all right. Good morning, everyone, we will now afford call to order the regular session of Tuesday, January the 21st and Madam Clerk, please call the roll council member
Scott Benson,
customer Fred duha, the third
council member Letitia Johnson, present council member Gabriel the Santiago Romero, Present
council member Mary Walters,
Council Member Angela Whitfield, Callaway, Council Member Coleman Young the second Council President, pro Tim James Tate and Council President Mary Sheffield, present. We have a quorum. President, Madam. President,
all right. Thank you. There being a quorum. We are in session. We will go straight to our invocation. This morning. We have joining us pastor Eugene Anderson of Finkel, gospel temple. Cog, good morning. Good
morning. Ma'am. How you doing today? Great. Thank you so much. God bless you all. Every head bowed. Dear Heavenly Father. We thank you for this opportunity to come before you. We ask that you would touch this body of believers. We ask that you would touch the city of Detroit Council. We ask that you would lead them and guide them, give them understanding Lord, that they would help the community, that they would touch those that are in need. We ask that you would help us in every area that we stand in need of. We look to you, the author and finisher of our faith in all things. We pray to you in Jesus name, we pray, thank God, Amen,
amen, amen. Thank you so much, Pastor. We appreciate that invocation.
Thank you, ma'am. I'll talk to you. Let's say, yep, God bless you all. Take it easy. You as well.
The Journal of the session of Tuesday, January 7, will be approved. There being no reconsideration or unfinished business. We will proceed to the budget Finance and Audit. Standing Committee for the budget Finance and Audit. Committee,
five reports from very C departments.
The five reports will be referred to the budget Finance and Audit standing committee for the internal operations. Standing
Committee, nine reports from very C departments. The nine
reports will be referred to the Planning and Economic Development standing committee. Excuse me to the internal operations standing committee for the Planning and Economic Development standing committee two reports from various departments. The two reports will be referred to the Planning and Economic Development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee. There are
21 reports from various city departments.
The 21 reports will be referred to the public health and safety standing committee. We will now move to the voting action matters under other matters. There are no items madam president under communications from the mayor and other governmental officials and agencies.
There are no items. Madam President, all right, we will call for
public comment, and if the clerk will know we've been joined by council member young and council member waters, the clerk was so no. All right, everyone will have a minute and a half for public comment, and we will start with Miss Betty Lyons,
okay, we're going to cut off our public comment as well
over $600 million probably billions now in overpaid property taxes, stolen and COVID From the Detroit residents by satanic Dugan and Dana Nessel. Dugan or Duggan, whatever it is Satan, by any other name, is still Satan, a thief, a killer and a destroyer. Dugan and attorney Whitaker is up upholding this injustice to steal, kill and destroy. In my opinion, Dugan is on the same level of white supremacy as Hitler. Hitler told President Roosevelt, he learned his tactics from the way blacks are treated or were treated in this country and still are. So I don't want to hear anything about the Holocaust, because the Black Holocaust is far worse than that. So called holocaust. Go back over to Israel or wherever you came forward with that, and get your benefits from Hitler's folks. Thank Trump for getting these illegal border jumpers out of here, and thanks for supporting Father God. There's only male and female. All this nonsense and perversion is evil and an abomination to Father God. Will now is true evil. Supporting this evil and the spirit of Moloch sacrificed unborn babies.
All right, thank you. Miss Lyons, Miss Daniel. Daniel Hayner, the papers that were passed out were for him. He's deaf, so he wrote, okay, a paper that pairs just passed out to you. Okay, thank you.
Session Renee, a session.
Yes, good morning. I'm here to ask that you all will vote down the renewal of the contract for the land bank. You all know that whose land bank? The land bank is a criminal enterprise made up of people that don't even live in the city. It never should have been formed in the first place. Please vote that contract down. Please do justice by the citizens in Detroit, I see that you all are not doing anything about the election integrity, and we need people in office to fight for that, because the regular citizens are being ignored by the authorities. So Please fight for election interrogation and please get rid of the land bank. Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Adam Barrett, Detroiters for Tax Justice, the land bank has constantly been in the news for scandals. The Ombudsman has recorded more complaints about the land bank than any other entity. It's a shell game for investors to manipulate the Detroit real estate market. The land bank were supposed to be able to clear titles faster than the city could, putting parcels back on the tax rolls to help us get back on solid financial footing after the bankruptcy. Instead, they became a land speculator, keeping one quarter of the total parcels in Detroit off of the tax rolls. All proceeds from land bank sales have stayed with the land bank, and nothing's gone back to the city. They've cleared close to half a billion dollars now, and they won't even maintain the blighted parcels that they own. So where did that money go? Land is the greatest and most basic form of wealth is the foundation of self determination. The land bank hoarded homes foreclosed from Legacy black residents over hundreds of dollars in back taxes and then auctions them to white investors for 1000s whites move in and get any z and pay no property taxes on the same houses that were taken from black people for taxes. Is not just gentrification. Is the stripping of self determination from black Detroit. Reject the MOU dissolve the land bank and put its assets in trust for black reparations under an entirely new land bank accountable to the people and city council. I sent you all an email with a longer analysis of my feelings on this, on this issue. I hope that you read it. Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. Barrick,
good morning. Council. Good morning.
Or the biggest blighter in the city of Detroit, we say tank the land bank to the largest destabilizer of neighborhoods in Detroit. We say tank the land bank to the biggest land speculator in the city. We say tank the land bank to the stealer of wealth of black people. We say tank the land bank, tank the land bank. Tank, the land bank. Tank, the land bank.
Thank you so much. Miss Timon, Mr. Shelton,
committee, Shelton, I'm not going to speak on the land bank because I know Duggan wants the land back, so the council is not going to vote against the land bank, and that's a sad state of affairs. Duggan wants the land bank, anything, any major initiative that Duggan wants. It seems as though Council always finds a reason to come together and approve it, anything that he wants, especially if it's something that's major and he wants that land bank. So the land bank is not going anywhere by this council. That's my prediction. Again, the voting process in this city is tainted, and it's a local issue. We can talk about going to the Feds or the state or everywhere else, but the city of Detroit has the authority, pursuant to the Detroit City chart, to subpoena witnesses and evidence. We can get you the body, but right here locally, we can bring it in that little, fake investigation that the election commission did under Janice Winfrey, I looked at it. Bring those people forward. Don't just write something on a piece of paper and say that it's been the bomb. Bring those witnesses and those victims forward who say they never voted yet they're on the voting rolls as having voted in the local elections as well as some of the national elections, the city council, as well as the election commission, has that authority.
Thank you, Mr. Shelton. Ms, gladden.
MS, Gladney here to speak. Um, I spoke last week. Let's talk about land bank once again, if each and every one of you all was affected by land bank, your property and your homes, your decisions would be different. It's too many people that come before you all and advocate on behalf of land bank. How land bank practices are unethical. Once again, I bet it $10,000 on a property that just sold July, 2024 I bet it on it in 2023 of October. You guys need to do something about this. This is huge. Do not sleep on this. Do not turn this over as if we are not being affected by this. We got property and commercial buildings that's being held up by land bank, not being sold. They sitting on the property. Too many people, older people, are losing their homes, that houses are paid off, that they work for. There's no way that they should be losing their homes. There's no way that no one should be going before court didn't put out of their houses because of what land bank is doing. This is serious. People do not come before you with made up stories. These stories need to be investigated. Election fraud need to be investigated. Land Bank need to be investigated. We requesting that land bank be dissolved. We do not want one year land bank. We do not want two years of land bank. We want the land bank dissolved. Why? Because, if their practices are unethical, now, what will one or two more years do?
Thank you so much.
Thank you, ma'am, excuse me. Ma'am, Excuse me, ma'am, I'll have someone from my team. I know you had a number of allegations against the land bank indicating that you had, hopefully there's some specifics that we can track and identify and investigate and pull out. But I have someone from my office, the gentleman, Lynn McNeil, is going to get your information. Love to talk to you. Get more folks. And I say that as the chair of Planning and Economic Development, and that entity is, I won't say, oversight by our committee, but they report to our committee, and we just had a report recently. We're going to have another report out next week as well, but certainly want to hear more information about I think it's important to have that on the record, especially if you have specifics. The generalizations give us some semblance of what's going on, but specifics allow us to actually do the investigation. So the gentleman right behind you when McNeil get your information. Thank you again for
your comment. Thank you proto Mr. Ramon Jackson,
residents listening in on Channel 10, and any residents here, these are symptoms. These are all symptoms, land bank over taxation, water rates, drain off fees. Those are symptoms the virus is these people do not work for us. That is the virus we have to address that through election fraud. Ms waters, you brought up that you was cheated in that election. Let me finish you said that you had a suspicious about them, absentee ballots that came in in that election. What happened to quell your suspicion? What did they show you? Did anybody threaten you, tell you not to say nothing. What? What happened to quail your suspicion? I'm interested to know what happened to quail your suspicion, because I have caught fraudulent votes in that very same election. So what did they show you? And if they showed you something, could you show the residents so that our suspicion can be quail because you did say that you was you wanted an investigation based on the absentee ballot surge that came in in that election, so could we know that from you?
Thank you, Madam President, my question was regarding a statement that was made by the one of the election officials when they said 10,000 or more ballots, absentee ballots, kind of came in late. I wanted to know to understand that process. Where did the ballots came? Come from? Who delivered the ballots? What time did they arrive? Did they meet the deadline for cut off that the city has, once those things were answered, I decided to leave it alone. I needed to understand the lateness of those ballots, and that was explained to me, that they were picked up from various drop boxes and that kind of thing. So I didn't say they cheated. We
don't go back and forth. Yeah, okay, remember water. Did you want to finish
work? Okay, yeah, well, well, that was my that was my issue, though, and that's what. I did not pursue it any further because my issue was addressed. They explained it to me in terms of what happened and how that process happened. I was I was taken back by the lateness of the ballots coming in, but once it was explained to me how that occurred and the time that it occurred, it seemed to mean that they were within those guidelines. Thank you,
alright. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Member waters, thank you. We're going to continue now to our next public comment, our next public comment, please. Jaquis Chisholm, followed by Russ Belan,
good morning, senior council morning. Due to corruption, I'm going through identity theft here in this in this world, all tie contracts, multi billions of contracts and bonds have been breached
that belongs to me, insurance fraud, all types of fraud. I have notary public contracts with the city, state and county.
It's a lot going on. I've been pleading with y'all for help. Really need the city council. I need Mister James take to do what he said he was going to do a lifetime ago. I don't know if he remember or recall every face I look up here, I remember I'm not your enemy, but I do want those people who have caused this situation inflamation to be held responsible and suitable for their action. My estate is my estate. What's mines? Is mines? I share. I share. People take, people take, but I don't stand for it. Y'all told me, talk to y'all about it. It was a lot of offers that are
thank you so much, sir. We appreciate you coming down again and press the line. If the clerk would know member door Hall has also joined us. I'm sorry, the clerk know member door Hall has joined us. Restful lot. You're next. Okay, go right ahead, followed by Whitney Clark,
good morning. The land bank, owning 83,000 parcels of our city is a testament in itself, of its failure and its incapacity to contribute to development in our city, handing getting out a handful of houses for ceremonial and PR purposes does not reach the magnitude of development that we need in our city. Their failure to sell to neighbors of mine who are responsible capable of rehabbing a house or taking care of a vacant lot in one case, and she's been taking care of it immaculately for decades, and is being told that she has to make a bulk purchase to buy houses across the city in order to get that vacant lot. And I've tried through city administration sincere efforts, I believe they did not bend the retaking of properties from people who buy them because they say they haven't moved fast enough, and taking 1000s and 1000s of dollars that they have invested it is another testament to their lack of service to The people. This is going to be a big issue. I ran into a parent that I hadn't met in years. We were co parents in the school that our children attended, and she first thing she started talking to me about was the land bank trying to take properties. This is going to be a litmus issue this year, when people are making decisions, Please end the land bank.
