All right, we're gonna wait A second. Sorry about that. I'm
Yvonne, is he coming to Percy? Okay,
yeah, is he walking down now?
All right, good morning, everyone. The regular session of Tuesday, January the 28th will now come to order, and if our clerk will please call the roll. Council
member Scott Benson. Scott Benson aye, Council Member Fred duha, the third present. Council
member Letitia Johnson,
Council Member Gabriel Central, present
council member Mary Walters, present
council member Angela Whitfield Callaway, present
council member Coleman Yan the second
council president pro tem James Tate and
council president, Mary Sheffield, present, we have a quorum. President, Madam President, there being
a quorum present, we are in session, and we are going to have Sergeant Knox lead us in our invocation for this morning. We appreciate you for filling in for us. Thank you so much.
Good morning. Good morning.
Please join me as
Oh, I'm sorry,
great Heavenly Father, we thank you on this day. Thank you for your grace and mercy, God. Thank you for waking us up this morning. Thank you for the protection that you provided for us as we slept last night. Oh God Lord, we just ask you to continue to stay in the midst, oh God, and saturate us with your Holy and Righteous word. Lord. We just ask you to touch each and every council person right here, right now, oh God, as they be about the people's business. Oh God, Lord, we just ask you to touch our people, those who are homeless, those who are hungry, those who are misguided, those who are seeking direction. Oh God, Lord, we know that you know their issues. Oh God, But Lord, you said, Cast your cares upon you, and we trust you, oh God, we lift our hands up to you to know where our strength comes from. That comes from you, oh God, and for that, we just say thank you, Lord. Just continue to be in the midst of this meeting, oh God, as we give you all the praises, the honor and glory in Jesus. Name, Amen. Amen.
Thank you so much. Sergeant
Pierce, Mr. Knox, we appreciate you just really quick. Would like to do a moment of silence. We did, unfortunately lose one of our city clerks who has been with the city for 20 long years, and it was definitely a hit, I'm sure, to all of us, such a great guy, city clerk, Deonte, a G, A G, did lose his life or transitioned, I should say, yesterday. Again. He has been with the city for, I think, 20 years, served as council well. Anyone who knew him, loved him, showed up to work every day, fighting hard, working on behalf of this city. And we all knew that he had some health challenges, but even in the midst of that, he was such a positive, brilliant young man, and so our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. I know we are preparing a testimonial for him and his family for the services. We want to make sure we also send our prayers and support to the clerk's office, who I know definitely loved him, adored him, and are probably having a difficult time with his passing. So if we can all just do a moment of silence for such a phenomenal person, I actually talked with Deontay maybe about a month ago. It was on my heart to call and reach out to him, and he was in still in good spirits. And so our prayers are with him. We know that even though he may not physically be with us in body, that his spirit will still live the work that he did for Detroit will still live on in the chambers of the city council and throughout the city of Detroit. So let us do a moment of silence for him and his family and for all that knew him, as we will miss him physically being here with us.
Right? Thank you so much, and we will be sure. I'm sure everyone will have the information regarding his services and how we can support him and his family. All right, before we move to the Human Trafficking Task Force presentation, we do have chief medicine that is here, and I did ask him to come to provide a brief update on DP DS position, just to clear any misconceptions or uncertainty that may be taking place in our city as it relates to immigration, I thought it would be an appropriate time for him to come and just provide some context in some information to us this morning. So thank you for being here. I know it was last minute, but we appreciate you make sure your microphone.
Council President, thank you for inviting me and giving me this opportunity. It was very important for me to, you know, come myself and be in person to be able to address this body, so honorable body, and the citizens of Detroit and so the Detroit Police the Detroit Police Department position has not changed. We don't do customs and immigration enforcement, just like the FBI, for example. They don't if they see an individual while they are driving throughout the city, run a stop sign or run a red light. They're not going to pull them over and write them a speeding ticket. The Detroit Police Department also typically doesn't do traffic enforcement on freeways. Typically, that's the Michigan State Police Department who does the traffic enforcement on our freeways. And so I use that example to say that we in the department, we're focused on local and state laws and ordinances, so we're not going to be doing that. We have not did that. And so to our immigrant population and community, we're concerned about crime, and we're also concerned about them being victims. For example, it's very important for individuals who are victims of crime to be able to reach out to the police department. And I have had conversations with director or Special Agent in Charge, Angie Salazar, who's over homeland or what is it called, HSI, Homeland Security Investigations, and who's responsible for the Border Patrol and Immigrations and things of that nature. And during our conversation, one of the things that she even emphasized was is very important for the community, the immigrant community and all, to still have that faith in local law enforcement, to reach out that if they are the victims, so we don't want to have any appearance when it comes to what we do as a department, and so doing traffic stops, our officers are not going to ask about your immigration status. Doing just local encounters, they're not going to be asking about immigration status. And we want the community that if they're a victim of a crime to still reach out to DPD, because we're interested in getting the perpetrators who are committing violent crimes within our community, that is our focus. Now, with that being said, folks will say, well, what's the difference between, you know, is Detroit a sanctuary city? Or is Detroit a welcoming city? We are a welcoming city. A sanctuary city means that those entities don't cooperate with the federal agencies, ice, customs, border patrol, we will cooperate, meaning that through the course of an investigation, meaning if an arrest is made of an individual, and just like with anybody, whether you're American citizen or whoever, we run your fingerprints, you're entered into our law enforcement information network system, and through their federal partners can see and so if we do make an arrest of individual and they go to our detention center, and we by required by law to run that information through that system, if they're flagged in you know, Homeland Security, etc, sees them, And only if they issue a detainer to the Detroit Police Department. We will honor that detainer. However, if the individual is locked up for a violent crime, the thing that we do is we pursue to hold them accountable local, locally first, and so that is our position on it. I just wanted to make that crystal clear that that has always been our position, and we have not changed our position. And I would be willing to go anywhere within the city of Detroit, meet with individuals, because it's really, really that important. I know that with the change in administration, it's been a lot of fear, and, you know, I've seen the increase in enforcement in regards to that across the country, from what I've been told is really been individuals that are parts of groups, gangs, etc, that they've been focused on. But regardless of that, it still doesn't change the Detroit Police Department's position. And taking it a step further to the things that we're going to do is like the Fourth Precinct, for example, where it's a high concentration of individuals that you know from the immigrant community, undocumented population, etc, ensuring that our new officers, because just last week, I had a class of new officers that came out the academy, and then just a refresher on all of our officers across the city, but really giving special attention to the Fourth Precinct that we're going to, of course, keep reflashing our policies, but having conversations and just reminding all officers of the appropriate protocol of how we go about handling our business with the Detroit Police Department. Okay,
all right. Thank you so much, chief medicine. And just wanted, again, to provide some clarity and context. And I'm not sure now there's questions, comments, concerns from any of my colleagues, Council Member, Santiago Romero, thank you. Thank you, Madam President. Through you to Chief Edison, thank you for sharing this information we've talked because this is a fear that is happening not just in southwest Detroit, it's across the city that we have immigrants, black, brown, white, who are being impacted right now by what's being said about us. And I would just want to be very clear that even though Detroit is a welcoming city, we're not a sanctuary city. We don't have to be called a sanctuary city. We don't need the title of a sanctuary city in order to not comply with the orders that are happening right now. This is a choice, as you said, the position that the city is in right now. I would hope and request that we consider reevaluating that choice, that we decide that if there is no criminal backgrounds, that we don't work in deporting people. Because right now what is criminal and what is not is being decided by people that, quite frankly, are making awful choices about people. So I hear the decision that we're in the position that we're in, I respect it, I understand it, but I would like to say that we can make other decisions. We don't have to be a sanctuary city in order to not comply. Chicago is doing just that, right? We see other cities that are making the choice to not work with the federal government. So that's just a note to add to this conversation, because this is a real thing that's impacting many of us, and these are choices that we can make. I understand the choice that we're making. I will respect it. I share this choice with everyone, with with with our residents, but anyone asking me to make this a sanctuary city? I don't agree with it. It puts a target in their back. I don't want us to lose federal funding, but I think this discussion and what's happening right now societies, we're being distracted, because the federal government is has already stopped federal funding from coming to cities. We just saw that that announcement being made unless it's giving money directly to people. They're already they're already hurting our communities, and they're already hurting all of us that we just hope that we can support all of us. Thank you, Madam President, thank you so much. Council member, all right, well, we just okay. Council member, young i
Hey, good. See you, sir. Morning, I
just want to ask you, um,
how much of this is due to the fact that we're on the border with Canada, how much of this is within the state in terms of human trafficking? And I know we have a task force within our local law enforce agencies regionally. Do we also coordinate with Canada as well internationally? Are we talking about human trafficking? Yes, with we, we coordinate. So our position is, human trafficking is absolutely a thing that our department addresses, we know that Michigan is one of the states that has, you know, is always within the top five when it comes to human trafficking. And so by being on a international border, which is Canada, and then just also having an area that's populated, and we host major events that draws in individuals from out of state as well, where they want to traffic young people. We definitely work with all entities. So we have a network where we work with FBI, we work with Michigan State Police, we work with Canada, and we have great working relationships where cooperatively and collaboratively, we have Task Force where we specifically target individuals who are trafficking, whether it's labor human trafficking or for the sex trade or in our minors. And then I just wanted to ask one, is this where they the women are sold primarily into prostitution and sex slavery. Is this something that also finances drug cartels? Does this finance white supremacist organizations? This finance terrorist groups, and are we partnering up with the federal government to be able to combat that. So we are definitely partnering with, I would say the alphabet soup, and I just use that where I'm talking about FBI, and we started human trafficking conversation. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, I thought we started human I'm sorry. Okay, I apologize. That's what happens. You don't pay attention class. I'm sorry. Go ahead. I thought we had already fish eat my time I walked in here, I had too much coffee and I came in too hot. I'm sorry, go ahead, not a problem, but I'm sorry, go ahead, but we address all of that, and with the funding aspect of it, depending on which organization or who it is, sometimes it's just an individual person. It spans the gamut. We see that trafficking occurs sometimes in nail salons, in the massage parlors, different ethnicity groups, you know, our targets and victims, whether it's like I said, the nail techs, massage parlors, strip clubs, and then it's another big thing too, that we're working with the FBI on, and you'll hear a lot more about it, which is sextortion, where they'll get a young person to send a picture, a compromising picture of themselves, and at that point, they will start Extraordin you for money. And we've seen that Nigerian groups and foreign groups outside the country are actually behind some of the sextortion.
