Detroit City Council Internal Operations Committee Meeting Summary – October 21, 2026

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the Detroit City Council's Internal Operations Standing Committee met in a Committee of the Whole session chaired by Councilmember Angela Whitfield Callaway, with Councilmembers Scott Benson and Renata Miller present. The meeting included public comment, a voter drop box technology discussion, the Office of Inspector General's third-quarter report, and numerous contract, settlement, human resources, and policy line items. Most agenda items were moved to formal session without objection, with several items held for further review.

Consent Calendar

No formal consent calendar was used, but the following routine items were advanced or disposed of by unanimous consent, all without objection:

• Moved to formal session with a recommendation for approval: line items 8.1 (Floyd E. Allen and Associates litigation services); 8.2 (Comprehensive Knee Centers settlement, $5,000); 8.3 (Comfort Care DME settlement, $11,000); 8.4 (Nicola Benz settlement, $500,000); 8.5 (Lacey Mentor settlement, $9,500); 8.6 (Jalen Primus settlement, $14,250); 8.7 (DDOT settlement, $40,000); 8.9 (DeAndra Starks settlement, $170,000); 8.10 (Leonard McEwan settlement, $40,500); 8.11 (Therese Johnson settlement, $25,000); 8.12 (Warriors Pharmacy settlement, $3,700); 8.13 (Pioneer Lab Houston LP settlement, $20,000); 8.14 (Earl Gray settlement, $85,000); 8.33 (Marcus Jones settlement, $75,000); 8.34 (Accurate Care LLC settlement, $4,500); 8.41 (TONE Foundation recognition); 8.42 (Jack of All Trades Apprenticeship and Mentoring Program raffle resolution); and 8.44 (one-time supplemental checks for GRS and PFRS retirees).
• Received and filed: line 8.8 (privileged placeholder report) and line 7.10 (MyTri-Share report).
• Removed from the agenda: line 8.48 (Family Court Awareness Month resolution) because Pro Tem Young has the same resolution.

Public Comments & Testimony

• William M. Davis praised the council's special recognitions and supported council's refusal to rubber-stamp law department recommendations involving city vehicles; he argued city resources are wasted transporting employees who live outside Detroit and urged exploring cost savings and lawsuit reduction.
• A caller identified as Mr. Cunningham said he distributes bus tickets, credited a city official with helping him get housing after homelessness, and requested another bus ride-along.
• Cindy Darrell complained that the Rosa Parks Transit Center/Jason Hargrove Center is not being cleaned and that glass at the Linwood and West Glen Boulevard stop affects seniors using walkers, scooters, and wheelchairs; she also urged action against retaliatory evictions after residents complain to city council, the mayor's office, or the ombudsman.
• Ruben Crawley made allegations about Detroit election fraud in 2020 and 2024, named specific individuals, and called for a councilmember to face prison; no evidence or documentation was presented during the meeting.
• Betty A. Verner, president of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association, focused on senior health coverage, warning that Medicare Advantage/Medicaid coverage may change in January 2027 and advising residents to verify networks and medications by December 7, 2026; she also requested help with a $1,500 land use hearing fee for playground equipment.
• Cindy Darrell, in a second call, urged council to endorse Democratic candidates and criticized Republicans; Chair Callaway responded that she personally does not endorse candidates.