Whitney Clark, followed by Jerome shield,
good morning to this honorable body and every and everyone under the sound of my voice, my name is Whitney Clark in district five. I did want to speak about the land bank because they are the biggest owner of blight in the city, and I've been following this for quite some time, and I'll just say that performance wise, I think that it's fair to note that the land bank last year took back more homes than they sold for the first time, and I think that's something that should be brought to the forefront. Also, I just in theory we aren't the same city that we were a decade ago, and so to give this same type of MOU to the land bank for another decade, I think that I don't know if that's a good idea. I don't know if that's fair, quite frankly. Also, I believe in theory that bringing this land bank kind of under more public scrutiny would would be a fast pathway to bringing our neighborhoods back, which is something that everyone, everyone says that they want to do. We're trying to figure out how to bring our neighborhoods back, and I believe that that's addressing this in this way would be helpful for us. But I will say this, I do not believe the land bank should be closed, because offloading these parcels back onto the city would overwhelm the city. We don't currently have the infrastructure to handle these parcels, and so if anything, we should shorten the length of the contract and do that in an open way to restore the public trust. But I do say that we should consider all these things, and thank you so much for hearing us
all right. Thank you so much. Pro Tim Tate, thank you, Madam President, excuse me, sir. So I know you may you indicated that the land bank took back more homes and they actually sold that conflicts with the information that I was provided. So I love to see that information. The gentleman, Lynn McNeil, will get that from you this and also your contact so we can connect. It was in the article from bridge. I got you, okay, back and forth, but okay, besides the article, yes, sir, we want to make sure we have, oh, I was talking the article from bridge, uh, bridge, Detroit, yeah. We want to make sure they have it as the infrared, correct information as well. Gentlemen, right. Thank you. Right. Thank
you so much. And our last in person, public comment will be Chicago right ahead.
Yes, my name is Jerome. Jerome shell. I'm a precinct delegate. I'm also a trade instructor, retired teaching the trades to all of our children for the last 40 years, free of charge. I have a nightmare with the land bank. I have videotape that I'd like for you to see in your office concerning one of your meetings with Miss Daniels and yourself, where Miss Daniels promised to make me whole from where the land bank broke into my properties on record, and the for sale sign is still out there right now, from three years ago. Since then, the land bank has taken one of those properties from me to put a sign on there. Never notified me, and they and when I called them, they say, Well, we took it and you can buy it back if you want to. But Miss Daniels promised at your meeting on record saying that that they thought they gave me the property, but they didn't do it. So I would like to talk to you about that. But the one thing about the land bank, Mike Duggan knew from the start that the city could not take property from residents, so he formed a nonprofit larger than any any church in Detroit, specifically to take property from current residents. And most of the properties given out have been given out to people outside of Detroit. My only problem right now is that nobody on city council here, nobody,
uh, nobody, yep, that's your time. Unfortunately, I'm sorry, yeah,
well, a minute and a half is not enough time.
So unfortunately, this is just the common portion of this meeting is. But
nobody here has a certification or accreditation of American African history, okay, to make decisions on black people or even black children in the first place. Okay?
Thank you so much, and I'll make sure I get with you to follow up on the information that you just provided to me as well. Sir, thank you so much for being here. We can get into permission. Alright? So Mister Foster, you are going to do yours in person. Go right ahead,
good morning, and thank you for allowing me to do it in person. I just want to start out with a quote from Reverend Martin Luther King. I'm not sure if the community is aware of it, but he weighed in on a 67 riots here. He also weighed in on the Kerner report and response, and he quoted, this is a physician's warning of approaching death. The Colonel report is a prescription for life. So I say that because we could talk about a lot of our leaders and heroes and everything else, but when they specifically speak for this community, and we neglect to pick up and follow up on those things, and then we honor his day, we do injustice there. And so that's the main thing. I want to speak about, those civil rights and picking up on those things. Civil Rights is not just inherited to us. You have to believe in it. You have to understand it, and you have to work it and do those things. As I listen to the people's biggest name today, they spoke about land bank. My bottom line on land bank is it's an authority. All authorities in this city belongs to the people, and at the end of the day, our alleged elected representatives to have all authority over any and everything that goes on within this jurisdiction. And so we ask for that change here, to put all the power back into our
thank you so much.
We will move to those that have joined us online, and if the clerk will make sure that the public comment from Daniel Hayner is a part of our public record that was submitted as well. Clerk was so no. Thank you so much. And we will turn to going those who have joined us virtually.
Good morning, Madam President, we're 25 hands raised before you would call off public comment, and my first caller is be a Varner.
Good morning, Detroit. This is Betty a Varner, president of DeSoto Ellsworth black Association. I'm advocating for my community and for the Finkle corridor, from Finkel and liver noise to Finkel and Wyoming. We've had a successful meeting with Mr. Dave Walker, City of Detroit, some of his staff and other departments. There is a wish list for the Finkle corridor. They have some wonderful ideas to improve our quarter, but the problem is there's no monies. My understanding is that Mr. Walker and Thomas team is going to be talking to some of the different departments to see if they can get a commitment from them to do some of the services, whatever they can do to help us improve our corridor. And I guess they have to work through their budgets. And if anyone from the department comes to the city please, I mean to the council, please support our goals and missions for our quarter, I'm asking that the council please allocate monies from the budget for 503501 3c organizations that are trying to improve their neighborhoods. We're not looking for a handout. We're just looking for some help. Thank you for this time.
Thank you so much. Miss Barner,
the next caller is Alexi tab. A
good morning. You.
Galaxy, Galaxy Tab, a good morning.
Okay, all right, can we come back to this caller please?
Okay, the next caller is boys e Jennings,
good morning.
Good morning. In 2016 I was assigned to a position as a Veterans Resource Navigator and compliance officer with the land bank. I have a daughter who is the dependent of a four star general of our armed forces, and President Obama was deploying the Veterans Resource Navigator corps to help families and dependents of veterans get connected to $180 billion of earned benefits that the veterans, their spouses and dependents had not been connected to because of my former work with the city of Detroit, I was assigned to the Detroit land bank, and while in service in that position as a navigator and compliance officer, I witnessed Mike Duggan bringing in and hosting groups of people that they were giving blocks of land to throughout the city of Detroit that consisted of land, residential property and commercial property. I also witnessed city of Detroit employees being used to strip these same properties that were then being auctioned off to other people to buy, requiring them to have to go and get permits to put the homes back together. James Tate, I'm a witness, and I reported this information in my weekly thank
you so much. Miss Jennings,
the next caller. Stephen Harring,
can I be her? Yes, you
can. I just want to say about the first Miss Betty lions, who I think is a nasty old bag. She comes every meeting and just
Madam Chair, Madam Chair, Madam Chair, sir, you are through the chairs. Me. I'm sorry. You're not going to disrespect a senior citizen. Oh, okay, comes down here at her own expense because I see her catching the bus. Wow, that's why I'm not voting. Now we could use me. They're saying people with me, it's disrespectful. Excuse me, it's disrespectful. Man, he called her an old bat, and I'm not gonna tolerate it. His call needs to be deactivated so and you can make sure
requests that the comments on both sides are not disrespectful. As much as we can. We can voice our concerns and have the time for public comment, but try as much as we can not to be disrespectful to anyone, and that's on both sides of everyone taking public comment. So that was an offensive remark by him. We will allow if you want to continue his comment, but please refrain from any disrespect on all sides and anyone making public comment.
Madam Chair. I don't, I don't support him continuing to make any comments he's disrespectful, and if he does, I'm going to interrupt him. So I don't know what's going to happen to me, but I cannot sit here and tolerate him disrespecting the senior citizen woman. I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to do it. So he comes back on. I'm going to continue to talk while he's talking. So whatever happens, excuse me, there's a couple of things. Madam Chair, excuse me. Proto,
yeah, I think we have to make sure that we keep our outrage if we're going to be outraged, let's be completely outraged at the entirety of disrespect while I respect the speaker who's in in our presence. And I'll just say Miss line, the reality is, she has disrespected numerous people several times right in front of us, some of them sitting up here, some of them sitting out in the audience. And I have not heard anything being said by my colleague about that. Why did you say something? I have said something. Okay, you can join me if you like. I'm not going to Okay? Well, what I'm saying reality is everyone, and I have, I didn't interrupt you at all,
but I'm interrupting you. You are, I am.
Thank you for violating the rules. Okay, as I mentioned, as long as we all have freedom of speech, anybody can say whatever they want to say about anyone. As long as it is not illegal, it is not it is not profane. That is why we allow public comment to how happened the way that it does. We have had several law and legal opinions about trying to curtail some of that length if we were to stop someone from disrespecting another person while they disrespect us and disrespect others, now we're picking and choosing. We cannot pick and choose. Ladies and gentlemen, do I want to see any of my colleagues disrespected? Absolutely not. But I'm not going to be in a position where I'm going to violate the law the Open Meetings Act and give and derail someone's freedom of speech. Always keep that in mind, at least that's what I do when I sit here today. So I just ask if we're going to have outrage, let not let it not be selective outrage. Be outraged at all disrespect that comes either from that side of the table or this side of the chair. Thank you Madam President
member. Thank you Madam Chair. What I express outrage is my prerogative. If I don't see that my voice is necessary. In certain instances, I'm not going to say anything, but when I'm compelled to express myself, I'm certainly going to do that, and I don't need anyone to tell me here, anyone else, anywhere else, what I should be expressing outrage about. That's my prerogative, and if I'm selective, that's my prerogative. Thank you, Madam
Chair. All right, thank you. Any additional comments? Okay? All right, we will proceed now with public comment.
Mister. Hiring had one minute and 21 seconds remaining, so I will continue this.
Yeah, the one thing I do agree with Mr. Rubin probably is just how disrespectful and terrible Angela Whitfield Holloway is. You know I'm in a fight like hell to make sure you are ousted from office. You're disrespectful. You're disrespectful to other accounts. You vote everything that you want, this that makes the city good down you're a terrible council woman. That's why I am going to donate 1000s of dollars to Roy McAllister and get you thrown out of office. You're willing to defend that nasty old homophobic bitch, Betty lions.
That's it. That is it. That is it. Now, excuse me, I will stop at that point. Yes, most definitely, that is not accepted. So we will proceed to move forward
the next caller is vote out council member to vote a land bank MOU
our next caller, please, good morning. May I be heard?
Yes you can, yes you can. Good morning.
Well, well, well, well, well, I say vote every council member out who would vote on the land bank MOU right now, if you vote on this right now, it is a tremendous act of disrespect towards the residents of the city of Detroit, it is legislative malpractice because we don't have the legal memo that says you cannot amend this, which was all of a sudden told to member waters in the planning committee last week after we she's been working on amendments for a year. And Don't believe the hype about you can't amend this. You amended the MOU back in 2015 to add the illegal nuisance abatement program to the 50% discount program, which I call the Mike Duggan friends and family discount program. You should have given it to all Detroiters so it would be absolute legislative malpractice and disrespect to all of us. Your votes are disrespectful to us in many, many ways. Also talking about the land bank taking houses back, massive equal protection violation because they didn't take that property back from the people who garland Gilchrist sold the property to that he bought and never fixed up. He said they've had six years, so they shouldn't be taking anybody's property back that didn't get that amount of time. And if you don't require the land bank to record and post its board meetings on Channel 10 and this and the land bank website, then you do not care about transparency. Anyone who votes for this today vote them out.
The next caller is, we see you. Good
morning. Good morning. Next caller, we see you.
Yes, good morning through
the Chair. Matt, be heard. Yes, you can
thank you. Yes, Miss Lyons, thank you, elder Lyons, for your words from the word it is a spirit of evil. Nobody listened to the pastor this morning when he gave his his prayer over the city, because if you vote for the land bank, you are going against the citizens who want you to dissolve the land bank. And if, in fact, you can't make amendments, then what good are you to us? You have a right to make amendments. We have a right to dissolve it. We don't want it. We want to dissolve all authorities over this city since the bankruptcy. We want to take back and I don't know why people say we can't handle it. We handle it before. It was not the land bank that we needed, it was other things we needed. Mr. Derrick is absolutely right. There are other ways to do this, and voter fraud was proven by the recount in 2016 when Donald Trump won Michigan, Detroit had to be thrown out, and the two individuals that you brought before us certified that election as correct, which means they have an integrity problem. So if we want to resolve this, we'll do what Mr. Shelton says, and have a hearing under oath, and we'll also have a recount of Detroit votes over the next two to three elections. We're all that a fair election, an election with integrity.
Thank you.