Okay, all right. Well, we appreciate you, chief medicine, for taking the time to come down. I know you're super busy, but you always make it a point to be here in person. So we appreciate you, and we will continue to reach out if we have any questions and concerns regarding immigration here in the city. So
absolutely, thank the honorable body. Okay, thank you so Tim.
All right, thank you, and we will now. Pro Tem has joined us at The clerk will note, and we will proceed now with our presentation from council member Calloway regarding the Human Trafficking Task Force. And we're going to also cut off our public comment at this time. Council member Calloway,
yes, thank you, Madam Chair, and good morning everyone. I'm going to ask the members of the task force who are present if they can come down to the podium, and let's give them a hand as they make their way to the podium, and the applause will not be in vain. They've done some incredible work. You all have what you're going to say? Okay, if you can make your way to the podium, no, right there, right there. I'm going to read a little bit of information about the task force, and then we're going to hear from members of the task force. The human and Sex Trafficking Task Force became established by Detroit City Council resolution on April the 19th, 2022 at the behest of city council member Angela Whitfield Callaway. Council member callaways office then undertook recruiting efforts to develop a diverse Task Force membership comprised of stakeholders ranging from the Detroit Police Department to service organizations. Criteria for membership was developed all members must have a strong ties to Detroit and have some vested interest in anti trafficking work, whether as a survivor, a governmental, governmental official or an employee of an organization serving survivors, initial objectives for the human and sex trafficking task force Were also outlined to bring awareness of the issue of trafficking to Detroiters, to educate the public and target audiences about trafficking, to put forth and advocate for legislative proposals intended to help address the issue and to coordinate the provisions of resources and services available to survivors. On behalf of council member Angela Whitfield Callaway and Detroit City Council and the entire city of Detroit, we want to congratulate you now. We're going to hear from you later on your contributions to this very important issues and your contributions to the community overall. And I want to thank you. I think there are 14 of you. Three of you are here physically today. I appreciate you taking out the time. We appreciate you taking out the time from your very busy, busy schedules to be with us here today. And like if you can introduce yourself, each one of you, and just a little bit, maybe one minute of your background.
Good morning Council. My name is Eli Johns. I'm the attorney for the US committee for refugee and immigrants stars program which serves foreign national survivors of trafficking and provides case management and immigration legal services.
Good morning. My name is Alexandria Elliot, and I'm the legal assistant for the US committee for refugees and immigrants. And we also, like you said, serve immigrants who have experienced human trafficking. Yeah.
Can you repeat and pull your mic down a little bit? We're trying
to get the audio to go higher on that mic, but in the room, if you can speak a little, yeah. Sorry again. My name is Alexandria Elliot, and I'm the legal assistant for the US committee of refugees and immigrants stars program. And as Eli said earlier, we service born national survivors of human trafficking.
Good morning Council, Madam President. My name is Bishop James Williams. I am Senior Pastor of spirit and truth Christian ministries in Detroit. I'm also the Faith Based program manager and special projects coordinator at Crime Stoppers of Michigan, and I was asked to come on to the task force early on because there were members on the task force who first felt that the faith based community needed to be represented, but they also wanted someone who had already been involved in this kind of work.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Bishop. Now if we can just hear what I know you provided us with some bullets, and each one of my colleagues has a copy of the bullets that you provided. So if you can just kind of go through the bullets for purposes of the audience,
yes, since the creation of the task force, we have worked towards the objectives that council member Calloway has outlined, concentrating on bringing awareness that is a tantamount issue. And councilmember young i i appreciate the enthusiasm that you brought to this issue, because that's part of the work that we're trying to do. Make everyone aware, make everyone understand how significant human and sex trafficking is and understand that our unique geographic location makes Detroit a hub for this kind of activity. We want to educate the public and target audiences about trafficking and put forth and advocate for legislative proposals intended to help address the issue. I'm pleased to stand here as the newly elected chairperson of the task force and say that we've had considerable success in these areas, if you will, allow me, I know the first bullet point is the hotel signage ordinance, but madam council member, I want to come back to that we have, in our short time, we sponsored two stamping out human trafficking events. The first was held on the grounds of the neighborhood legal services, and we that's not well, yeah, held here on the grounds of neighborhood legal services. Our second event, August, 3 2024, was held at Palmer Park. Both events were successful. This last event included a short walk, a rally, a resource fair activities for children we had miss. Alice Johnson from neighborhood legal services. Douglas Gilmer from the DHS center for countering human trafficking, and Valentina Seeley and Special Agent Sarah petty from the local HSI office. We also this past year, in January, we went to Lansing for state level advocacy. While there, working with former Speaker Joe Tate, we were able to secure room there in in Lansing, the legislature was in session, but throughout the day, we had a number of legislators that came and talked with us and heard our presentation, heard our points of advocacy. Members were there from the State Human Trafficking Task Force. We engaged with them. They were very excited about the work that we were engaging in at the time. Which leads us to that last bullet point we shared with them that we were putting together proposal for an ordinance to be presented to Detroit City Council. That ordinance on May 21 this body unanimously passed the ordinance, which amended the city code adding a signage requirement for all business oriented lodging to aid those affected by human trafficking. Since then, we've collaborated with the city of Detroit civil rights inclusion and opportunity department to develop a model signed to assist such establishments in coming into compliance. Our goal for that signage, our goal for that ordinance was again to raise awareness in these establishments that frequently, if you see someone and they look like they're under dress, and might I say, not only females, but males as Well, who are being trafficked. If you see someone and someone else is doing all the talking for them, and there are all kinds of signs. We want to make people aware. We want to open people's eyes. We want to make the establishments themselves aware that they have a responsibility also in trying to make it at least more difficult for these individuals to traffic other human beings. These have been some of the successes of the task force, just so that you might know the breadth of the individuals who are apart and you have it there so but for the audience, we have from Covenant House, Belinda Campbell and Tiana Henderson for alternatives for girls, Miss Sandra ramiken, Commander Javon Johnson, who Is commander of the fifth precinct for the Detroit Police Department, is a part of our task force. From Homeland Security, Valentina Seeley again, Alice Johnson from a neighborhood Legal Services who was one of the founding members of the task force. Emily Johnson from Haven homes, Tracy Cooley from the sparrow Freedom Project, and Amy Smith from Avalon Healing Center. You've already met Mr. Eli, John one correction, I drew a mental blank there. The first human trafficking event that we did was on the grounds of alternatives for girls.
God bless you, and thank you. Battle Council, thank
you. Thank you so much for that, and we can give them another hand. They've done some incredible work. All this is they have full time jobs, they have families, they have other things they could be doing, but they come together and have been coming together for the last couple years to address this very important topic. We've met with the Attorney General, we've met with the Wayne County prosecutor. We've met with Dana Eisen, who just stepped down, recently resigned from her position. We'll be working closely with her now in another capacity, I'm looking forward to that we're going to have a liaison from the task force to the Attorney General's office, because now they have a task force on human and sex trafficking. And human trafficking is just not for sexual purposes, it's labor. We have folks who are in trafficking for labor purposes, against their will. But since you've come together, you are the inspiration behind our official placard. It has been approved by the city. I think the colors might have to be changed to blue, because I know blue is the national color for human trafficking, or it could stay this orange color. But this is the official placard that you'll see in hotels and motels and other lodging areas in the city of Detroit. It is the law. It will also be in other languages, but this is the official placard that has been approved by the city. My colleagues should have a copy in their packet. If not, we'll make sure you get it. But thank you for all of your hard work. We appreciate you. This is because of you and your work, and I want to thank you publicly, and I know we're going to have a wonderful year working with in Lansing, and I just want to tell you again that we appreciate you and all the other victims.