Discussion Items

• Voter drop box presentation: Deputy City Clerk Andre Gilbert, with Chris Maduka and vendor representatives from Runbeck/Sentinel Drop Boxes, presented two new ballot drop boxes located at 2978 West Grand Boulevard and the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. The boxes include real-time ballot-count monitoring, cameras required by Michigan election law, fire-suppression technology, battery/solar power, and an audit trail that photographs both sides of each envelope and the voter. The city is piloting the two units before broader deployment; they will not be used for the upcoming election, with full deployment targeted for 2028. Twelve municipalities nationwide already use the technology, including Clark County, Nevada. The total cost for the two pilot boxes is approximately $45,000 and would be grant-funded. Member Benson asked about fire suppression, chain of custody, power, deployment timing, and cost; he noted the boxes appear designed to prevent insertion of incendiary devices. A procedural debate followed: the committee initially voted to move the item to formal session, then reconsidered after LPD's Philip Keller advised that the ordinance requires an opportunity for public comment but not a formal public hearing. The committee concluded the item was a discussion and closed it without taking action.
• OIG quarterly report: Inspector General Maribel announced that the City of Detroit Office of Inspector General passed its first-ever peer review by the Association of Inspectors General. The review team included Dr. Glenda B. Arrington and Dr. Leah R. Anderson; the office also welcomed new investigator Kennedy Williams. Beverly Murray, Manager of Investigations and Audits, reported third-quarter figures: 117 active complaints (95 new, 22 from the prior quarter), 106 closed, 11 pending; 31 complaints closed with no action, 65 closed with referrals (62 informal, 3 formal), and 5 new investigations, 2 reviews, and 2 audits opened. One investigation was closed during the quarter. The OIG discussed investigation 25-0004-INV involving DDOT: an anonymous complaint alleged a supervisor logged false overtime, used staff and vehicles to transport a dispatcher, and retaliated. OIG found waste of city resources but did not substantiate time fraud or abuse of authority; the practice was authorized by a former director and lasted over a year. Member Benson strongly disagreed, calling it fraud, waste, and abuse, and asked what recourse the council has; OIG responded that findings are recommendations only and the council could hold a hearing. Benson also requested data on mileage, vehicles, gas, and duration. On recommendations, OIG noted open items with the Office of Contracting and Procurement and DPD security protocols; a DPW vehicle GPS recommendation was closed after the department director committed in writing, though Member Benson criticized closing recommendations without independent verification.
• Detroit Employment Solutions contract (line 6.1): The committee considered a $2 million contract increase and extension to June 29, 2028 for Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation to increase Detroiters' access to skilled construction trades and other high-growth jobs. Terry Wims, Director of Workforce, said the funds are not a new $2 million appropriation but release previously budgeted dollars, with about $1 million allocated this year. Wims reported that since 2018 more than 5,000 people have been trained in skilled trades and almost 4,000 have received permanent jobs; this year 88 people completed Trade Connect with 83 placed, all Detroiters, at an average wage of $32.56. A current cohort of about 40 people is in a work-based learning program. Members pressed for more detailed metrics, especially progress from apprenticeship to journeyman status. Member Miller said jobs are her top priority and moved to bring the item back in one week; the motion passed without objection. Member Callaway also requested definitions of skilled construction trades and high-growth jobs.
• Human Resources pay range adjustment (line 7.4): HR representative Jessica Frame presented a request to amend the 2026-2027 official compensation schedule for the Deputy Director of Detroit Cable Communications/Media Services, changing the title to Deputy Director of Media Services and raising the pay range from $71,311 to $106,000 as stated in the presentation, to $86,960 to $114,054. The incumbent, China Cochrane, was appointed at the start of the administration and is currently at the top of the existing range. Members questioned why the range was being increased less than a year after the incumbent was hired at the maximum. Frame said the change was based on a classification review aligning the position with comparable deputy director roles. The committee moved the item to formal session without a recommendation, with a strong request that the administration provide additional information before the full council vote.
• Board of Review items: Willie Donwell, Director of Property Systems/Board of Review, presented three items. Line 8.46, a resolution regarding property assessment, board of review certification, and continuing education costs, was moved to formal with a recommendation for approval. Line 8.39, amending the 2026 Homeowner Property Exemption, was moved to formal with approval; a state statute change (MCL 211.7u) allows municipalities to review prior-year poverty exemption applications if not previously filed and denied. Line 8.40, the 2027 Homeowner Property Exemption policy and guidelines, was moved to formal with approval. Donwell said income levels were adjusted for CPI and the asset test would increase from $12,000 to $17,000, a change intended to help homeowners, particularly those at risk of foreclosure.
• Herman Kiefer settlement discussion: The law department requested a walk-on discussion of a proposed settlement involving the Herman Kiefer property bankruptcy, but Chair Callaway refused to walk the item on because it had not been on the agenda. Deputy Corporation Counsel and law department staff explained the settlement would allow a court-approved marketing process to find a new developer approved by the administration and city council, with taxes and water bills paid; if no sale occurs by August 2027, the city would retake title. Member Miller strongly opposed the settlement, saying the developer failed, received $925,000 back, and owes over $800,000 in water/drainage charges and over $800,000 in unpaid property taxes. She demanded verification of the developer's claimed $10 million investment and objected to allowing the developer any role in selling the property. Law department staff warned that without a settlement, a bankruptcy court could grant the developer's motion to reject the development agreement, risking loss of the property. The committee voted to bring the discussion back in two weeks as a formal line item; Chair Callaway said she will not accept walk-ons.
• Other unfinished business: Line 7.6 (restroom feasibility report) was received and filed; line 7.7 was received and filed because it was addressed by line 8.38, a privileged construction impact fund memorandum. Line 8.38 was later reconsidered and sent to formal with a recommendation to remove privilege so LPD can draft a resolution for an open discussion. Line 7.8 was brought back one week; line 7.9 was brought back two weeks.

Key Outcomes

• No formal roll-call votes were taken; nearly all actions were by unanimous consent or without objection.
• The voter drop box discussion was informational; no action was taken, and the earlier motion to send it to formal was reconsidered and effectively withdrawn.
• The OIG quarterly report was received and filed.
• Line 6.1 was postponed one week for additional workforce metrics; line 7.1 was also postponed one week.
• Line 7.4 was moved to formal without recommendation.
• Board of Review items 8.39, 8.40, and 8.46 were moved to formal with approval recommendations.
• The Herman Kiefer settlement discussion was added as a future line item and will return in two weeks.
• Legal representation/indemnification line items in the Kiana Wilson matter (8.15-8.21, 8.23, 8.27) were brought back one week; line items in the Tela Marie Sabo matter (8.22, 8.24-8.26, 8.28-8.32, 8.35-8.37) were moved to TBD for a closed session.
• Line 8.43, a petition regarding alleged anti-union and unfair labor practices, was referred to the law department and brought back in two weeks.
• Line 8.47, Councilmember Miller's proposed Detroit First Jobs and Opportunities Ordinance, was brought back in two weeks at LPD's request.
• Line 8.49, a resolution in support of free and fair elections, was scheduled to return next week with a draft resolution for full council.
• At approximately 1 p.m., the Budget Finance and Audit Committee was called; without a quorum, it recessed to the call of the chair.
• The meeting adjourned after Member Miller announced a morning mingle on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Moondog Cafe, 8045 Linwood.