The next caller is William M Garvis,
uh, good morning, young people. Can I be heard? Yes, you can. Okay, I like to say that I also believe that the land bank should be voted down. I need a complete new agreement. In this new agreement, it should be up for review every two years in this new agreement, if the land bank has a property in the inventory more than two years, it should go. It should start being taxed, and they should start having to pay drainage fee. I think it's terribly unfair that the land bank can have a blighted property, but yet they can be involved in acquiring blighted properties from other people. I think it's terribly unfair that they do not have to cut the grass in the back of their house. I think it's terribly unfair that they could have snow and ice in front of their house, that their properties, but yet don't get in trouble. But if I don't shovel my snow, and I'm a senior citizen, I could get, you know, sued, or, you know, what have you. And I think we need to balance the table. I think anybody that's associated with this new agreement, when, because I need to do something, a new agreement. They should all live in the city of Detroit. I am really tired of different type of authorities that come into existence and you have a bunch of non Detroiters on it. Detroit has over 620,000 people that live in the city. Surely you can find enough people to fill out these boards to live in the city of Detroit. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Davis,
the next caller is Cunningham.
Cunningham, good morning. You.
Lord, Lord, Lord entertainment this morning, Lord, have mercy. I've been watching these council meetings for over a decade. Hilarious, good entertainment this morning. Um, 31344491431344491143134449114,
and on Facebook, not enemy again on Facebook, not enemy. One more time, two words, not enemy. You'll see a picture of me and my family, my mom and we're in blue. I thank you for all those that reach out. I pray with that. Do ride alongs with me, from the upper echelon to the regular folks like me, I'm willing to do a ride along with you. Just hit me up. 313-444-9114, I'm running low on hats and gloves and hand warmers. Shortly I give them out at the bus stops. Martin Luther King said, faith is taking the first step, even when you can't see the whole staircase. I appreciate all council members, all council members that have donated, that have helped and assisted, and I hope your help continues.
All right, thank you, Mr. Cunningham, thank
you, Madam Chair, yes. Mr. Cunningham, if you're still listening, we did purchase hand warmers for you, but another council office accepted that shipment and gave that order to you. So we've had to reorder the shipment, but we did order some hand warmers. It went to another Council person's office, and those hand warmers were giving to you on behalf of that office when it should been my office. We put the purchase order in. It was approved. But again, another office accepted that shipment and gave that shipment to you. So we've just placed another order. Thank you, Madam Chair,
Madam President, Council Member Santiago Romero, thank you, Madam President, and through you to member Callaway, that was our office. Yes, thanks for mentioning that. We are all ordering hand warmers from and we have ordered them in the past already, and that was a mix up from purchasing and procurement. So that issue has been resolved. So you have many more hand members coming your way. Thank you, Madam President, thank you so much our next caller, please.
The next caller is Ruben J Crawley Junior,
can you hear me clearly? Yes, we can hear you.
Okay. 13, 570, clinger Street. 13, 588, Klinger Street. Those are two land bank owned parcels directly behind my houses on New Bern Street. I'm the vice president of the New burn watch Association, block club we formed over here. So I took the checkbook down to the land bank a week or so ago and found out that the properties are in inventory, but they are not for sale. These properties have been vacant for a decade now, I was in contact with the land bank, with the former under the former director Sakia Thompson, and talking to one of her staff members about purchasing the property in 2021, 2020, and 2021, until I got sidetracked with Kenisha Coleman situation. Now that that is underway and being dealt with, I decided to jump back into what I started before and found out now that the property is 13, 570, clinger and 13, 588, clinger are in inventory at the land bank, but not for sale, right?
Thank you.
The next caller is Tahira Ahmad.
Good morning Council. I love Ms Lyons and Mr. Hiring should be removed from any city appointed position. Take the land bank and every city council member who refuses to eliminate the land bank, starting with James Kate, we demand the study mandated under the property tax reform ordinance, law be produced now, is the law city council, have your Board of Review appointees take the mandated test now, whether they have been seated or not, homeowners, if you are a word foreclosed by Wayne County and your home was sold For any about over the tax recovery amount you are entitled to, the excess amount. For more information, call our hotline at the property tax reform ordinance three, I'm sorry at the Coalition for Property Tax Justice. 313-437-4698, the deadline to get your money, maybe in the 1000s, and the deadline is March 31 there should be public services announcements everywhere City Council. You have the deaths of people on your hands, of families freezing to death with no adequate housing stolen by Mike Duggan and the negro capitulators. There should be public service announcements about where the warming centers are, and you should be working diligently to get these houses back to people who were illegally foreclosed and thank you.
Next caller is Mikko a Williams,
good morning, Mr. Williams.
Mika Williams, good morning you.
Mika Williams, good morning. Okay, let's come back to Mika Williams, please.
The next caller is Galaxy S 22 ultra
Good morning. Can you hear me? Yes, we can.
You guys know land bank ain't no good. F mock City Council sitting next to y'all down there. Letitia Johnson, this is Holloway. Y'all rant. You y'all come to me to ask for me to sign a petition, but you won't do nothing about my prop. You shifted over to my city council person over there, and I will not be voting. No more President city nothing, because it's a waste of time. I done been down there numerous time about the fumes y'all spend. Me, you make excuses for us. We paying y'all salary, and we sick of it now. Land Bank sold the house next door to me, up under me that I've been fighting for for four or five years, and Leticia know that. And I'm tired of just running down there saying the same thing to y'all and y'all ignoring you. Don't ask me for no no signature on nothing, cuz if you come to me, you ain't going to like what I say. And it was, I don't care, because I'm tired of it. Y'all play these phony games with us and give Duncan everything he want, but the people that paying y'all salary, y'all give a darn about us. And then you sit up there and say, next person, next person. Well, do not ask me for no vote, because I'm tired of the bull crap that y'all keep spitting that up and it don't make no darn sense. It's fake down there, and I won't be returning down there to nothing until we get a new staff down there.
You next caller, please.
Uh, next caller is Marguerite Scarlet, Maddox
Margaret, Maddox Scarlet. The floor is yours. General public
comment, good morning. Good morning.
I am sitting
God.
For that I do understand why
we should be You.
late
grandmother who taught me to be respectful. And with the command situation, we
really there are some people who are
will
be the will be housing housing,
because we need to Find a very
defy These homes and
And
me, knowledge.
Knowledge,
together. We are one Detroit. We are
one. Thank you.
Thank you, Miss manox, next caller, please.
The next caller is Joe Abraham, Joe, I apologize for the mispronunciation.
Minute 30 general public comment, hello.
My name is Tabor and Joe. I am a long time Detroiter, and I'm also a member of the coalition to defend affirmative action, integration, immigrants rights and the fight for equality by any means necessary. Bam, I come to you as an advocate for public education and immigrants rights. We just got a new administration the presidency, and I feel like we need to in. We need to enforce partly our sanctuary city policy and also the sanctuary city policy over the school board. We, the school board has a policy that is one, and we, if the city and the school board can work together to enforce that, that I should not be doing any rates, because we are a sanctuary city, and we need to enforce that policy. It is a dire need at any time right now, the dire need that we protect the undocumented immigrants that are that live in the city of Detroit. It is. It was appalling to hear someone that does not want to protect immigrant students, immigrant parents, immigrant families. They came here to get a better life. We must keep Detroit City a sanctuary city, and we must enforce the policies with the against the Trump administration, I urge you.
Thank you. Next Caller, please. Next caller is Cindy Dara.
Cindy Dara, the floor is yours. You have a minute 30 general public comment.
John love used to say, as far as the land bank, we need neighborhoods to take these houses, and we need co ops and form co ops. And the city, maybe they're worried about liability, but if the co ops could be formed, then they need we had after school, adult ed classes and construction and cast tech. I took many of them. We've got to come up with a solution. And I think I don't know how you're going to get the title back from all those houses you've given to the land bank, but before, when we had nuisance abatement, the original law was Marianne Mahaffey was in office and was to try and help people homestead those properties. If they fixed them up, they could get title to them. And that's not work on a large scale. You've got to get people that are in the area to have some interest in them. You could work with Habitat from humanity. And in the meantime, you should, if you're going to sign any contract, it should be a very short one, maybe a six months contracts at a time where we start working to develop what we're going to replace the land bank with, because you can't just dissolve it without figuring out how you're going to handle it. It wasn't handled before when they had burned out my house, Detroit Economic Development Corporation.
Next Caller, please.
The next caller is Karen hammer and
hammer, the floor is yours. We have a minute 30 general public comment.
Hello, hello, hear
me. Yes, I am strongly opposed to the land bank. The land bank has 80,000 parcels which prevent affordable housing in the city of Detroit and helps create increasing the homeless population. I support all the people who have said, vote against the land bank, and we should create other institutions, according to city charter, that will handle this. There is too much appraisal over appraisal of low income properties that puts those properties into the land bank and takes them away from people who work very hard to buy those homes.
Thank you. Thank you.
Next Caller, please. The next caller is phone number ending in 201,
caller ending in 301, the floor is yours. You have a minute 30 general public
comment. Apologies, 201201,
caller, the floor is yours.
Hello. Can you hear me? Yes, okay. My name is Catherine Montgomery, long term resident of Detroit in district one, and I, as all the other callers that have called in about the land bank, am opposed to the renewal of this contract. They've been operating without a contract for approximately a year now, and they apparently are not managing the property in Detroit properly, fairly. When people report that they've attempted to purchase properties and they are either not available for sale or they are not being sold to the person who who tried to purchase it, but then it's sold months later to someone else, or years later to someone else. This it's it's not right. It's not being managed, property prop properly. The properties aren't being maintained. The grass is not being cut. Neighbors are doing that for the land bank, just so that their home doesn't look, uh, unsuitable and and if a house needs to be demolished and it's left standing for years, sometimes unboarded, unsecure, causing danger.
Thank you. Next Caller, please.
Next caller is Teresa Williams, all
right. Caller, the floor is yours. You have a minute 30 general public comment. You Theresa Williams, are you there? Miss Williams, are you there? Yes, I'm here. All right. Floor is yours? Good morning. Sorry about that. Okay,
so a guest. I just want to again, restate, get rid of the land bank. You know, that's no good. It's, you know, it's just, I don't know what it is. It's useless, totally useless. As a real estate professional, the normal life cycle of a sale property is about 30 to maybe 90 days. You have properties on the land bank. This 13768, Tyler Street, it's been on the market for 136 days. You have 2325 Pasadena on the market for 1023 days. You have have 2324 Pasadena Street on the market for 1013 days. And these are like originally listed at $8,000 no adjustments have been made on price, no changes. After the first 30 days working with the client, you go back to that client and you discuss a new strategy to get these properties moved. This is obviously because, and I've also put offers in for people that have wanted to purchase commercial property. And then, as has been stated before, it'll be 1012, months later, after we've put offers in no answers, and then it's sold to someone else all of a sudden. So it's just a hope.
Thank you. Next caller, Chris,
the next caller is Renard ski. The
floor is yours. You have a minute 30 general public comment,
good morning. Can I be heard? Well, good morning. Can I be heard? Yes, okay, sorry,
good morning, Mr. President or Mr. Chair.
My name is Rena muss, key District Six, resident and organizer with Detroit people's platform. I just want to inform the council, based on my comment last week, that house bill 6088 actually has passed and been signed into law by the governor. What this bill would do is opt all of Wayne County in into a regional transit system with the county, and also allow cities for the county to levy a property tax, millage for public transit, to support DDOT, smart and other regional systems within our county. This would in decades and decades of segregation, racist segregation, in our community, where certain communities like Livonia, Plymouth and others, and I will call them out, said no to people of color, low income people and black people, and that ends. And I thank the governor and her leadership and the leadership of the Michigan legislator in terms of ending this on this injustice in terms of transit access. The 1964 Civil Rights Act entitles all of us to the right to access our communities without regard to our race, color, sex, etc. And I'm so glad that this wrong has been righted. Now it's time for this region in this city to also take this service seriously so that Detroit could be on par with Chicago and others, instead of trying to chase them. Thank you.
Thank you. Next Caller, please.