We appreciate you and survivors.
The work that you've done make this happen. It is the law. It has to be in every venue. Thank you so much. Yes,
madam council person, if I could add one other thing, the State Human Trafficking Task Force, as a result of that ordinance, has reached out to our task force, because they want to meet with us and discuss making what we've done here in the city of Detroit a model for the rest of the state. We're very grateful to the Council for having unanimously passed that ordinance. Thank you. Thank you.
We have certificates of acknowledgement for you, sir. And can we take pictures? Okay, so we have certificates for you. We have some lapel pins for you. And again, we appreciate all that you've done, but we're going to go back to the front, because we're going to take some pictures. Any discussion? Sorry if you all can hold back. We have discussion.
We're going to move down to discussion on the work that you all are doing. Council member Benson, right?
Thank you to yourself to the chair of the task force. Is there going to be a motion to accept this as the annual report for the task force, which is required by our charter motion,
right motion has been made. Any objections to accept the report? Hearing no objections that action will be taken. Any additional comments or concerns council member Young is
this time where I get to ask questions. Now,
okay, so I just wanted to ask you, do we know what average age of these girls that are taking it is there, like a particular source point where they're taking is it the internet? Are they radicalized internet, or are they tricked on the internet? Schools, daycares? Do we know is there, is there a point that we could be more prepared and more preventative in terms of going these places, not stop that brother
council person? I wish there were. The short answer is, all of those things, all of whether it's online, whether it's at school, whether it's looking for young people who are running away, targeting centers where young people stay overnight, all of those areas are areas that traffickers are taking advantage of. I wish I could say that there was an average victim, but the more that we study, the more that we look at it, there is no average victim. It's one of the things that I said to the people in my congregation, one of the people, things that I've shared, wherever I've spoken, is you want to see the average victim. Look at your niece, look at your daughter. They are the average victim. We have individuals who are in their 40s and 50s, who are still being trafficked. We have teenagers who are still being trafficked, black, white, Hispanic, being trafficked. Everyone is a potential victim. That is why we are fighting to raise the awareness of the situation.
Thank you, Eli. Did you want to speak
to Eli? I would just briefly add to that that traffickers target those who are vulnerable already through other circumstances and may be related, but that is the biggest common denominator amongst victims, is that they have vulnerabilities that people can take advantage of.
Do you have a breakdown based on, you know, race or class at all, in terms of, in terms of people who are more likely to be trafficked or likely to be taken?
No, we don't have that. This is
actually work. I just just from my own just understanding. I mean, I really think this is the really think this really big deal is something that we need to really make sure that we do all that we can to prevent. So I just want to say thank you for all the hard work that you're doing. I appreciate it. That's all my question.
And council member, we do, I am confident to say we have members on the task force that can get that information. We get that information to account. Thank you so
much. And thank you. Member young through the chair. We had a sting here during the NFL Draft. I don't know if you all are aware of that, but it was all in the news. There was a draft, there was a sting, human trafficking sting, that was conducting the city of Detroit during the draft. And then we also had a family who was keeping a grown woman hostage, and she was their free labor for the entire family she was being exploited. That's human trafficking, and it's not specifically to women. It's men too, who are being exploited and trafficked. So it's just not a female thing. It's a, it's a it's a human things, men and women, boys and girls being trafficked. First,
I just want to say thank you for your excellent work. I just want to ask if I could, man, I'm could, man, I'm President, to piggyback on that. Do you have a breakdown in terms of gender as well? Because it's my understanding that the transgender community, particularly, is really targeted by this because they are more likely to be involved in sex work industry, because they are discriminated against when they go for jobs and opportunities to these that nature, they're usually denied, or they usually are discriminated against, because the laws will protect them the same way, and so as a result, they're forced to go into sex work. Are they more likely to target human traffic as well? Do they have that breakdown at all?
Exactly, sir, your point. You know it speaks to again, there's vulnerabilities created by the discrimination, the authorization so so yes, I think that your point is fair.
Thanks. Thank you for your work. Thank you. I'm done. Thank you, ma'am, President.
There's no additional questions. Again, we thank member Calloway and the entire task force for the work that you all do. I definitely think we have a lot to do around raising awareness around the issue, but I commend the steps that you've taken thus far. I've had the opportunity to sit on several panels and to also work directly with alternatives for girls, to host a forum for victims that were impacted by human trafficking. So my work continues. We also just recently submitted a memo regarding the creation of some type of alert for missing young women in Detroit. We all know that we've seen an increase in that as well, too, and so a lot more work needs to be done, but we do appreciate the work that you all do. You can count me in as someone who wants to support the work in any capacity. So thank you all for being here, and we will come down now to do pictures with you all for recognition for the work that you all are doing, Colleagues, if we can come down and
do pictures you
much thank you For The i
All right. Thank you again. Council member Callaway and to the entire task force for the work that you all are doing. And we will now continue with our agenda for this morning, the Journal of the session of Tuesday, January the 14th, will be approved. There being no reconsiderations or unfinished business. We will proceed to the budget Finance and Audit. Standing Committee for the budget Finance and Audit. Standing Committee, two reports from various D departments. The two reports will be referred to the budget Finance and Audit standing committee for the internal operations standing committee, 19 reports from very C departments. The 19 reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the Neighborhood and Community Services. Standing Committee, seven
reports from Ferran state departments.
The
seven reports, excuse me, the 19 reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the Neighborhood and Community Services, standing committee,
seven reports from various state departments.
These seven reports will be referred to the neighborhood and community services, standing committee for the planning and development. Committee, four reports from various state departments before reports will be referred to the Planning and Economic Development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee,
19 reports from various city departments. The 19
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 ends, Madam President, under communications from the mayor and other governmental officials and agencies.
There are no items on the question, all
right, we will call now for general public comment, and everyone will have one minute for public comment. And before we begin public comment, I want to take a moment to remind everyone that this is a space and should be a space for respectful dialog. We welcome your input and value your perspective, but we ask that all comments remain considerate and respectful and free of profanity, hate speech and derogatory remarks directed at members of the public, city staff or this city council, we all need to work to maintain an atmosphere of professionalism, incivility that reflects the dignity and the respect of our community that it deserves. And so at each public comment, at the beginning, I will be reminding us of all of our responsibilities to make sure that this remains a professional environment and we respect one another in our comments. All right, so we will begin with our first public comment from Miss la donna ham, LaDonna J Harris. Harris, okay, yes, that's correct. Good Tuesday, everyone, city council, I have a question, comment and concern about the land that is located next to the house our family home, and I've waited the six months to a year to acquire the lot, and it is owned by the land bank. And this is this started in 2023 June 5. 2023 was when the house that was on the land was demolished. And I have been waiting this far for a postcard or some type of informational from the city of Detroit. So I'd like to know, I don't know why the city is holding the land, or the land bank is holding the land, and we were the first to inquire about this land. Okay, do you know what council district you reside in? Do you happen to know? Yes, I live in the fifth district. Okay, all right, so we can get the property information from you. Now, while you're here, we can reach out directly to the Detroit land, make authority and see if we can get a response as to what's going on with that property. Okay, so if you don't mind just stepping aside, my team is up right behind you. We'll get that information. And while you're here, we'll actually try to reach out to them to see if we can get some responses. Thank you. Much appreciated. Thank you as well.
Good morning. Good morning. This is for
Madam President last week, well, a couple weeks ago, when I was speaking about the homeless people and the officers living there, and you say you spoke to someone concerning this issue, I do not catch the bus in a cold weather like this. I'm here for equality and justice for all people, and if you guys are for the people, and if I had this position, I would investigate. I'm not going just going on what somebody said, because apparently they trying to cover up all this illegal activities. Because when you conspire to cover up anything illegally, it is conspiracy. I'm not coming here to constantly repeat myself concerning the issues of police officers living in these facilities, and it's very cold and they have the means to pay rent, this is not acceptable. They just had a class graduation last week, and I guarantee you I can pick out some of them, people, plain and simple. Thank you very much, and have a great day.
Thank you so much. Ms Williams, and again, if you have any specific you know officers or anything that's more specific. Please let us know, and we I do. I have the names, okay? And now, who would you like for me? My team is always sitting right up in the back here. Okay, we get it over and get some responses for you. Okay, Mr. Shelton, followed by Charles miles.
