about $25,000/year in current property taxes for the entire property and a 10% capital reserve. Accessibility ramps or elevators were found infeasible given the zero-lot-line configuration. The NEZ benefit will be based on the state-assessed pre-rehab value and passed along to condo purchasers.
• 7.7 (DDA operating budget amendment FY2026–27): approved. The amendment adds $6 million (not to exceed $6,052,000) to the DDA's special projects and contingency line items, drawn from the DDA's existing $11.4 million reserve, to fund DPW's Michigan Avenue Streetscape project from Campus Martius to Cass Avenue; the contract is currently funded through Act 51 funds, and the DDA will reimburse DPW so those funds can be redeployed. The DDA board adopted the budget on June 10 following council approval on May 26; officials confirmed this is a one-time draw.
• 7.9 (utility audit request, Member Waters): four-week bring back (October 21).
• 7.10 (implementation status of the 2023 property tax reform ordinance, addendum): six-week bring back. Vice Chair Johnson asked how the study referenced in the ordinance can be completed before tax bills are issued and before the county's March 31 foreclosure deadline so the city can intervene sooner; the administration noted the request.
• 7.11 (Council President Tate: report on grant applications submitted prior to council approval): responses were recirculated; one-week bring back.
• 7.12 (follow-up to the September 9 BFA FY27 discussion): two-week bring back.
• 7.13 (questions regarding the data center tax revenue impact analysis): two-week bring back.

Key Outcomes

• Approved and sent to formal session with a recommendation to approve: 6.7 (as amended), 7.1, 7.2, 7.4, 7.6, and 7.7.
• Received and filed: 6.1 and 6.5.
• DPW commitments: truck traffic studies completed by end of Q3 FY2027; Schaefer study extended from Linden to Eight Mile; bike racks available to all districts with outreach continuing; Kercheval signal relocation to Cadillac targeted by Q3 (possibly sooner); $20 million Jefferson Avenue federal grant decision expected in early 2027.
• Bring-backs scheduled: 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.6, 7.3, 7.11, 7.12, and 7.13 (one–two weeks); 7.5 (two weeks); 7.8 (four weeks); 7.9 (four weeks, October 21); and 7.10 (six weeks).
• The Chair's office will follow up with a memo detailing outstanding items and questions from the DPW discussion.
• Member reports noted: the Skilled Trades Task Force met that day 4–6 p.m. at the Carpenters and Millwrights Center on American Avenue; the District 7 meeting was scheduled for the next day at 10 a.m. at Howard Family Books; and the Disability Task Force meeting was set for Friday at 3 p.m. at the Helen Moore Community Center.