Next caller is Galaxy Tab A, Galaxy
Tab A, the floor is yours. You have a minute 30. General public comment, Good morning, ma'am,
you heard Yes. I want to first say I was there Thursday when they was talking about the land bank, and I was told that Miko Williams has said to give Miss Riley the house she's been taking care of since 1999 Thank you. Tomiko, also, I say, dissolve the land bank. I talk to people that used to work for the city that was doing the same thing the land bank was doing. They should go back to that. And as they say, if they don't live in the city of Detroit, no. And land bank. I just want to let you know the property I've been taking care since 1999 and I went downtown to the city of Detroit to try to get it. Heard nothing that contrived bankruptcy that gave you all the authority over the property. In 2014 I came down to you all with proof that I have and tried to get the property. You never got in touch with me. What y'all did? I guess I put it on the court or whatever, to get the house. But I'm not done. Your the house should be mine, because my neighbor, when her husband died, she told me she didn't want the house. I came down to how to get the house. 2014 that's a no, no. I should have that property, and I'm still fighting and Imma tell you watch, watch Ruby work. Everybody said no land bank. We want no land bank. Residents for 75 years, this year, and this part in this area is a 77 so I know what I've been taking care of. Thank you. You
next dollar, please. Next
caller is Miko a Williams. Nico a
Williams. The floor is yours. You have a minute 30 general public comment,
yes, hi, good morning. Damico Williams community resident, I would like to make the following statement. I and numerous others have been actively advocating against the land bank due to the inequitable bidding practices, racial disparities and property sales, inadequate maintenance of land bank homes and insufficient upkeep of vacant lots, among various other concerns I would convey with the council that it would be your best interest to deny the MOU and dissolve the land bank, let people keep their homes, give Miss Ruby Riley that home she'd been living to next door so that she could upkeep and also, if there is any legal matters or whatever that happens, which I know some of you council members are going to vote for the deal anyway, regardless of what we say, as you always do, there should be a two to five year renewal audit and also an independent investigation with the facts conducted with the Ethics The Board of ethics and the Board of Review. It should not go among 10 years where there has been malfeasance and numerous circumstances that have happened with this land bank. It will be in the best interest of the city council president pro tem, the leadership and also the city of Detroit residents to deny the MOU for the land bank. And I also would like to say shame on the Windows swole, you embarrassed us, just like swin to Window Anthony did. From Mike Duggan, shame.
Next Caller, please.
Next caller is call in user one.
All in user one, the floor is yours. You have a minute 30 general public comment. Can that be heard? Yes, ma'am,
good morning. I'm very proud of the conduct of James Tate and Mary Sheffield, thank you for standing on Chrome people's business and thank you for asking for respect on the proper both lines. I'm disappointed that people can be allowed to lay in the street at the Rosa Parks transit center and have Caucasian officers to laugh about it. And I sent you all videos to show you what I'm talking about, how they chain down simple things like paper towel prevent it, so that the handicap cannot come in, because they keep the handicapped doors broke and it's been going on for 10 years. I hope that membership feel you will do something in your district of me living in a building that heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine is sold and nothing is done about it. Our owners are notified constantly by building in safety. How often we complain to our elected officials and we are retaliated against. This is a year for you to act to stop this foolishness.
Thank you. Michelle. Next Caller, please.
The last caller. There are a few callers with their hands raised, but the last caller who had raised their hand before public comment had been cut off is phone number ending in 301
alright. Last caller for public comment. Caller ending in 301
floor is yours.
Can you hear me? Yes. Good morning, everyone. My name is Richard clay. I am here, of course, to ask the City Council request that you deny re upping the MOU for the land bank, it will be one thing if year after year after year, it wasn't all of the same complaints about the land bank, all of the same thievery and the unconstitutional against our charter. Processes were not going on at the land bank, but even just today, even the Duggan nights can usually bring forth people to support their position when it comes for a key vote, all of these residents speaking today and not you can't find two of them to support the land banks new, getting a new MOU person after person, everyone against re up in the land bank and talking about the legalized thievery that is being created over there. This is not just backroom business dealing. The land bank is the back room where Duggan and the developers steal property legally from us, the citizenry, and where they re gentrify property from black folks into the hands of white developers, it needs to be stopped, and the signs could not be clear. The residents have spoken. The city council needs to take a let Doug and steal Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Clark. That takes us to the end of our general public comments. Now go step into the agenda under the committee reports for the budget, Finance and Audit standing committee from the office of the city clerk, City Planning Commission.
Council member durha, two resolutions. Member Durrell.
Oh, okay, Mr. President,
Vice Chair, Council Member Whitfield Callaway on behalf of council member durha. Two resolutions, nine items, 15.1 and 15.2
who's the vice chair? Sorry,
Mr. President,
Member Santiago. Remember Mr. President on behalf of council member durha, two resolutions. Line item, 15.1, let
me get it right. Remember Santiago Romero, thank you. Mr. Pro time, motion to approve the motion to approve colleagues. Any objections, seeing none that action shall be taken on those two items for the internal operation, standing committee from the mayor's office. Council
member Johnson, a resolution. Line item 16.1,
member Johnson,
thank you, Mr. President, Move for approval on line item 16.1
was a motion to approve line item 16.1 Colleagues, any objections Seeing none that action shall be taken. Mr. President, member Johnson,
thank you. I'd like to request a waiver on line item 16.1 this is to appoint Alexa Bush as the planning director for the city of Detroit.
There's a request for a waiver online. Item 16.1 any objections Seeing none the waiver shall be attached from the Office of contract, Office of contracting, the Procurement Council Member Johnson,
three resolutions, line item, 16.2 through 16.4 versus contract number 6006356, 100% city funding to provide as needed, preventative maintenance and installation services to existing city of Detroit genetic systems. Contractor is accurate. Networks, LLC, total contract amount 750,000 that's for do it next contract is contract number 6006355, 100% city funding to provide as needed, preventative maintenance and installation services to existing city of Detroit. Gene tech systems. Contractor, infinite technologies, LLC, total contract, amount, 750,000 that's for do it. Contract Number 6001522, dash, 871, 100% city funding. Amendment number seven, to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for legal services to the cod in connection with the case of Devonte Sanford versus City of Detroit, Michael Russell and James Tolbert US District Court Ed Michigan. Contractor is Seward Henderson P LLC, total contract amount 3,200,000 that's for law Council. Member Johnson, three resolutions.
Member Johnson, thank you, Mr. President, Move for approval on line item 16.2 through 16.4
there's a motion for approval on line item 16.2 through 16.4 any objections? Colleagues, any discussion? Seeing none those actions shall be taken from the law department.
Council member Johnson, five resolutions, knowing that line item 16.9 was postponed from last week formal session.
Member Johnson, thank you, Mr. President,
Move for approval on line item 16.5 through 16.9 with discussion. There's
a motion for approval line item 16.5 through 16.9 with discussion. Member
Johnson, thank you, Mr. President, just want to, just want to determine whether or not my colleagues have any additional questions or concerns relative to line item 16.9
Colleagues, any additional questions on 16.9 prior to the vote does not appear to be member Johnson. All right, there's a motion for approval on line item 16.5 from 16.9 any objections? Seeing none. Line item 16.5 through 16.9 shall be approved from the Human Resources, Labor Relations Division
council member Johnson, a resolution, line item 16 point 10.
Member Johnson, thank
you, Mr. President, Move for approval. Discussion line item 16 point 10 is the supplemental checks for city retirees and beneficiaries. It's a
motion to approve line item 16 point 10 with discussion number
yes, I just want to say thank you so much. This is something that I advocated for the $23 million from the state to the General Services pension, which helped build interest for this check for general services and pull in general services, general retirees and police and fire retirees. So 5 million will go to general retirees. 5 million will go to police and fire. And I also want to give a special thank you. Pat on the back to mister Corley for reminding the budget finance audit Standing Committee last week in your absence. So I just want to get that out there. And I just want to say thank you to my team for being able to do the hard work and the heavy lifting to get this grant for our retirees. And that being said, I have done Thank you Mister Chair. Thank you Mister President. Excuse
me, no words. Thank you so much. Member durha,
thank you, Mr. Chair. And I echo some of the same comments that member Young has articulated member waters, and I know too well being chairs of the co chairs of the retiree Task Force what the needs of our retirees are every day, those who have sacrificed to see the growth of the city and see the comeback of this city, and in some cases, it was on their back and on their backs. And so today is just a small start of the type of things that we can do to be able to not only restore the hope and faith that they have in our city government, but a small start of pushing for ideas that can work to try to try to make it, make them whole as close as possible. So I am excited to see this. I am excited, excited to be able to vote for this. And member waters knows through our discussions, we continue to, you know, we hope to continue to push for more ideas for our retirees to lessen the burden that they have here in the city of Detroit. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you so much. Any additional colleagues? Seeing none? Are there any objections? Line on 16 point 10, seeing none, that action shall be taken.
All right request for waiver on item of 16, point 10, any objection colleagues, seeing none, the waiver shall be attached.
Under resolutions, Council Member Benson, three resolutions, line item 16, point 11 through 16 point 13. Member
Benson, motion to approve, motion to approve line out of 16, point 11 through 16 point 13. Alex, any objections or discussion? Seeing none that action shall be taken on those three resolutions.
Chair request a waiver on line of 16 point 11 and 16 point 13 as
a request for a waiver on all three resolutions. Colleagues any objections, seeing none waivers shall be attached under resolutions. Council Member
Santiago Romero two resolutions, noting that line item, 16 point 15 is on behalf of Council President Mary Sheffield.
Member Santiago Romero, thank you, Mr.
President, motion to approve the motion to approve
lineup, 16 point 14 and 16 point 15. Colleagues. Any discussion, 16 point 14 and 16 point 15. Discussion with discussion member Benson,
through yourself the administration I just saw email come through. Does there need to be a change the date? Online? Item 16, point 15.
There's anyone who has a response to that became Miss Barclay. LPD, okay. She may be available. Miss Barclay, are you available?
Mr. Whitaker, I'm not sure if you're aware of the Okay. Madam Clerk,
Mr. President, that correction was just made just now, so you all do not have that corrective version.
Well, if we can move this item to the end of the agenda, that way will give us an opportunity to retrieve
Mr. Chair motion to make a text change to the resolution. The current date is January 2025 it should be December 3120 25 as the end date,
more time. Member Benson, instead of january 2025 the
end date should be December 3120 25 all right
to the parliamentarian, just to ensure that is we have the ability to make that amendment at the table today.
Thank you, Madam parliamentarian, any objection? All right. Member Benson has made a motion to amend these dates as noted. Any objections colleagues for the amendment? Seeing none. We shall now amend that date as noted. College is there a motion for the items? Motion item 16 point 14 through 16 point 15 as amended. Motion see no objections, those actions shall be taken. Thank you
to request a waiver on both line items. All
right, thank you. There's a request for a waiver on both of those items. Colleagues, any objections, seeing none waivers shall be attached. Thank you colleagues. Thank you discussion.
All right. Thank you. President pro tempeta, I am back now the chair so Council Member Santiago, thank you, Madam President. Just briefly on the discussion of immigration here in the city of Detroit, want to say thank you to our resident that called in with concern and love for all Detroiters, including immigrants. Want to share that, yes, under this administration, there is real fear of raids, and want to share that while the city is not a sanctuary city, we are a welcoming city, and we do have policy set in place where police are not allowed to ask for your citizenship status, where our schools, our churches and many other businesses are taking it within themselves to not open their doors to ice. Just want to let everyone know if you don't already, if you're a business owner, if you are a resident and ice comes to your property, you do not have to open the door. The only way that you have to open the door to ice is if you if, if they have a warrant signed by a judge. So right now, the most important thing is that all Detroiters, whether or not you are undocumented or not, that we know our rights and that we look out for each other, is something that the immigration Task Force is working on diligently and will be working on throughout the next four years. Hopefully we come back. Thank you. Mr. Thank you. Madam President, thank you. Council Member Santiago Romero, council president, proton tape, thank
you, Madam President, and I do appreciate the work of the immigration Task Force. We're actually going to have them at our next district one monthly meeting this upcoming Saturday, as Member Santiago Romero indicated there is a huge or a large level of fear and anxiety for many of our immigrant populations, some of which you would not know were immigrant population members of the immigrant immigrant population over in district one, specifically in the old Redford area, we have a large contingency of those were native Africans, and it migrated into America, and they've been here for years now, and so we are in the process of identifying what type of assistance can be provided in to those who have immigrated, as well as those who are in the area in general, because all are certainly impacted. So asking for those who are listen to the sound of my voice, you invited to our district one monthly meeting this Saturday where we will have that discussion about what the city of Detroit is doing, is not doing taking recommendations, but also knowing better how this issue of immigration affects your life, because we want to hear as much as we can, to be the best city that we can, especially in district one. Thank you, Madam President. Thank
you so much. Pro Tem and council member, Santiago Romero, Okay, moving to the neighborhood and community services, standing committee from the mayor's office.
Council member young, a resolution, line item 17.1
council member Young,
thank you, Madam President, I move to approve line item 17.1
i All right, a motion has been made to approve this is a city event, the 2025 Afro future festival. Any objections to this city event? Hearing no objection. One resolution will be approved from the Office of contracting and procurement.