Shelton, the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed in 18 170 which effectively gave the black people who had been enslaved in this country the right to vote in 1957 under the Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, The 1957 Civil Rights Act was enacted which also specifically empowered black people, black Americans, to vote in this nation. Uh, here we are in 2025 and we're our voting rights are still being cartel, and sadly, is being cartel by representatives in our local government who refuse to use the authority to bring forth these witnesses that we have who have sworn testimony that they never voted. So again, just having the right to vote on paper doesn't mean anything if it's not going to be enforced, we've had the right to vote since 18 170
Thank you very much. Hello.
My name is Charles miles. I gave you receipts, copies of receipts. You should have it so the receipt is clearly right there says, January 12, 2017 a full payment. Somebody that took my payment applied it to the wrong they applied the summer to the winter and the winter to the summer, but they gave me a total payment. Receipt said was paid in full. But according to Mr. Patel, he, he he acknowledged that this was a error made on the city's behalf, but he lied last on on the 14th of January, and he came in and stated that I made this payment for 1249, 53 which clearly you see the receipt from the Wayne County Treasurer, showing that the city of Detroit wrote that check had nothing to do with me, and they knew that they made an error,
but they didn't want to do nothing About
we do have your documentation, so thank you.
Joe pico followed by Betty Lyons,
Hi there. I'm Joe. I'm a member of Detroit anti war committee. For months, I've come here to speak on behalf of my organization with you about divestment for more profiteers. At the suggestion of President Sheffield, we wrote a resolution. Is now that that resolution needs a council member to sponsor it. Our Detroit divest resolution would eliminate all must be sponsored because it would eliminate all city involvement in the apartheid state of Israel. It is through United States monetary and military support that Israel is able to continue to oppress Palestinians despite the recent ceasefire. The fact is that Palestinians are still being murdered for being Palestinian. Our resolution would eliminate any Detroit complicity in this apartheid. Council member Mary waters and Council Member Santiago Romero, I know both of you have historically shown support for Palestine. If you truly support Palestinians and their right to exist, then heed their call for divestment. If either of you or any other city council members would be interested in continuing to work with us on our Detroit divest resolution, I would be delighted to share it with you and speak with you further. Thank
you. Thank you.
Over $600 million stolen and overpaid property taxes belonging to Detroit residents. Mr. Whitaker refuses to ensure justice and to keep our money safe and to return it to us. Last week, many people came and expressed corruption and ingestion injustice by the land bank, of course, headed by Dugan, but Mr. Tate instead listening to these people, you see, but you see not. You hear, but you hear not. And these people need to be addressed to these problems. Romero is concerning about people's hurting. Well, these people are hurting as well, and you need to attend to that. If you want to talk about respect, then you got to give it to the people that chose you, and not to your select colleagues. Thank you, Miss
and Miss Callaway, alright. Thank you so much.
Mister Cunningham, followed by Elbert Richardson, followed by feudal Gibson,
313444911431344491143134, 444911431344911, fold. That number was made so you can remember it and on Facebook, not enemy. Two words, not enemy. My birthday was yesterday. I got a lot of love. Lot of Texas and inboxes, people saying they praying for me, etcetera. And I do appreciate it. Sometimes you don't feel the love. I can't believe I turned 43 and I was looking back, I've been coming down here for a long time, a long time. So as I was giving up my hand warmers, the gloves, the bus tickets and etcetera, Mister Richardson had an issue about the busses on Sunday. So come talk to the powers to be. They don't buy those, the people with the purse strings. And that's our Detroit City Council. My prayers are with all of you, and I thank you. Tonight, there's a Tru event, transit riders united. I believe there were pamphlets I left, and you guys got them. It's tonight.
Thank you so much, and take care of yourself,
too. Thank you so much. Mr. Cunningham, good
morning. City council.
Morning. Hello. My name is Albert Richardson. I'm a citizen of Detroit, um, I hang out a lot right outside, inside the building. Might see me on lunch break, but I want to say Brother Cunningham has been helping for five years. You know, I made a transition from homeless to having a home, and he helped me in that transition that I was going through if I needed bus tickets or hand warmers, you know, in the middle of the winter, summer, spring, fall, he was always there. Um, I had an unfortunate incident this weekend on on Lynwood bus. I paid my fare, and I maybe forgot for maybe two, three minutes down the road to get my transfer, and I went back to ask for my transfers. The driver, she was really, really, really, really
irate. She tried, she berated me,
tried to make me feel less than a person that I am.
Thank you. God. Bless y'all alright. Thank
you so much. And just and I'm sure Mr. Cunningham has also informed you of the D dot community meetings where you can also express concerns there as well. But anytime you have particular routes or even particular busses or drivers that we need to be made aware of, don't hesitate to let us know. Yes, okay, you already did. Okay, okay, thank you so much. Sir, appreciate you.
Hey, I don't understand why y'all praying and y'all gonna come in here and do the devil's work. It's not a city council, just the devil's pit. Again, you got all these black issues, and y'all talking about immigration. I mean, cut it out to the citizens of Detroit, don't be fooled by these people running for mayor and re election. Y'all, when Will y'all realize they don't care for us? Don't go for santel Jenkins, Tyrone Carter or Karen wisset. They all sell out, y'all. And reason why they don't work for us, y'all, because they've been cheated in this is just plain and simple. No other city council that has the majority of the people treat state people the way I do. Again to the citizen of Detroit, Ramon Jackson. Ramon Action Jackson and Malik Shelton has little to no college education, and they know more about politics than our representation in the last 50 or 60 years. Praise the Lord, God bless and all that other nonsense.
Thank you. Kenneth Holloway, followed by Olivia Williams, followed by Whitney Clark, good morning,
young lady asked me sure you haven't been dying in a while for what you know, I'm saying I come down here, same thing. Y'all haven't did nothing about them. Fumes over there, the health department stopped taking tests over there, where we at and everybody want to run for re election, but I'm not voting because we ain't get no justice in our neighborhoods. You know? They didn't give us our opera money, they took it and did other things with it, and everybody is flying the flag for Doug. He would never get my vote for God, you know, he should go back to Livonia. That's what he should go back to. And y'all need to fight like Angela, fighting for for her people. Y'all black people. Y'all supposed to be fighting for us. We put y'all in office. We pay y'all, and y'all don't see it. You know, like he said, You pray, who you praying to? We don't know who you're praying to, because it's not for us, not for the people in the city of Detroit. It's sad that we have to come down here time after time saying the same thing.
Thank you so much.
Good morning.
I'm a retired city of Detroit employee 30 years Mr. Duhall and Miss waters and I did a retiree Task Force. What have y'all done for us? What you promised to try and get us a 13th check? Did we get that? No. What have you done for us? Just tell me any, any one thing you've done. We have sweated in this city. We took pay cuts during the Honorable Mayor Coleman Young's term, and we because of us putting him in, y'all got in these seats that y'all are in. What are y'all doing, other than getting a pay raise all the time? We ain't get nothing but cuts. But you say, well, you can get into these here programs. We can't qualify.
Alright? Thank you so much. And just really quick, wanted to make sure you are aware that we did, at our last formal session, finally approved the resolution for the 13th check. That was something that council unanimously, collectively, as a council, agreed upon in our last budget to add, think was an additional ten million that was set aside for our retirees for a one time 613 check. So that's just one thing that we have. Was this 6% I'm sorry, was it a 6% I'll have to pull up exactly how it was divided. $5 million went to the general retirees, and then additional $5 million went to and I have to read exactly how it was broken down. But I know that there was 10 million that we allocated in our last budget for a 13th check that was broken down for general and then police and fire. That resolution was voted on last Tuesday at our formal session. I know that it did take some time to get before us. There was a lot of things that had to be approved by the courts for that to come into place, but that was approved at our last session. So that should be coming relatively soon to all of our retirees. Well, you know,
6% is only like $50 and then when they pull
it up, it was a couple of 100. It was 400 it was around four or $5 for an additional check. And I know that that's not good to resolve all of the issues with our retirees. I did also want to mention, I know that there's a task force, and I'll turn it over member waters, but based on the last meeting that I had with a group of retirees, we did submit a memo that would create a retiree Fast Track program that is on the agenda that we're working on creating that will give a preference for city retirees and existing programs similar to what we did for those who Were over assessed, I created a program that gives a fast track for existing programs.