Council member young five resolutions, nine, item 17.2 through 17.6 knowing that they are all for the General Services Department. First contract is contract number 6006821, 100% city funding to provide as needed, heavy duty diesel mechanics contractor, Premier Staff Services. Total contract amount $1,580,560.32 cent next contract is contract number 6006878, 100% grant funding to provide restoration and improvements to hard Steam Park contractors, Michigan recreational construction incorporated total contract amount 50,000 next contract is contract number 6006910, 100% city funding to provide heavy duty truck repair service, labor And or parks contractor, Carrie brothers truck repair total contract amount 225,000 next contract is contract number 6006911, 100% city funding to provide heavy duty truck repair service labor and or parks contractor Bill Jones Enterprises Incorporated doing business as Metro airport truck. Total contract amount 925,000 last contract is contract number 6006912, 100% city funding to provide heavy duty truck repair service, labor and or parts. Contractor, interstate truck source, Incorporated, total contract amount, 450,000 council member young, five resolutions.
Thank you, Madam Clerk. Council member Young,
thank you, Council President, I like to move to approve line item 7.2, through seven, still 17.2, through 17.6
any discussion on these items? Discussion? Madam Chair,
Council Member Callaway, thank you so much, Madam Chair, I'm going to request that line item 17 point to be brought back, postpone for a week. I have outstanding questions that have not been answered. I help this during recess December the third, and we my office has been in touch with Director Perkins, so I believe we can get those answers by next week. So I'm moving to postpone line item 17.2, bring it back in a week. Thank you, Madam Chair,
discussion on the motion. Council member young, no, I just want to say all these general all these are general services department contracts. I just want to let everybody
know. All right, thank you. Member young, any objections to postponing 17.2 for one week Hearing none that action will be taken. Thank you, Madam Chair. And are there any objections to 17.3 through 17.6 Hearing no objections, the resolutions will be approved. Thank you for the Planning and Economic Development standing committee from the Office of contracting and procurement
council president pro tem James Tate, six resolutions no need that. Line items, 18.1 through 18.5 are for housing and revitalization. First up is contract number 6004271, dash, a one, 100% grant funding. Amendment One to provide an extension of time for HRD intake, tier one, contractor, Wayne, Metropolitan Community, ages Action Agency, total contract amount, 147,000 next contract is contract number 6004272, dash a One, 100% city funding Amendment One to provide an extension of time for tier one intake services for the HRD home repair program contractors, Jefferson East Incorporated. Total contract amount 39,000 next contract is contract number 6006784, 100% city funding to provide emergency shelter services for those experiencing homelessness. Contractor W, y, w, C, A Young Women's Christian Association of Metropolitan Detroit. Total contract amount 268,000 next contract is contract number 6006779, 100% city funding to provide emergency emergency shelter services for those experiencing homelessness. Contractor all things women Incorporated. Total contract amount 160,000 next contract is contract number 60036852, 03685, dash, a three, 100% city funding. Amendment three, to provide an extension of time for hazardous materials, testing, surveying for houses being renovated by bridging neighborhoods for the Gordy, how International Bridge Project, contractor, environmental testing and consulting Incorporated. Original contract amount was 140,000 last contract is contract number 6006726, as amended, 100% grant funding to provide women's history in Detroit study contractor Quinn Evans. Total contract amount 69,000 and that's for the historic designation. Advisory Board, council president pro tem James Tate, six resolutions.
Thank you, Madam Clerk. Council President Pro Tem Tate, I'm president.
I'll move approval of mine. Items, 18.1 through 18.6
All right. Are there any objections to these items? Hearing? No objections. The resolutions will be approved. The six resolutions will be approved from the housing and revitalization department
Council, President Pro Tem James, take two resolutions, line item 18.7 and line item 18.8
President Pro Tem Tate, Madam President, would like to know that note that line item 18.8 came out of committee without recommendation. So we'd like to deal with line item 18.7 first move approval line item 18.7 please. Motion
has been made for 18.7 are there any objections to the resolution? Hearing, no objections. The one resolution will be approved.
Request a waiver for line item 18.7 Madam President. Hearing
no objections a waiver will be attached to 18.7
Madam Chair yes council member Keller, request a waiver, online item, 18.6
any objections to a waiver for 18.6 Hearing none, a waiver will be attached to 18.6 and moving forward, pro tempo Tate,
Madam President, Move approval. Line item 18.8 with discussion. Okay, thank you. So this item here is before us, almost a year, literally over a year now, since it came before this formal session. Previously, I know there's been a lot of conversation about us rushing into this, and again, if I state again that this item has been before us for more than a year now, as we've tried to sift through the details and get to the point where we are, as a body, satisfied, we have a number of items that are still on the table, quite honestly, that I believe that we can certainly get to the point where we have some level of agreeance, but I think that at this point, we still, as as council, have not decided yet what we want to see, and that's being completely honest about what we have in front of us. And this is what I'm reiterating what I said at the committee table, and what we learned in speaking with LPD is that today what is before us in line item 18.8 cannot be amended at this table. There has to be another way that we do so. I've have a couple of ideas in mind, but what we have in front of us in 18.8 is either voted up or voted down. The caveat is, there has been a gentleman's agreement, if you will, with the administration, and, of course, the land bank as the third party to continue operations as they currently stand, with no alterations if, in fact, this item does not get approved today. What we will have to do then, if again, it does not get approved, is go back. I want to say to the drawing board, because we already have items that are on the table as the chair. We made the request. My office made the request several times for members to submit their suggested amendments. Some members did. Others may be satisfied with where they are today, we're going to do in PED is look at each one of those items that have been presented to us as a committee, and we're going to vote on those, and we're going to then send what the committee supports to this body in the form of a resolution to try to Get us narrowed down where we as City Council feel on this resolution again, I think we have very opinions about the MO You some tweaks, someone a complete whole, whole change, but I don't believe that we're at the point as a body where I think we would be able to accept what is before us today. So that was, in my opinion, the recommendation, or my recommendation, to move this, why I recommended to move it as without recommendation on Thursday, for that reason. So that being said, I am not in support of what is before us for that reason. And I'm going to say that right now, in advance, and look forward to the opportunity to dive in again and get this across the threshold. In this session, there have also been some recommendation that we wait and hold off until the next Council and Administration comes in to office. I personally believe that's a little bit too late. We have opportunity now before us. Nothing's going to change, but find ourselves in the same situation with that the new administration comes in, so I I think now's the time to act. So with that being said, Madam President, I will relinquish the floor for further
debate. Thanks. So just to be clear, it sounds like though, there's a willingness for us to come together and do a resolution with all of our concerns, but you still want us to take this up today, or postpone this, or remove it from the agenda, just to allow for that to still take place. We can remove
it. But the reality is
so I would say we me personally. I would rather us fold it down, because this is what has been for me, on how I feel. This is what is before us. We cannot make any amendments to this item. It would have to technically start over all over again, okay. And so what is before us would be this
understanding that we can still discuss and bring, and
that is the plan at least as as the chair. It all depends on what we do here today, which will guide us. Okay, what we do in committee? Okay. Council
member waters,
I had saw a couple of hands, so remember member, member of young, yeah,
no, I understand what you're saying about voted down. I just like, you know, the continuity and, like, being congruent, and so a monthly term. Um, I think, wouldn't this be better if we just sent this back to committee, and then you voted out with you. So we voted out, we could vote on this as is, and then vote on the changes all at the same time, so we can address all the issues in one vote, rather than voting this down and wait to the other changes. Going for that win. Just be better, just for consistency. Just kick this back to committee. You vote the changes you want, and then you move it to the floor, and then we vote all of it out at the same time in one package, so we can be consistent for us here and consistent for the public as well.
Thank you. I'm done. Thank you. Member waters, and then Council Member Santiago Rene. Thank you.
When I was at ped on Thursday, of course, I was the main person really upset didn't have a vote that committee because, of course, I was pretty frustrated about the fact that we're just learning this information about not being able to amend this memorandum of understanding. Now, since we cannot amend it, we are told which I did request, show it to me, statue somewhere. I want to see why we cannot amend amend this because we also helped drafted the council. The previous council did. I'm pretty sure of it. So all of a sudden, Madam President, I need to know where this is in statue, and maybe LPD, or somebody can can tell me where it is. That's my first question.
People have LPD come up.
Madam President, Director, you can't unilaterally amend a contract. This is a contract, and so you have to negotiate the contract, and the other side has to agree to the terms, and you can't unilaterally impose a term. So that's what is being discussed now, the document that you currently have before you, amendment three, has been negotiated to some degree because our office participated in changing some of the language so they there has been some movement at your best. It just happened a long time ago, and you're probably not remembering how things went down, because it was well over a year ago. But what we were waiting on was other information from other offices that might bear on this document. There was some suggestions that had been verbalized, but we never got anything from writing. That's what Mr. Pro Tem is indicating that that we were waiting for, for your colleagues to sort of tell us what you wanted, so we can try to negotiate that in the document. But you can't just impose your will on this document. It has to be agreed to, and you're doing that this document gives you some say in the operations of the land bank. Otherwise you wouldn't have any say, because it's a separate legal entity that exempts itself under state law from any ordinance or any charter that the city had. It's a separate legal entity, and you cannot impose your will through ordinance or resolution on the land bank. This gives you some authority to deal with the the rules and procedures and and regulations of that board. So this gives you some say that's why you want to have an MOU
Well, I understand what you're saying. What I but what I did say is the fact that that has not been clear to me for the past year. I mean, it really hasn't. I mean, I get it that maybe Council and the administration crafted it together before, and it has to be some agreement between the council and the mayor's office. That's what you're saying. Yes. All right, so, and I do know that we were able to make some changes to the buyback program because there was some agreement. But I just want to say for the record, I never was understood that Council could not make such amendments. I did not. I mean, you know, not, not me, Mary waters, but I'm talking about this body that was never clear to me. So, of course, and since we cannot do that now, and it's not in stature anyway, you're just talking about what the contract, you know, because of a contract, it has to be agreed to between both bodies, right? Alright, I got it. It's clear to me on today and and Pro Tem will tell you. I mean, I was, I was hot on Thursday, I was really upset, because I thought we've been going through all of this, and I know that a number of members might have some recommendations. That's why I told him, I'm happy that that you're willing to at least go back to the to the table and put together a contract that we can all live with. This contract does not work, and so I want to state that, Madam President, for me, this contract does not work, and I don't believe that it works for Detroiters either. And so I'll be a no vote for this contract, and then it will force this body to go back to ped but we can all have some input in a new contract. Thank you, Madam
President, thank you. Member waters, Member Santiago Ramiro, thank you, Madam President, I think the key word here is negotiation, and we've been trying. Our office has submitted some recommendations and they have not been accepted. So I agree with my colleagues. We vote this down and we come back to the table. We negotiate. Is where I stands. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you so much. Council member, Council Member, durha, thank
you, Madam President. And we had this discussion in ped and I think I'm inclined to agree with President Pro Tem on this, noting that some of the changes that we want to see, we just can't make them. We're prevented from doing that, but I do for the public's edification, would like the land bank to come on and talk about what happens. So if we don't improve, approve this today, and where we stand with that, if we can do that through you, Madam President, to the land bank. I don't know if they're online, okay,
Mr. Washington, good morning. Do we have someone on from the Detroit Land Bank Authority? Yes,
good morning, Madam Chair and Council. We do have director Daniels online.
Okay, we will promote director Daniels.
Good morning.
Good morning through you. Council president to miss Daniels, good morning to you. Can we please talk about, just for the public's edification, for transparency, that if we were not to approve this today, what would happen, how the land bank would operate, and go forward right now until council would have the ability to put forth a resolution stating some other things that we would want to see in another MOU,
through the chair. We have not had a ballot MOU since December 19, 2023, and at that as at that time, and as we have continued to stay, we would continue to operate under the terms of the recently expired MOU that is our continued intent, and that is how we have been operating.
Thank you. And through you, Madam President, to miss Daniels, if Council were to put forth that resolution stating some of the things particularly that they wanted to see in another MOU drafted, you know, is the land bank willing to negotiate to, you know, talk about some of these core issues. And I asked that question because we both know, since 2023 we have been kicking this can down the road so so far that is probably going to Chicago and so where, you know, where are the issues that we don't agree on? Is it possible that if we put forth that strong document, a resolution stating that this is what council wants to see based off of their priorities, that we can get that into the MOU
so through the chair, we have absolutely been negotiating for over a year, maybe a year and a half, I would just flag that there are items That, again, the land bank does not have the ability to make changes on and there are also items that the administration needs to we have to negotiate with the administration in order to make set changes. So we we always stand ready to negotiate in good faith for the benefit of the people in the city of Detroit.
Thank you. And again, through you. And this is a question to pro temp take, because I know we talked about this Through you, madam president, pro temp take, and Mister Chair, during our process for the resolution, we will have, maybe have an opportunity for a discussion, to maybe have an expanded committee, maybe to bring that opportunity for council members to weigh in of what we can deliberate, to put into that, into that resolution, through you, Madam President, to pro tem,
Thank you. Member Durham and vice chair, yes, that is exactly what the plan is, to make sure that we open up. And as you probably recall, we ensure that it was noticed for a quorum when we had the discussion on Thursday as well. So always want to make sure that is as inclusive as possible to our colleagues. I will say this though, member young, I think was probably on the right track, instead of killing it today, if, in fact, we do not support it, at least it leaves alive. The last discussions that we had, negotiation points that we ended up on, even though it did not, I don't believe, took us where exactly we need to go. So I would be more certainly inclined to send it back to committee, knowing again that we are full throttle, ready to make some amendments on where we are today. So colleagues Be on the lookout, and we'll be asking for for questions again if that does not if it's not voted down today. But that is, I think, leaving it live allows a document to exist on the record that we are working from, but knowing that we are essentially going to be starting from, from the ground up, but utilizing the basis of what is already included in the document today. Yes, and through you,
Madam President, again, maybe to Mr. Whitaker, we can't make amendments and impose our will as a council on that particular document. But can the land bank in that particular document, as well as the administration, work to make changes in the existing document, or does a new document need to be put forward?
Well, Madam President, I think you're, you're, you have a document before you. It has made some changes to the existing MOU so operating from that document, one thing that might be helpful, if you send your request to us and we can assemble a resolution that you can then be it can be presented at the committee, and then you can just devote as vote on the planks of that resolution that might help you facilitate your your discussions. And we just want to be helpful. But I think moving it further, as quickly as possible, might help you know, alleviate the backlog.
Are you done? Member Durham, just
so, really quickly to you, Mr. Whitaker, so, so, and I think President Pro Tem may have made a great suggestion, because at least the document is still living. But my concern is we can't change that particular document. My specific question was that, let's say we put forth this resolution and there the intent of what we've already agreed on. Council has put forward the things that they wanted to see. Can the land bank in the current MOU that stands before us, the land bank, not Council. Can the land bank, as well as the administration, work to put those changes in the MOU Yes, and so, so to that point, to to you, or through you, Madam President, to pro temp Tate I, I'd be, you know, I'd be willing to send it back and make that motion, because the resolution is really what we see with our changes, which is a now becoming a formal document of our end of what we want to see in the MOU. Although we cannot vote to change the MOU, we have expressed a resolution to the land bank of what our intent is. That way those things that we weren't we want inserted, inserted using into the MOU can be there document Correct?
Yes, that's very helpful, because if you get resolution, individual council member is not as to whether not the council agrees with that. So rather than doing it that way, if you have one resident, you can put forward, and then let the let the administration and react to that.
Thank you for Johnson. Thank
you, Madam President. Through you to Director Whitaker, I'm trying to be sure that I understand what we're discussing. I had that we not move the MOU forward because there was a lot of communication around amendments to the MN. I thought by now, collectively, we would have decided on how we want to move forward, whether, oh, provide suggested amendment to Pro Tem for us to have that in ped and so now we're saying we're doing that again. How did the MOU get admitted from the suggested or requested a miss Tuggle for us to have a new addition, a new MOU before us.
Madam President, as I, as I indicated initially, the document that you currently have is came about as a result of information that you sent, agreed to send to us. We help craft a current document that's before you. So these are these, the current version that you have before you on agenda today reflects that negotiation. So it included the item that you advanced regarding buyback, right? The buyback you wanted it to go through, the administration you wanted HRD to involve that's reflected in this document. It's just that there's been a long pause since that time, and there were other things that council indicated that they want. They've never negotiated and put in a document, and you never agree collectively to what that would be. So what we're trying to do is facilitate that through a resolution that you can you can deliberate at the in your and Pro Tem committee, and then you can decide what, what plans you want to put forth that will be in the final, hopefully final, submission to the administration, from which they can react.
Thank you, Director Whitaker, and so I wanted to have a little bit more clarity so those items that we put forward previously, some time ago, that we provided to LPD, were they did LPD have a discussion with the land bank, with the administration, in order for them to be approved of, to be included in the MOU Yes, okay, and so we anticipate that happening moving forward. Yes. Just
to give you some history, that's how the original and what you came to be. It's always been done. So what we're trying to do, rather than having these disparate negotiations in your offices, do it collectively, so the whole body is educated as to what is happening. Public understands the status of the document as it moves through, and then you have a document that ultimately the administration has agreed to council can then react to, and hopefully you can vote it up and move on.
Thank you for that. I guess my point in all of this is that on Thursday in ped we we were told, okay, here's the MOU, you voted up or down and move it forward. And I understand that we've been dealing with this for a long time, but I think what I would have preferred to have heard is if there are additional amendments, then, you know, we go through that process until we get to a finalized MOU that the council agrees to that is presented to the administration, to the Detroit Land Bank Authority, and then we vote on that one. It just sounded like we were shut down on Thursday, that there was no additional movement that was going to take place if we wanted to submit any additional requests. Again, I understand we've been at it for some time, and if we want to put a time limit on it, perhaps that's what we do, so that we can collectively submit our suggested amendments in order for us to move forward. My last question is, we heard numbers of people ask for the land bank to be dissolved. Can you explain what would need to happen in order for that to take place,
the mayor would have to agree to you, agree with you, to shut it down. You got six months to to submit the resolution that that's that is approved by the mayor to all to call it to be set down. But you, you, you have to give them six months, and then they have a period of time to to unwind their business. So it can, it can happen, but six month notice, but the mayor has to also agree with
entire council, right? Thank you. Thank you, Madam President, thank you so much. President, potentate,
thank you, Madam President, so I again, would definitely want to send this back to committee to do exactly what we all would like to happen. And I will, as I did in ped take responsibility for not coming up with a better process up to this point, but I believe that we definitely got on a better pathway this past Thursday, and I will make a commitment to this body that we will have. I don't want to put a date on it just yet, because this is human behavior that we still have to deal with. But what I will say is that we are going to be moving post haste to get this resolution together for the body to vote on, up or down. Then we again, as a body, will know what we would like to negotiate with the administration, because there are some items that I know for fact, some individual members have put forward, but some other individual members don't necessarily support, and I think we were stronger as a body, as a unit when we are in the negotiation process individually. That's how, quite honestly, some of these items got into the document we see before us today. We individually went before and there was agreeance with the administration. Thankfully, we got to that point, but there were some that were were not agreed to. There may be more desire to do so, to include those items as a body, but we don't know that yet, for those items that the the administration may have rejected during those negotiations. We don't know yet, but so, so that is my commitment to this process, streamlining it, making sure that it gets here a lot sooner rather than later. But that, again, is my recommendation that we send it back to committee to allow for all this stuff to happen and come together with a what we as council would like to see in this resolution. Thank you, Madam President, thank you pro tem council
member Young. Thank
you, Madam President, good to see you. Mr. Winter, I just wanted to ask you, does the land bank
okay? Because I don't you know, no,
no, however you want to do it, you should. All right, let me Sure. Alright. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for making me feel good. I appreciate that. Does the land bank have to approve the changes that council requests? Yes, okay,
that's it. Thank you. You said, do they have to approve? Yes.
I mean, they're part you're just, just as I indicate
tons of things already, yeah.
Pardon Council
and administrator, right?
City, right? The city is putting forth suggestions in the land bank is a party to the contract, so they would have to agree, for sure, agree to do it. That your only question.
Let me clarify, assuming that the administration agrees with council, right, right, they both agree. The land bank would have to implement what we both agree on with these amendments. And you hold these amendments, the administration have to agree with those amendments, and then the land bank would carry that out, right? Well, I mean that right?
No, I mean the land bank still is independent, so they're going to have to agree, okay, to what? So everybody would have to right. It would have to be agreed administration parties to the contract, so the administration,
the legislative body and the land bank would all have to agree for these amendments to take place. That's different, alright. Thank you.
Council member white,
hello, somebody. I am finding this. This quite difficult, because I don't think we need the land banks permission. I think this could, something could be done through the legislative and the executive branch here. And this is our contract. These are our properties. It belongs to the to the city. So I don't get why we have to have an agreement from the land bank. Either they take what we give them or they don't. I mean, that's just the way it should be. The second thing is, is that, you know, I don't want us to ever be in a position that we're asking their permission. We don't need it, don't want it so and it kind of empowers them and make us feel as though we are less than you know, it really makes me feel that way. So and I want to hear from the Michigan Land Bank Authority too, at pro tem, when it goes back to your committee, I would ask, I'll be asking you if they could come down and address it too, because this is just, it's just kind of getting out of hand that I'm not liking the women that feel about this, especially if you're talking about how empowered they're going to be, as opposed to the two branches that are here. Thank you, Madam President,
thank you so much. Member waters director,
I think you need as much information as you can. I would never suggest otherwise. If you want somebody else to speak on it, that is fine. The problem is, is that when you create an authority like this, and I think we spoke about this when this authority was originally conceived, I mean, it would been many years ago, but once you create an authority like this, they can. That's what an authority is, an independent unit of government and and the city turned over a whole, you know, 90,000 of its properties to the land bank. They own these properties now, not the city. So that's that has happened already, and you did that because the city was not managing the property correctly and didn't have the authority to clear title. I mean, that was really the move. The city had property. They couldn't it couldn't manage and the Land Bank Authority was created by state law to allow an entity to do things that the city couldn't do, right? So you have to think it through, and we'll be happy to help you. And you know you can get other people to weigh in on it, but it was a tool given to the city and other cities around the state counties that are using the same tool to get property out of public inventory and into private hands as quickly as possible. Problem is it's not happening as quickly as we all wanted to, and it's not happening at the speed. And you know, it's difficult. You know, the land bank is having some difficulty moving the properties as well. This has been well will documented, but we'll be happy to help you understand better.
And so finally, Madam President, I would just say you are saying to me that they own it. The land bank now owns this property. We do not own it. That is absolutely horrible. I just cannot. I cannot believe this. I thought we would be able to dissolve them, whatever we got, we wanted to, and we get our property back, saying we can't get
as president, if you resolve, if you dissolve them, we'll get the property back.
Oh, okay, all right, I need to understand that, because I thought, if we, if we did that, and I know some of my colleagues that you know, they support the land bank they want, and they believe that they're the answer to our brand. Well, in fact, they have not disposed of property, and they have become a big, huge entity, a really huge entity, with all this property, they're making record profits. We don't get any of it back. We don't we don't get the money back. I don't know what they are doing with all of these dollars that they are making. We're not getting it back as a city, and they're not disposing of the property, because if they did, we wouldn't get sold. Many calls in our office, just tons of them. I'm buzzing office, 1000s of complaints. What are we going to do to help the people? That's what I'm trying to get to if the landing bank was doing what they were supposed to do, then I wouldn't have anything to say. But do you know how it feels when people continue to call the office and you can't help them? I mean, sometimes you know director Daniels, when I, when I call her, she'll act on it. She you know, but we get so many complaints, I don't know what to do about it anymore, and if they and if they're going to be that bad, I just say, Why? Why do we need them? They have programs now that we have to pay for. We're paying for programs, and they don't need those programs. Why don't they just clear the titles? If they you know what their job was originally supposed to be, and put the the property back on the tax roll. That's all they were supposed to do originally. Now they've got all these programs they want us to find. I Okay. I'm gonna, I'm gonna be quiet, because I've talked about this so much. It is just, it is just heartbreaking. Thank you.