We don't
qualify for them, so again, our income, so we can't go back and forth. So that, that is why, one second, please. Yeah, that is why this fast track program will be created, to create a carve out in existing programs that gives preference to our retirees, and that was something that I heard directly from retirees in the last meeting that I attended. So understand the frustration. There's a lot of work that needs to be done for our retirees, but I did want you to know that collectively, as a council, every budget, we always raise the issue of our retirees and what can and cannot be done. We had a lot of limitations because of the plan of adjustment in the bankruptcy court, but we did move forward with our 13th check, so you all should be receiving that soon, and I'm sure all of us are looking at ways that we can continue to provide support and relief for our retirees. So understanding your frustration, we do appreciate you for coming down. I saw a couple of years did you anybody else want to respond? I do remember
Detroit. Would you like to respond? Thank you, Madam
President. I think you covered a lot of it
and and what you conveyed to this resident, but we'd be happy to talk to you offline too, specifically about some of the initiatives that we have been pushing together through the retiree Task Force. As mentioned, the 13th was passed
as we're talking. We can not go back for two speaks. We want to make sure we have mutual time for each person. Member durha, thank
you. And as mentioned last week, the council passed that resolution so that can go forward. And as member waters and I have articulated time and time again, we are willing to work with anyone. This is the first time I'm hearing about this specific initiative being pushed for by council president. But I think all of us are dedicated to our retirees, and I understand some of us cannot really fully understand what you go through on a daily basis, but I think we have all agreed that we want to do the best possible to try to bring some relief to our retirees, and it is not a fast process. I wish it was. I wish we could snap our fingers and it was as we've articulated, and even appointing two citizen co chairs, who are retirees to our task force. But we are trying to figure out that ways to make our retirees as whole as possible with within the law of what we can do. But I'll be happy to talk to you offline and give you our next retiree task force meeting as well that day to discuss some initiatives that we are trying to push forward. Thank you
member Young. Thank you Mayor, President. Ma'am. I just want to let you know that, working with my colleagues, you were able to draw down $23 million from the state. That $23 million was directly deposited to the general retirees fund the $23 million also raised interest to pay the 13 check, 5 million to General Service retirees, and 5 million to police and fire retirees. I just want to say that as well. Thank you, President.
Thank you. And as was indicated, just the exact amount. So $463 will go to the general retirement retirees and beneficiaries, and then police and fire, approximately 601, that is the amount that we approved in the resolution for the 13th check. So I just say that to say there's more work to be done, and everyone on council, I believe, is committed to addressing our retirees to the extent that we can. So thank you so much for coming, and we'll continue to work with you offline as much as you as well. Go ahead. Council member waters, yeah,
have you attended any of the meetings that we've done, the meetings that,
pardon me, I am a member of the room. Yeah,
but have you attended any of the meetings that we've done you have right here in this auditorium?
Uh, Bill has informed us of all of the meetings. Bill, okay, but what he had told us was we were going to get a 6% of our check for the 13th check. So if you add that up, it's like $50
so that's, that's real good.
Because Okay, and I know madam president doesn't want me going back and forth, but I just, I just want to say, I think, why don't you call my office, a member door, house, office, and they can, we can break it down to you. Okay,
thank you. Thank you so much.
Alright, good morning to this honorable body. I just want to come here. My name is Whitney Clark, fifth district. I wanted to just come and speak just for a moment about from a political stance, not an emotional stance, from the news that we've been hearing about the immigration ice Task Force. Um, my position is that all people have stereotypes. I'm going on a limb here, real, real skinny limb. We all have stereotypes. And, um, these are the, these are the public perceptions that the public has. And so when, when people are speaking against the idea that we should not be listening to ice, I think it just kind of it does two things. It compromises our safety, if only in our perception. And for a lot of people here who aren't well versed on these issues, their perception is their reality, and it also breeds contempt, because it gives the it gives the idea that some people shouldn't, should avoid a law enforcement and some people should absolutely, you know, engage with them. So I'm afraid that the land of immigrants phrase is meant to dumb down a very complex history, much of the history that we don't agree with. Nevertheless,
I think it's something that we should thank
you. Alright, thank you so much. Yes, Council Member young, yeah. I just
wanted to further clarify the previous person came up here. I just wanted to say that I received, I got the $23 million from the state fiscal year 2023 and I came to on the retiree meetings and reported it. So I just want to make that clear, I actually came to one of the General Services retiree meetings, they reported that I got the money.
Okay, thank you. Member Young. Good morning. Good
morning. My name is area left COVID, and I'm a puppy mills policy specialist with the Humane Society of the United States. I'm speaking today in support of item 19.1, and I'd like to thank Council Member Calloway for proposing this ordinance and each of you for considering it today, the proposed ordinance is very simple. It will proactively prohibit the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores, and since there are no puppy selling pet stores in Detroit, it will prevent bad actors from entering the city in the future, including those in other parts of Michigan who have a history of sourcing from awful puppy mills and who pose a numerous consumer protection issues. This ordinance will maintain the status quo of existing businesses while keeping the market open toward to a thriving Pet Services and supply industry. It will also ensure that residents continue continue to obtain the pet of their choice and protect consumers. It is intentionally narrow making sure that the animal related concerns in this community aren't made worse. And we look forward to working with
issues, and I urge you to support it today. Thank you.
Good morning. Good
morning Council. My name is Darren McCluskey. I'm the sole member of a company called Detroit denovo LLC. I am party to a necessity and compensation challenge in your solar farm projects. I'm only aware of three other people who attempted this challenge, and they're all dismissed on technicalities. I, like many others, was served with ex parte tacking, that's where they grow a piece of paper at your door and call it notice. And from there, you get 21 or 28 days to challenge the project. I just want to be clear that, in my opinion, this development is not a necessity. Many people have attempted to challenge it. The Sales more will set aside the compensation argument, not the necessity argument, because they are afraid of this challenge. You guys already have 1878 acres of public land, and lots over 10 acres of that 457, acres is abandoned or unused, completely unmowed. But yet you need to take other people's land. I've requested a list of 9310 parcels used to evaluate just compensation. I've been denied that multiple times.
Ramon Jackson, followed by Ruben Crawley
that's listening in. First off, Miss Lyons, this this elder come down here and she's with everything she's saying is the truth about what's going on. Last week, she was disrespected by a caller who's a provocative agent comes on all the time, saying things James Tate took up for him. James Tate is totally selective. I've been coming here for years, and he's been the most silent as city council member. He spoke up his most when we mentioned voter fraud, like my brother Malik say he did to get his book address once we did spoke about voter fraud, he was silent for years and years and years, totally selective. So when he steps up and say something about her being selective when she taken up for this elder lady, he knows that that guy is a provocative so people disregard Harley, and let's keep pushing the mission come to souls to the poll on Friday, if y'all want the truth. Thank you,
Mr. Probably followed by Jacqueline Miller,
y'all sabotage, give me one minute. Okay, any more with FG, won't Angela mccallaway, get ready for a run against Ray McAllister, but district two. Fred duha, get ready for a run against Regina Ross over in district seven, both y'all was recipients of fraudulent absentee ballots. You got Detroit voted trap houses over in Detroit, district seven. District Three, Scott Benson, yeah, my time is almost out needy walk when she won't. Now, James take Kenisha, her mother was killed over in district one. James Tate told y'all he was going to investigate the matter. He ain't here to answer the question I got for him. So y'all asked him, What did you find out about Kenisha Comey because Charmaine McLeod did it. Charmaine McLeod her blood, cousin, one responsible for Kenisha death. Now, there it is. I said it,
but she won't let the F out. You.
Jacqueline Miller, hello. Good morning.