Member Callaway, followed by member Young. Thank
you. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have one question, and maybe we can hear from director Daniels. But my question is, is there any anything in writing that says it has to be a 10 year agreement? Can it be three years, five years, who stipulate? Who stipulates the number of years through the chair to Mr. Whitaker,
yeah, the documents the MOU is a three year agreement. And as I indicate, right, the land bank will just continue now, unless the administration and council agree, and you can give them, you give them six months, and they will dissolve, you know, after they wind their business down. But, but this MOU is a three year. It was three years from, from December of 23 so, so it's down to two years now, unless you, you, you change the terms of this document,
yeah, through the chair. One more question. So, prior to this agreement, was it ever 10 years? I thought I read somewhere where it was 10 years. That was the initial term, initial term, but, but it's, it's two, is three years now, okay, and how many 10 year terms have the land bank been in existence? Because when was it established? I can't quite remember. Was it? I think it was. I thought somebody said, 2014 when was it established? Through the Chair, 2013 2013 Okay,
2009 Doug Higgs was the first. I can't, I can't remember discussion,
but on one second for the
President, it was established initially in 2009 but it was stated up in the second reaffirmation of it in 2013 which was a initial 10 year period, and that's the period in which we were talking about, which expired in 2013
Okay, okay. Thank you,
Madam Chair. Thank you council member young followed by council member Benson.
Yes, I just want to ask once we have the tripartite agreement so between the Detroit land bank authorities, board, the city council and the mayor, once they when they agree to all that, that's state law, correct, that's, that's what governs that. Correct,
that's the intergovernmental agreement. But we're talking about now is this MOU which is right, which allows for the you know, the terms that, you've you've become familiar with having to come with a purchaser of of 10 or more properties in a year, having to be approved by Council, things like that. There were a list of items that the council wanted to have some say so on. That was outside of the the intergovernmental agreement right, and this document was designed to pick up some concerns that council had Okay, and many of the terms require, you know, they require things that the administration would have to deal with. That's why they have a say so in the document as well, because you know, if the city is going to have to pay for certain items, then it needs the administration has to agree to that so they are party to the contract. And of course, the land bank, who is bound by the terms of the contract, would have to agree
to it too, right? I just want to make sure that all that was covered under state law. So it's like, even if we wanted to be able to change that those, those are things that we can't change, we're allowed to have the MOU to cover the things that not covered in intergovernmental agreement, but that's all covered by state law. That's permissive by state law. I just want to make sure I establish that, because my next question was going to be including dissolving the land bank. That is something that is within our prerogative as a local unit of government. That's not something that would be prohibited by state law,
correct? Right? That that is what state law allows. Right? The city to do if it reaches a point where, where desolation was was a strong concern, I'm not advocating
for that. I'm just saying, if that were the case, I just want to make sure that's something that's done by law, right? You don't want to do something, and it turned out it's not go back on that. So I just want to make sure that was all within state law, right, as required. And that's what we're doing. We're following this by the law here. Okay, I'm
done. Thank you. Thank you. Council member Benson, all
right, thank you. And so I just want to give a little bit of background here. So as a member of the nonprofit community, when the city was debating the establishment of a land bank, there's only one person who sits at this table who remembers those debates, and was here for those debates the nonprofit communities see that all came out in support of a land bank because the city of Detroit is incapable. And that's not just a Detroit issue. That is a municipal issue. No municipality has the ability to manage a portfolio of lonely, unwanted properties at the scale in which the city of Detroit had, we had close to 100,000 unwanted, lonely properties, and over the last 11 years, with a robust land bank, we've been able, and land bank staff has been able to dwindle that down to less than 60,000 I think maybe in the 40 1000s of a portfolio that they have now without and a land bank that would be in with city, any municipality, would not be able to manage the portfolio of lonely, unwanted properties. And so when people talk about how terrible they are, they need to remember that there are close to 60,000 parcels of property that have been returned to productive use and to the ownership of Detroit residents and brought back to the tax rolls. No city was able is able to manage a portfolio or properties of that size. We also forget that having a land bank allows the city of Detroit to have the first right of refusal with property that are foreclosed upon. We can go to the treasurer's office say, give us these properties. We have the ability to manage that they will go directly into foreclosure and we would lose all control over their prop those properties, and go straight to speculators. We also have the ability to combine properties, to put properties together for development, to ensure that these properties are put back to productive use, because without that land bank, we would be incapable of doing that. And that's not saying anything negative to the city of Detroit. It's just cities were not designed to manage property at this scale. On this unwanted and lonely you have to have a robust land bank. And until 2014 the city of Detroit not have a robust land bank. It's the current iteration of the land bank that allows us to be so efficient when it comes to managing our property, and people will say, Oh, it's terrible. How terrible? No, we are so much more efficient than what we have before. We don't have the same issues in ped when it comes to managing properties. We used to have terrible situations. We had legal issues. People were going to jail because of corruption and other issues with regards to our property, we don't see that with the current land bank. We have to go back and remember what it was like to manage property in the city of Detroit, what it was like before we had a land bank. The land bank has helped us tremendously. Yes, there can be improvements. I just want to reflect and remind people that management of property was terrible. It was rife for problems. It was a serious issue, and we have done away we, I should say we, to the land bank has done away with many of those issues and really made this a far more efficient process when it comes to managing our unwanted and lonely properties. When people say we gave them that property, no one wanted that property. The only reason the land bank has their property because no one wanted it and they walked away from it. If it wasn't for the land bank, that would be in the hands of treasurer's office or in the hands of speculators. This gives us a tool to legally manage and clear title. Without the land bank, we can't clear title, and we do not have the ability to manage the portfolio of unwanted properties. And we wanted more blight remediation when it comes to land bank property, and we would have to give them money to do that. We also forget that that they are managing our unwanted properties. They didn't come here saying, Oh, these are great properties to have. This is some great treasure trove of properties. No no one wanted them. That's why they have them in their portfolio. They're terrible. We need to have a proper tool to manage property that's unwanted and lonely, and that's the land bank, and that's why I continue to support them. I supported Doug Diggs when he became the first director of the land bank in 2009 I supported land bank as a member of the nonprofit community on the development side. When we were advocating for a strong land bank to manage their profits, the city could not do that, and now the city of Detroit can, because we have a land bank. Thank
you. Thank you. Member Benson, Council Member Durham, thank you,
Madam President, and noting that, yes, we need to fix the tool that we have. I also note that we are going to continue to have this conversation to exhaustion, as we have thus far, and noting that the intent today is to send us back to committee and find a way to improve the tool that we have. I do believe there will be further time for discussions, but it is in my hope, because I will not let President Pro Tem take the blame of him kicking the can down the road. I think all of us have wanted to put input in, as he member Johnson tackled herself, not blame a hurry either. We sit on the committee together. We have all wanted to express our input for the land bank MOU, but now is the opportunity, and it is in my hopes that when this comes back to ped that we just don't wait for a Tuesday to be vocal about it, but really express the things that we want to see in that resolution putting forward to the land bank, so we can really bring this discussion to an end. And with that, Madam President, I would like to make a motion to send line item 18.8 back to she can have discussion on the motion, but I'd like to make a motion line item 18.8 back to Planning and Economic Development standing committee, that
was my discussion on the motion to send it back to planning. Council member. Waters,
fine. I mean you to all the lovers of land bank Okay, so can land bank lovers?
So I just,
I just want to remind you guys, just two things. Look, if you're going to continue to kiss up to the land bank, fine, okay, fine, I can't stop it. No no, no, no, no no. Let me just say this much. Let's put something in there to protect the residents. Some a lot of them get treated like
crap. They're
supposed to be first. You guys said we're going to have this dog on authority. We need to make sure the residents are taken care of. That is not happening. That is why I have been so concerned about this whole issue. You know, the matter bank has a pro programs. What? What are you doing? Programs? Why don't we just tell them, make them agree that we they their job is to clear tighter than if you insist on keeping them and put the property back on the tax roll. Why do they need these programs? Why can't we do the programs ourselves here in HRD, or at least they are not able to throw people out like they did on the east side. Bondo 42 properties set them to be sold. My staff went out, did some door knock and all those properties, 28 people were occupying the properties, crying because they were about to be put out, them and their children. That's That's what I'm pleading for. I'm just saying so that all of us can make sure that we have a situation where something in place to protect the residents of this city. I mean, that's all I'm asking. And somehow another maybe pro tem, when it goes back to your committee, perhaps we can agree on that piece of it, all of us, if we can't agree on anything else, protections for the residents, they are not there. You hear the stories. We receive them. I don't know if you get them in your office, but we receive them both. Gets a ton of them. I'm just saying there are enough stresses that go on already with our residents, please, colleagues, let's find a way to help them to ease their pain. That's all I'm asking. Thank you, Madam President,
thank you member waters council member Benson.
Just not feel that pro comments were addressed towards me. No offense taken. But I also want to make it very I want to make it very clear that I do not kiss up to the land bank. I have held the land bank accountable for years now. In addition, my office recently had a rule established at the land bank through their process to further protect our residents from the complaints that we get. In my office, we get the complaints. Please tear this land bank home down. Stop allowing it to stay in our in our district, stay next to my home. Please tear this home down. It is an eyesore. It attracts rodents. It attracts all kind of various activities. And that law has now been that rule has now been established as a direct result of advocacy for my office, advocating for the needs of my residents in the third district who do not support having land bank homes stay there for long periods of time, and we also forget every person who lives in a home. God bless people. It is frigid outside. It is dangerously cold. Is a good neighbor. And if you are in a land bank home, does not mean that you are complying with the law. You are not adding value to my neighborhood. And if I have children, I don't know who has just come into my house, who may be occupying at home illegally. And so we have to think about our residents on the different side as well. There are many of our residents who want to live in homes and live in neighborhoods that are stable, with stable residents who live next door and adding value to their neighborhoods, not detracting from the quality of life. And that also occurs at Land Bank homes. And so we also need to lean in. It's not a perfect space, but have you been able to put 10s of 1000s of homes back into productive use? They are much better tool than what the city had prior to the establishment of a robust land bank. Thank
you. Thank you so much. Council member, Benson, and I think we are here today because we all want protections for Detroiters, and that's why we have not got the MOU that we all can agree upon, because we all are trying to insert additional language that will protect Detroiters and address the concerns that we all hear in our respective districts city wide, regarding the issues with the land bank. I just want to briefly state, I think maybe four or five years ago, I requested a report from LPD, and I just emailed Miss Shockley to resubmit that report, and it talked about what would need to take place to dismantle the Detroit Land Bank Authority, and how much the city did at one time spend on operating the same processes that the land bank is doing right now. And so I believe, personally, just so that the community knows that the land bank does have some value, but have they reached their objective at this point, and I believe that they should start phasing operations back in house to the city, and possibly use the land bank for some of those legal entities like nuisance abatements, quite clear titles, etc. But most of the property should be starting to phase and operations back with internally into the city of Detroit. So LPD and director Whitaker, if you could please find that report, if possible. I would like to kind of revisit, I know it's a bit dated, but I would like to see it. I had an actual figure on how much the city spent annually on property maintenance, all of the different things that we're now channeling to the Detroit Land Bank Authority. Just want to revisit and see that, because it was a thorough report that was done maybe four or five years ago when I started to raise concerns about the Land Bank Authority regarding possibly dismantling it or phasing some of their operations back internally to the city. And so I just want the residents to know that I hear the concerns. We also submitted some recommendations to the Land Bank Authority that were not addressed. So I'm looking forward to the resolution that is forthcoming. My position on the land bank is that I do understand that they have provided some value, and I still think that they do, but I would like to see most of the land banks operations, handling the property, disposition of property, phase back in to the city of Detroit, because we essentially fund the Detroit Land Bank Authority every year through our annual budget, so it operates, in some regards as a city department, but there's no transparency or accountability that is there because of the authority. So I know we'll have more discussions on this, looking forward to that, and there is a motion to send this MOU back to planning and development. Are there any objections in doing so? All right, Hearing no objections. This item will go back to planning and development committee by item 18.8
Yes, Madam Chair, will we have the opportunity to hear from director Daniels at all, or the discussion is over, but she's been on. She's been here. I mean, I heard her say something briefly, but do we know whether or not she wants to say anything? Or, since we've already moved it back to committee, it's too late for her to say anything. I
mean, if, if you all Council, want to hear it sounds like no one wants. Okay? Okay, oh, she looks like she's shaking her head. So this we're going to continue to have the discussion we can proceed. Yes? Director Whitaker, yeah,
I just wanted to say, Were you intending to channel your ideas to us so we can put together a resolution? That's
what it sounds like we are going to do. Yeah. All right, thank you. Thank you. Director, Daniels. Daniels, we will be in touch with you as well. All right, moving along to the legislative policy division.
Council president proton James Tate, a resolution, line item 18.9,
President, pro temp Tate, Madam President, in light of the fact that we moved the MOU back to committee for additional engagement, like to move the send line item 18.9 back To committee as well.
Okay, Hearing no objections. That item will be sent back to committee. Mr. Washington,
Yes, Madam Chairman, we also request a waiver on items 17.4 through 17.6 these are for the heavy duty repair services and parts for GSD i
Is there a motion? Are there any objections?
Hearing no objections.
Thank you. Waiver will be attached to those items. All right, moving along under the consent agenda, there are no items. Madam President, we will now call for member reports. Council member young
negative report. Council President
pro tempore,
thank you, Madam President, I had the honor of donating blood yesterday. It had been about 20 years since I had done so, prior to last year, when I did and I made a personal commitment. I'm saying it out loud, because I can't go back on it once I see it on the record of doing it at least or of donating at least three times this year. I think that's important for especially those of us in African American community. There is a true need for blood. It is a shortage that's taking place, and there's this illness called sickle cell that affects African Americans at a higher rate than any other demographic in this country. And we have in our blood, for many folks who say we have potentially the cure, but we need more folks to get out and donate blood. One out of seven African Americans in this country donate that is at a much lower rate than others. We've got to improve as we start talking about all this infrastructure and things that are extremely important, we talk about democracy, all that's important, but we also have to take care of ourselves as individuals on a more humanistic level, and this is our chance to do just that. You You don't have to wait for government to do anything to go out and help save lives. So just asking everyone who can hear my voice, if you have the ability to do so, please make a commitment to donate at least once a year. If you want to do more, please do so, because you never know when that person who's going to need blood is someone that is near and dear to you, and that'll be the last thing you want to think about at that point, not having blood in their reach. So just please get out and donate. Thank you, Madam President,
thank you so much. Pro Temp Tate member, Santiago Romero, thank you, Madam President, for my member reports. Want to invite everyone in District Six to our team. GSR, monthly office hours. We will be at Kemeny rec center next Monday, January, 27 from four to 6pm this is the time for you to ask us any questions, and we are happy to assist. We have our first coffee Council in conversation of the Year at the love building on january 30, from 11 to 12pm this is a good time to hear updates from our office, to have a conversation about what's happening in the city and in the district, and want to share with district six residents that live over by Warren Avenue, we will have our second Community Outreach meeting on Thursday, January 23 at 6pm with this DPW will be sharing their concepts or designs of the streetscapes. The information will be in our newsletter for that meeting, as well as for four, two and seven, the streetscape improvement meeting will be at remedy rec center on Wednesday, January, 29 at 6pm with DPW sharing their design concepts. Just a reminder to residents, this comes from a $3 million investments that I was able to secure to ensure that we are reshaping our streets to make them safer for our residents. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you so much, Council Member, Council Member waters,
thank you, Madam President. I want to invite the community to a coffee hour on February 13, 10am to 12pm at the Detroit brew coffee house, which is at 20438 Plymouth Road. 20438 Plymouth Road. Again, that's February 13. I also want to congratulate one of my staff members, Joanna Underwood, who received an award from the National Action Network yesterday for her all of her hard work throughout the years in social justice and housing. So congratulations, Joanna. I can't think of a more deserving person. The girl loves her people. She fights hard, she works hard, so thank you so much.
Sierra must have stepped out congratulations. So I'll go now for member reports. There was an announcement today that the property values for Detroiters have gone up. Nearly in every neighborhood in Detroit saw a home value appreciation in 2024 there is going to be a new Property Assessment Notice that residents will be receiving in the mail. Notices have been mailed to over 308,000 residential, commercial and industrial and personal property owners throughout the city of Detroit, advising them of their proposed assessments for 2024 this revamped Property Set assessment notice was also due to City Council's passing of the property tax reform ordinance that does make the assessment more informational and provides more information to residents on how their property is assessed, what residents to Know that these are not tax bills, that their actual bills will be mailed out at the end of June and also in November, the residents will have three weeks to appeal all of the assessments. The City of Detroit has permanently also extended the assessors review from February 1 to February the 22nd and so you now have until the 22nd to appeal your assessment. Once you get your assessment in the mail, which you all will be receiving, now you have up until the 22nd to appeal that assessment. But it was good news to know that everyone did see a increase in their property tax value, but also understanding that there is a cap on how much your property taxes will go up each year due to state law. I think it's a 3% cap. Also would like to remind residents of all of the various warming centers throughout the city of Detroit, as we are experiencing extreme cold weather, we have the city of Detroit recreation centers that are open during normal business hours. All of the Detroit public library branches are also open past community social services Detroit rescue mission, and also Detroit rescue mission on Woodward is open as well. Individuals who are seeking assistance with shelter can please call area code 866-313-2520, again, that's 866-313-2520, our annual Organizing for Action will take place on Wednesday, January the 29th at 6pm at the Williams rec center. Again, our Organizing for Action, where we come together to set our policy and budget priorities for this year will take place on Wednesday, January the 29th at 6pm at the Williams rec center. Please come out and also have an opportunity to to meet into network with all of our district five representation from the entire city. Again, that's Wednesday the 29th at 6pm at the Williams rec center, and we will proceed now to council member Johnson. Thank
you, Madam President. Just want to remind residents in District Four that member waters is joining me for our upcoming coffee hour on this Friday, January 24 at 8am at Detroit, finest Coney Island located at 13337, East Jefferson and then the subsequent the following Monday is our monthly meeting. That is on Monday, January 27 at 5:30pm at Trinity Memorial, Missionary Baptist Church located at 10870 Shoemaker, we will have individuals from the housing and revitalization department to share information about the FCA stellantis Home Repair phase three, as well as providing information about the recent announcement relative to CDBG Dr funding that is Community Development Block Grant, disaster recovery funding that we anticipate receiving from the federal government. And lastly, just want to share with residents that I will this week be doing a walk through of the Monteith library branch in District Four. Thanks to my colleagues and your support, we'll have discussion on the updates that are forthcoming at Monte to reopen the branch and will soon have the Detroit Public Library's leadership come and speak to our community relative to the upcoming improvements and reopening of the branch. Thank you, Madam President,
thank you council member Johnson, member Benson, alright.
Thank you. Just want to say, Please save the date for january 29 at my district office. The Matrix center will be hosting a skilled trades Career Expo, 11am to 2pm january 29 that's 13560, East McNichols at that's the skill trades Career Expo, and this will be really highlight the need for skilled trades and all the different opportunities that are available to Detroiters. In addition, please come out to the workshops for the free estate planning and will preparation, as well as power of attorney workshops that will be hosted by the city of Detroit. The next one will be this Thursday, January 23 at the D, H, D, C, at 1211, Trumbull, hosted by bridging communities. This is a Spanish speaking workshop. The next workshop will be February 26 at 5:30pm in person. The January 23 workshop is in person, and there will be a virtual workshop on Tuesday, March 25 please do not miss the opportunity to have the city of Detroit provide you with a will power of attorney or estate planning. It is so critical that we as Detroiters efficiently transfer our wealth, and the vast majority of us keep our wealth in our states, in our homes. And this will allow you to do that. We see so much in the way of items going to probate, which then saps the community wealth. There are hundreds of millions of dollars in lost wealth in the city of Detroit, and just imagine if we had that stay here. We're going to probate court, and we in my office, have partnered with the administration. We partnered with the giver Family Foundation, with the Wayne County Treasurer, as well as LISC, to bring these type of resources to our residents for free. So please ensure you come to one of these workshops. It is critical when it comes to wealth generation, that we manage our estates. And if you don't think that what you have is an estate, it is yours value, it ensure that your family can take control of it. And if you don't want to give it to your family, you could give it to your church or any other institution that you care about, versus letting it go to the state. In addition, want to thank everybody who came out for our 10th annual MLK Day bike ride. And we were hosted by the Charles H Wright museum African American history. I had the opportunity to see a number of people there, including the Whitaker family, who were there for the early morning breakfast at 8am and we took our ride at 10am with 117 people registering. 30 of us showing up, really, to just itemize and bring attention, once again, to the life of Doctor Martin Luther King, the great family. Way, it was a bit chilly yesterday, frigid, to be exact. But we still have 30 people show up to take that ride, and so we will continue to do that. And so happy that we are now being hosted by the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History, which is a very apropos location to start and end the ride and to participate in all of the different activities that the Charles H Wright had yesterday. It started at 8am and went all the way till 6pm yesterday. So just a great opportunity. And hope to see everybody out there again next year we'll have our 11th annual run at the King Day bike ride. Thank you.
Thank you council member Benson, Council Member General.
Thank you. And we just would like to thank all who came out yesterday for our MLK service day at the Detroit union carpenters and Bill rights training center, which was organized by Mr. James Skrill ever hurt for the AmeriCorps National Service Day, was just a really amazing event. As you know, they focus on decreasing the digital divide and connecting our communities to Internet and Internet access. We had the opportunity to bring not only the youth together, but also senior citizens who came together as well to get resources from around the city. We also appreciate the fellowship, as well as the educational component, again, that was attached to that for our residents and our ever changing world of social media and technology and So big shout out to them again for decreasing the digital divide and taking the time to really spend with our youth and help our seniors as well. We do want you to join us for our 20th policy session that will take place Monday, January, 20. That's 27th excuse me, from 6pm to 7:30pm at the Edison Library, located at 18400, Joy road. Again, this is our 20th policy session where we will be discussing the Detroit city charter, and so I look forward to a robust discussion, particularly from residents, but we will take an in depth look at the Detroit city charter and talk about its evolution. And again, that's taking place January the 27th 27th this upcoming Monday, from 6pm to 7:30pm that concludes my comments. Thank you, Madam President,
thank you. Member, member durha Council, member Callaway.
Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon. Everyone. The Detroit youth and Civic Engagement Task Force invites individuals between the ages of 14 and 21 to our financial literacy summit tomorrow, Wednesday, from four to 6pm at the University of Detroit, mercy in the College of Business Administration Building. This event will offer a chance to build financial skills and network to register visit my social media or my event right page. Again, that's tomorrow. Detroit youth and Civic Engagement Task Force invites individuals from the ages of 14 to 24 to join us at the financial literacy summit at the University of Detroit, mercy in the College of Business Administration Building is right on the corner of six mile and Livernois. Also, you're invited to meet and greet me and my team on january 27 which is Monday from eight to nine at the Detroit coffee lodge at 19 737, James cousins, again, Monday, January 27 our coffee and conversation at the Detroit coffee lodge at 19 737, James cousins freeway. Also, you're invited to join me and my team at Focus HOPE on Oakman Boulevard on Thursday, january 30, from 9am to 12pm It's my staff's day of service in the community as we participate in the food for seniors packing program. Again, please join myself and my staff at Focus HOPE on Thursday, january 30, from 9am to 12pm as my team and I serve as we pack lunches for seniors for their food for seniors packing program. Next month we will meet on Monday February 10 at John Johnson Recreation Center located at 8550, Chippewa, and that's for a conference, coughing conversation again. Monday February 10, eight to 9am at the Johnson Recreation Center at 8550, Chippewa on Monday, February 17, from 530 to 630 we will host the district two virtual community webinar with our very own Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabri again. February 17, from 530 to 630 we will host the district two virtual community webinar with our very own Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabri the meeting information can be found on my social media and Detroit mi.gov website. Lastly, join us in the American Heart Association walk 56 miles challenge for the entire month of February. We're inviting District Two for a community walk at the University of Detroit Mercy Fitness Center on February when February, February, Wednesday, February 26 again, join us in the American Heart Association's walk 56 miles in the month of February, not on February 26 but the entire month. We are walking two miles as day starting February 1. We're all going to come together and walk two miles in their indoor track, which is Detroit Mercy's fitness center located six mile and Livernois. And that walk is Wednesday, February 26 and it is from 515 to 615 but I'm asking everyone, in recognition of American Heart Association month, to walk two miles a day, starting February 1, going all the way to the end of February. And all the information about how you can donate to the American Heart Association is on their website, and we've also linked it to our website. So please join me. I'll be walking every day at different locations, outdoor, sometimes indoor. And if you want my locations, you can call my office at two to 445, 35 but I'll be walking two miles a day starting February 1. Thank you, Madam Chair, that completes my report.
All right. Thank you so much. Member Callaway, and that will conclude all of our reports under the consent agenda. There are no items, Madam President, sorry about that. Under adoption without committee reference, there are no items, Madam President, under communications from the clerk, a report on approval proceedings by the mayor. The report will be received and placed on file under testimonial resolutions and special privilege. Council
member waters a resolution. Line item 23.1,
Council Member waters motion to adopt,
all right, in Hearing no objections, the one resolution will be approved if there is nothing else to come before us today, is there a motion to adjourn? All right, this meeting will stand adjourned. I