The 14th Amendment says that all persons born and naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and the state where they reside. The 14th amendment is one of the series of constitutional provisions having a common purpose, namely, securing a race recently emancipated, a race that, through many generations, had been held in slavery, all the civil rights that the superior race enjoyed. Yesterday, I heard on the Mitch album show, Council Member Santiago Romero suggest that blacks migrated from the South to the North. We did not come here. We were brought. Our ancestors were brought here illegally. We I contacted W Jr regarding Mitch album and Guy Gordon, when they referred to if it had been black, people had been killed over when he was referring to Israel. But I have some books. I want to suggest that whatever
you have to submit, we will take it, and Santiago Rome would like to respond, okay, thank you for coming down, and thank you for mentioning that, because, as you heard in the interview, the questions were really, really anti immigrants. And quite frankly, that is the narrative that is being held right now by society. And I was reminding us Detroiters, that know their history, do know that black folks were brought here for slavery, that you were in the South for slavery, and you migrated here to the north? There was a beaut there's a beautiful show called migration that talks about the history that we are forgetting. We are a nation of immigrants. We the founders that have colonized. Alright, we're going to stop because, Excuse me, ma'am, we
But ma'am, ma'am,
ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, Excuse me,
ma'am, excuse me. We have to make sure we keep this auditorium professional and No, we just want to make sure we during your time to speak. You can speak, but we can't allow shouting back and forth. So we You have every right to express your concerns. So thank you so much. Thank you, Madam President, and I would like to speak with you now, but you are walking away, and that is what's happening right now. We have people coming to this auditorium yelling at me, speaking bigotry remarks towards immigrants, and we are forgetting that we are a nation of immigrants. We are forgetting the people that founded this country came from Europe. They migrated here. They colonized this land, and we are being pitted against one another. We are a nation of immigrants that are black, brown and white, and we are being pinned against each other. Alright? It's here, madam president, it's here, and we hear it all the time. Alright, excuse me. Excuse me. You all. We want to allow everyone an opportunity to speak. When your public comment comes. You all speak. We listen when our council member is speaking, or any of us are speaking, let us have the same respect. Are you doing? Council member? Santiago, Madam President, I just think it's very clear the narrative that is happening, the fascist narrative that has been used in our country over and over again to make us fight one another when there are decisions being made that is destroying our planets, that is destroying everyone's opportunity to thrive, and it's important that we call it out for what it is. I'm not trying to be dramatic. I'm trying to ground something. What's happening right now? Thank you, Madam President. Thank you. Council member, Santiago Romero, you
all right, are you all ready? Yeah, we're ready. All right,
excellent. Thank you very much for hearing my name is Roshan Harris. I'm the director of power building over at ECN, standing in solidarity with the 99% that's all working class Detroit. That's everybody that gets up in the city and tries to make it better for everybody else. But I want to point out something. Over this past month, we've had three days where the air quality has been deemed unhealthy for vulnerable populations here in the city of Detroit, based on information provided by just air our partners in air quality monitoring, and as y'all know, we've been promoting a semi truck ordinance, but I also think we need to take it a step further and really provide more provisions. As we know we have the highest incidence of asthma amongst children in the country, and we really need to focus on issues that are affecting and impacting our health and our well being as citizens of the city of Detroit, the things that the silent killers that are that are affecting us all, no matter what color you are, no matter what age you are, and like I said, I want to focus on those vulnerable populations who are most at risk. Like I said, we do need a semi truck ordinance, but we also need to be working with to find ways and mechanisms to improve the health
impacts that we're being faced with, not just on the east side, but across the city.
Thank you. Alright, thank you so much, Roshan, and looking forward to working with you in any additional suggestions from a policy and budgetary standpoint that you have for us to to address those issues. Alright? Thank you, sir. Alright. Alonzo del arte, it's followed by Samantha Reed
Gabe Leland used to be on this council. He thought he was too important to listen to his constituents. Then, you know, as you remember, he stepped down, and, you know, those crimes were discovered. Now, Gabriela Santiago Romero thinks she's too important to listen to constituents. You know, she's very good at saying pretty words, you know, but when it comes to backing those up with action, like, I'm an immigrant, my family came to this country illegally through a long and complicated process, she doesn't give a damn about me. I have been trying for four years, and you know, she's had four years to listen to ask questions, to understand this issue, but she doesn't care. You know, it's more important to have to transtand and say pretty words, I mean, pretty words that, you know I agree with, but I'm not backed up by meaningful action. So, yeah, remember Gabe Leland,
Madam President, thank you. Council member, Santiago Ramiro, you. Madam President, someone so good to see you again. We talk often. I've helped you many times over these last four years. I've said this many times at this point, you have recalled me, tried to recall me four times. You have sent FOIA requests for all the work that my office has been doing, and respond to you every single time what you're saying about me and the work that I do for you is false. You have asked me to help you find a job. We have done all that we possibly can just because you can't get a job. It's not my fault, and I am tired of you targeting me and coming at me because saying that it's my fault that you aren't able to find employment. We have done all that we can, sir, we helped you with your resume. We connected you to departments. You keep attacking me and my my character. You hear me being attacked saying that I only care about immigrants. Here's one standing in front of me who I've helped many times, because I'm not helping you either, folks, this job is hard, and when I tell you I am working every single day for you, I am if ultimately you have been unable to find employment, I am sorry, but I have done all that I can thank you, Madam President, thank you so much. Council member.
Good morning. Good morning. My name is Samantha Reed, and I am here to represent colony cat club Detroit. We are a 501, c3, non profit that supports Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park with TNR, which is trap not a return finding homes for stray cats and helping the community with resources for own cats. We support the passing of the Detroit pet store ordinance, which is item 19.1 Detroit is in a straight cat crisis, and that usually impacts our most vulnerable neighborhoods, the hardest sales of animals and pets shops would increase this problem. There's a very distinct overlap between animal welfare and human welfare. Since January 1, we have received requests to bring 68 cats and kittens into our rescue. It's almost two and a half cats a day. Our rescues and shelters are at capacity, leaving the community with limited resources. I urge you to please pass this ordinance. Thank you so much for your support.
Okay, thank you.
My name is Jerome shell.
I'm a precinct delegate. Been teaching the trades and teaching people how to get wealth through real estate for over 40 years, free of charge, especially for our children in 2020 I was diagnosed with a massive tumor under my brain. Still have it right now.
Land Bank
knew about that. They broke into several of my properties,
and when they did that, I
told them they had the wrong properties. They finally came in and took the locks off of one property. But they've been after me ever since I came to your town hall meeting two years later about the same properties and asked Miss Daniels to do something she promised on camera that she was going to make me whole. She thought that the land bank had gave me one of the fucking develop, the whole row of houses. So I'm simply saying, here I am today. They've taken one of those properties, and you're all
okay. So we, we, I know, as you mentioned, worked with you and connected you with the land bank prior to we just need to get a response from director Daniels, and I see Yvonne up there shaking her head, so we could try to do that today. While you're here, we also have a meeting tomorrow in person, if you're interested in coming. We'll have all of the representatives from Detroit land bank on site as well of all of our d5 leadership there at the Williams rec center, if you want to come there as well to get some one on one support. Where's it? Will be at the Williams rec center on where is that? On Rosa Parks and the boulevard, but we'll get that information to you, sir. And while you're here, we're going to reach out to Director Daniels to see what happened in that situation. Okay,
okay. Well, I just want to let any of you know that if the jobs are hard, I know the basic code of ethics that applied all business, whether it's a popsicle wagon or multinational corporation, and if you don't want to do those jobs, elect me for any Okay,
alright, anything. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mister Jerome, appreciate you, sir. We're going to try to get director Daniels on the phone now to get an update for you. Okay, thank you, sir. Mr. Foster,
good morning. Got one minute here. First, I want to say I appreciate Pro Tem Tate always creating the space in person for any dialog in the community. So I think that's important, that the community knows. More importantly, I want to use this minute with Malcolm X quote by any means necessary. That quote did not just apply to blacks. It applied to all human beings. The quote is in reference to the first law of nature, self preservation, which means the mental processes and behaviors that individuals engage in to protect and maintain their own well being and survival. Every living being have the right to make every effort to improve their quality of life and to seek better opportunities by any means necessary. This is the time where we need unity and humanity. Whatever this administration is going to do and however they're going to enforce their will. We all have an obligation and a duty to ensure that they enforce it humanly, and so when it comes down to things, humanity is the bottom line to any actions and anything that we're doing. Thank you.
Okay, Miss Mayberry, followed by Michael Evans, followed by Ruby Riley, good morning.
Everyone. Good morning. My name is banana Mayberry, and I'm standing here asking again about that red, black and green flag. The reason I keep coming back is because my my lineage is being erased by the state of Michigan as well. Because of my heritage, my name, my race, has been erased from my birth certificate. I was once a negro, my mother, Negro, my grandfather, colored. We are indigenous to this land, and we are not just immigrants. My my nieces and nephews, who are under 17, they consider themselves as immigrants now, because they're stating this thing. And I want them to know that they they are indigenous to this land. That's why I want that red, black and green flag to be thrown flown over the city of Detroit, because we are not going to be erased from his from being a race of people here in the United States of America. We just found out that Elon Musk decided that he
is an African American. I don't think so.
Thank you, Miss Mayberry,
I don't see Ruby Riley. Oh, there she is, okay. And is Michael Evans still here?
Okay? So Miss Ruby Riley, you'll be our last in person.
Good morning, city council. I want to first my condolence to the family of your clerk. It was working here. I was trying to remember what it looked like. But anyway, they have my condolence. I know when someone pass, it's hard. Also, I want to talk about the bus driver as I was on my way down here. I'll be 75 this year. Good Lewis woodland Creek don't rise. I've been a residence for 75 years. I rode the bus before, but this particular bus driver, bus number 2211, and I told him I would let the City Council know how he treated me. I know we supposed to show our cars, but my neighbor that dropped me off on Gratiot. I didn't get a chance to get my paperwork out, my little red, white and blue car, but I do have a bus car for seniors. So when I got on the bus, you know, I put 50 cents in the in the and a fair. So I say, well, he waited, give me my transfer, so I said you want to see my card he said yes, I started fan would you check me a minute, but yet still after that, while I'm looking for my car he led about 10 people on their necks, for nothing, and I don't appreciate.
Thank you so much. Ms Riley and you.
Good morning.
Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Well, okay, great. Thank you. Good morning, Madam Chair, council members and residents of the city, Detroit. My name is Joyce Moore with the Virginia Park Community Coalition, district five within the boundaries of the Virginia Park Community number one council member, Sheffield waters and young we would like a community meeting and held at the Joseph Walker Williams center in regard to the Herman keeper project, contracts one and contracts two, with the president of Creole to provide an accurate update of these contracts and ways to benefit our community in the future. Number two, brothers of the city Detroit, this mayor wants to run for governor, having overtaxed rather than $600 million which was and is a pure act of gentrification. Number three, I just want to make it clear that any funding through grants that I have received from my 100 year old house, I have received because I qualified for four and our organization, organization has helped others. We need an overseer like the CDC for the nonprofits and contractors to ensure that they can do the job according to the permits and city
codes. Thank you.
I use my time.
Thank you so much. Miss Moore, and as you are aware, our office was in the process of trying to conduct a community meeting on the status of the Herman keeper development. Unfortunately, because there is a lot of litigation taking place on that site, we've been advised to possibly hold off on any public meetings at this time. However, we're more than welcome to meet with you and provide some information, but I do know that there is a lot of litigation happening right now between the developer in the city that we don't want to go into much detail about, but as soon as we feel comfortable in the city, feels comfortable coming out to support us in our meeting. We'll be looking forward to having a public conversation on the future of the Herman kefir site. Thank you so much for calling in
our next caller, please.
The next caller is Steven Harring.
Can I be heard? Yes,
you can. Councilwoman Santiago Rivera and President Sheffield, they deserve credit for denouncing these just gibberish Westboro Baptist Church comments that have came out by one certain commenter, and, you know, followed by several others, like, you know, Nico Williams, who slandered and threatened me for calling out his Westboro Baptist Church anti immigrant comments towards Santiago Rome, falsely accused me of calling a Councilwoman the B word, which I never did, never call any that Word, um. You know, the bottom line is, these comments similar to me, goes towards the US citizen who was simply born in Mexico are disgusting, racist, bigoted and disgusting, and just shows we're a long way from becoming a welcoming city and to Holloway, there is a strong
candidate better than
our next caller, please. Next caller
is Tahira Ahmad
to hear morning Council. Thank you for allowing me speak council member, Callaway. Thank you for being an honorable council person, that guy that just spoke, we all heard you call Miss Lyons, that b word, Miss Lyons, we love you and we thank you. Member Callaway for texting her from that guy. We also want you to pass the property tax reform ordinance provisions in there. That is. We need you guys to do the study. We need you guys to appoint the Board of Review of people with a test, give everybody a test, even if they own them, and then for the people who have been foreclosed, you can receive 1000s of dollars. According to the state Supreme Court, if you were foreclosed for taxes and they sold your house for like, 1000s more than the taxes you owe, they owe you that money. So $2,000 taxes, $40,000 home, 38
All right. Thank you so much. Mr. Mod
the next caller is, we see you
Good morning and through the chair, maybe heard
yes you can thank you. Yes, I want to thank Ms Lyons for her truth calling, and I want to ask a question of this body, who owns the houses in the land bank? Are they owned by the city, or are they owned by the land bank? That's a critical question that needs to be answered. The other thing I wanted to ask was on 22 4.2 cop capital funding for two houses on garland, $742,000 for two years. Who owns these houses and cap? Why? Why is capital funding being expended on these two things? 24.5, she calls you miss diva calls you all the time. About money. This is about barriers. She's got barriers. And I think they list them as several things. I think you can go to the HUD site and look at what's barriers. He mentioned the the 2020, 24 bot dot seven or eight properties. He mentioned
greenhouse gasses,
right? Thank you so much. And if we can know council member Johnson has joined us as well.
Clerk will so no,
the next caller is William and Davis, good morning. Can I be heard? Yes. Okay, I like to start off by saying that I think that item 7.19 on the agenda is a welcome. Is welcoming to see because a lot of city retirees feel very depressed because the city has not done anything, anything to help us, and so many of us have died. I think that's a step in the right direction. Just like a lot of city retirees initially, was told that we may be getting 20 26% 26% of our regular pension check, before they did this flim plan, and we're going on to get like, less than $500 and the fact that the police are getting like over $600 it burns a lot of general fund retirees, because the police retirees, and they do need money too, but they did not have to take a picture cutter or a new declaw back, you know. So they're they already make more money anyway, hopefully I could do more. Thank you so
much. The next color is
the next color is Betty a Varner, good morning. This is Betty a barn, the president of DeSoto Ellsworth black Association, talking about the Finkle corridor from Finkel and liver noise to Finkle and Wyoming. We are working with the city to get our corridor improved, but the problem is there's no monies. Our last meeting in December, Mr. Walker stated that he would be him or some of his team would be talking to different city departments to see if they would be willing to offer some services to think a quarter. But he said if they departments agree, it would have to be, probably have to be part of their budget. So I'm asking that the council, if anyone from the city, their departments come before the council asking, you know, including us in their budget, please be supportive. And I'm asking the council to please allocate some monies for black clubs to help them improve their
their neighborhood and their quarters.
Put stipulations on it, but make sure everyone can be included. Thank you for this time.
Thank you. The
next caller is Frank Hammer.
Good morning. Donald Trump's partner Elon Musk gave a Nazi salute last week in a speech applauding Trump's victory. White Christian nationalists applauded Elon's gesture, mimicking Adolf Hitler. Trump is giving Musk an office in the people's house, the White House, Trump has already eliminated all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion standards in the federal government. Dr King foresaw this development 50 years ago. He stated, the segregationist goal is a total reversal of all reforms with a re establishment of naked oppression, and if need be a native form of fascism to a Council representing a majority black city, this should be cause for alarm. It behooves each of you to organize citizen Anti Fascist committees, to educate your districts to the dangers confronting us and making plans for our common defense.
Thank you. Thank you.
The next caller is Karen Winston,
Good morning.
Hello, yes, we can hear you. Good morning. Good morning. How do you know how to say this? My phone number, lifelong phone number, has been taken over, cloned, apparently.
Hello, yes, we can hear you.
Miss Karen Winston, we can hear you.
She seems to have up off.
Hello, okay, yes, we can hear you. Can you hear me?
Phone number has been stolen. I bought this computer offline. Apparently it's part of a management or something. I'm not management. Everything I say or do is recorded, and so I just want to know who sold me this computer, who stole my life. Excuse me, very worried about this member Callaway. You and I had communication. I don't have that phone number anymore. So somebody's getting all of my information. They may be running an illegal child something from here, I don't know, but it's not me. This computer is part of some organization. I can't get rid of it. I'm always the second person. This is not my business. Whoever is doing it, it's not mine. I need help. Thank you.
The next caller is Marguerite Scarlet Maddox.
Good morning. Miss Maddox, good morning. Good morning. I've been listening. I
and I haven't got out
unless it is
necessary. There's there's whole
immigration you may
leave it alone and let it take Its poet.
And
for me,
I am
and
American
Indians,
but I I consider myself
a grandmother
to carefully. We
need to
we listen to each other, like I said
before, we are one
Detroit, Detroit
to figure out a way to make
communication in
Thank you and God bless.
Thank you as well. Ms Maddox,
the next
caller is you matter?
Can you hear me? Yes? Well, yes, we can hear you.
Okay, thank you very politely. You talk about treating people with respect, but you know, and then some people talk, hey, white privilege. Well, some people have public comment or privilege, and others don't. Many of us feel enormously disrespected when we take time out of our day, uncompensated, unlike you, and come down to speak with you and seek assistance, and then many of us, like myself, usually gets ignored and that that's very disrespectful. You may not be calling us names, but your actions are hard. That's disparate treatment, and it happens all over this city, and people have a right to be upset. Now, I know there's not a perfect science to community engagement, helping people, but definitely, Team Sheffield, your people can do a lot better, and I notice you got to take time and defend yourselves, but when residents get attacked, we don't get the time to defend ourselves in public. So please think about this. You know how residents are treating
Oh, thank you so much, Miss Laurie.
The next caller is ash rose, Hi,
good afternoon. Good afternoon. Hi. This is Ash Davis, a Detroit resident. I am here to voice my support to prevent puppy stores in our city as a certified dog behavior consultant and active animal welfare volunteer, some of the most tragic dog behavior cases I've seen in the past few years came from puppy mills via pet stores. For example, one for weeks after she was brought home, was so terrified would not leave the living room carpet, and trying to put a leash on her or pick her up resulted in severe physiological stress responses. There is already enough suffering in Detroit without bringing in additional traumatized animals. It may be hard to imagine an average of 20 dogs per day coming into DACC, but that is the reality. Over 33% of those dogs have to be euthanized, many of which are not medically or behaviorally necessary, but due to a lack of space and resources, there's not enough homes for them all. Please vote to support this amendment. Also, I want to thank Council members, Santiago Romero, for always being a voice for our honorable
All right, thank you so much.
The next caller is all
in. User one,
all the user one, good afternoon. Applause.
Caller, call in
user, one good afternoon.
Okay, all right, can we please come
back to this caller? Please?
The next caller is Bobby's iPhone.
Bobby's iPhone. Good afternoon.
Good afternoon. Um, there's a couple things that I like to know. Are all of the land bank. Does the land bank own all the houses that are in their in their catalog. That's one thing I want to know. Another thing I want to know is, Why are we always making Task Force instead of commissions where the task force really have no authority? Another thing that we have this land bank, and we're about to vote on this land bank, I think that we need to hire or not hire, yeah, hire or get independent counsel for the ethics board instead of having the city of Detroit Council, I think that we need more investigators in the ethics board, and I think we need to get independent counsel for the ethics board so that they can go ahead and do their jobs, because I think a lot of people are voting on
things that they shouldn't be voting
Thank you. And the memorandum of understanding for Detroit Land Bank Authority was removed from our agenda at this time until we have further dialog and conversation with the land bank. So we're looking forward to those continued discussions. And from my understanding, property that is in the jurisdiction of the land bank is under their purview, and so they do have ownership of those properties. There are still some properties in the city that are owned and maintained by the city, and of course, there are some that are privately owned. So looking forward to any additional questions you have as we continue those conversations with the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
Okay, our next caller, please. The next caller is Sam phone, SM, P, 27 you.
Okay? That may be Miss Riley's phone. She stated, so we can
continue to the next caller.
Okay, the next
caller would be Miko Williams,
yes. Hi, good morning. Yes, thank you for removing the land bank memorandum of understanding. This is very important, because there's so many problems riddled with the land bank. All we want is an opportunity to solve some of the problems. And I do agree that there should be an ethics, independent ethics investigators, and also a body of team to investigate the land bank and present their findings to the city before any memorandum is signed. Also, I want to address that the city council needs a public oversight board. I've been asking for this for a minute, but I'm going to ask formally that the city council oversight board should be by residents. I nominated those residents to be on the board. But also it should happen right now, before the next term in the next body of government. We are living in a Trump government right now. Ladies and gentlemen, we can't be divided. We gotta stand together and stick down together. I reject the comments made about me, and also.
Gabriella Santiago, you need to resign
next caller, please.
Next caller is Karen hammer,
right. Good morning. Yeah. Thank you, Angela Callaway and the task force for all the advances in preventing human sex labor trafficking and helping those traffic to recover. Also, Monday marked the 80th year since the Soviet Union liberated prisoners from Nazi death camp at Birkenau Auschwitz. Look at the article in Jacobin by Roz Siegel, foremost American Israel scholar on it on genocide. It's on quote, genocide denial and Holocaust studies. End Quote detailing how the word anti semitism has been weaponized to support Israel taking Palestinian land and to prosecute students and worldwide supporters of Palestinian people, the American Historical associated Association voted 428 to 88 to oppose scholastic Okay, so Okay.
The next caller is Renard monks, good
afternoon. Renard Bucha, sorry
about that. Good afternoon, Madam President, sorry, I had technical
issues. Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you.
Good afternoon.
Renoir shansky, District Six resident, organizer with Detroit people's platform. I work for a majority black organization that is trying to preserve folks that have stayed in Detroit before the development and make sure that we have a city to live in, transit, Commons and everything else. However, we do stand in solidarity with the attacks that are going on with immigrants. And this is an old playbook that people do not need to be falling into. And for those that know better, um, my mother is an immigrant from Sierra Leone. It's a country in West Africa next to Liberia, and she's a documented immigrant who eventually became a citizen. And during the Trump years, I had a lot of anxiety the first time, because I thought my mother was going to be shipped off. So when you talk about immigrants, you're talking about black people too. You're talking about people from Dominican Republic, Haiti, Guyana and other countries in the African diaspora outside of Africa too. So just check yourself on that, and I reject any comments that are rooted in
bigotry, because that's what
all right. Thank you so much. The next caller is Anne Griffin, good
morning. I'm the Director of Advocacy for Michigan Humane, and Michigan Humane supports the amended ordinance prohibiting the sale of dogs and cats in Detroit pet stores, which is item 19.1 on today's agenda. This is a narrowly tailored ordinance that is a proactive step that will protect the people and animals in Detroit and prevent the suffering caused by the retail sale of cats and dogs. Cities that have already enacted ordinances preventing the retail sale of cats and dogs and pet shops have done so for the sake of the animals and also their residents. As these animals often come with very serious issues that require their new families to spend 1000s of dollars for veterinary care or behavioral rehabilitation and to face the ultimate heartbreak if the animal dies or they have to surrender to a shelter because they cannot afford the care and treatment required Michigan, humane respectfully request your support for this ordinance because it'll promote animal welfare and a humane community for both people and animals in the city of Detroit and Michigan, humane is also ready, willing and able to work with the City Council to address other animal related issues impacting the community. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Thank you.
The last caller who raised their hand before you would cut off public comment is
call in. User one.
Calling. User one, good afternoon. All
right. Calling user one, going once, going twice. And if you can please submit your public comment to the clerk's office, it will be a part of our public record, and that will conclude our general public comment for this morning. We will now proceed to our agenda understanding committee reports for the budget, Finance and Audit
standing committee from the law department, Madam President, there is a correction. These reports are from the internal operations standing committee from the law department and council member Johnson, nine resolutions. Line item 17.1 through 17.9
council member Johnson, thank you, Madam President, Move for approval on line item 17.1 through 17.9 these are various lawsuit settlement requests and requests for legal representation
and indemnification.
All right, are there any objections
on these resolutions? Objection? Member Johnson on line item 17.2
The clerk will note objection so note, Madam President. Member Santiago Romero, 17.1
17.3 i Three, 17.4 17.5
the clerk would know any further objection.
Clerk will note, Madam President,
hearing no further objections, the nine resolutions will be approved moving to the
Office of contracting and procurement.
Council member Johnson, one resolution, line item, 17, point 10, Contract Number 6006292, dash a one, 100% city funding. Amendment One, to provide one year renewal for state lobbyist services, contractor, governmental consultant Services Incorporated. Total contract amount 360,000
that's for the law department.
Council member Johnson, one resolution.
Council member Johnson, thank you,
Madam President, Move for approval.
Is there any discussion?
Any objections
to this contract.
Hearing, no objections. The one resolution will be approved.
Madam President, yes, like to request a waiver online item 17 point 10.
Hearing, no objections, a waiver will be attached to 17
point 10
from the law department.
Council member Johnson, to resolutions line item 17 point 11 and 17
point 12.
Council member Johnson, thank you, Madam President. Move for approval. These are two
settlement requests.
Any objections.
Hearing no objections. The two resolutions will be approved.
Under resolutions, Council Member Johnson joined by Council Member Santiago Romero, a resolution, line item
17, point 13. I
council
member Johnson, thank you, Madam President, Move for approval. This is to re establish the City Council equitable
development task force
Hearing no objections. The one resolution
will be approved clarification.
I when the vote was taken.
I'm not sure that I saw council member
Callaway, perhaps
here and I missed you, but when I turned around, so I just wanted to make sure that there were nine people
for the for the lawsuits, it was only two people. I thought that opposed, that's okay,
that's okay.
You're fine. Dr powers, you always keep us.
Thank you so much.
Okay, so we will now continue under Planning and Development standing committee from the Office of contracting and
procurement council president pro tem James Tate, a resolution, line item, 18.1, Contract Number 6006875, amended 100% grant funding to provide services under the Detroit home housing overdose prevention, managed care and empowerment project contractors changing lives and staying sober, known as Class C, L, A, S, S, total contract amount, $660,612.86 cent. That's for housing and revitalization Council. President Pro
Tem one resolution,
President pro tempore, President, move approval of line item 18.1,
all right. Motion has been made. Are there any objections
to the resolution?
Hearing no objections. The one resolution
will be approved. President, President pro tempore, request for a waiver in line on 18.1
please. Hearing no objections, a waiver will be attached to
18.1 thank you
from the planning and development department. Council. President Pro Tem James, take four resolutions, line items, 18.2 through 18.5
President Pro Temp Tate. President, approval, approval of line items, 18.2 through 18.5 All
right, these are all various property sales. Are there any objections
to any of these property sales?
Hearing? No objections. The four resolutions
will be approved. I
moving to our new business agenda under unfinished
business. Council member Whitfield Callaway an ordinance noting a roll call nine item, 19.1
council member Calloway, thank you, Madam Chair, I moved to take from the table an ordinance to amend chapter six of the 2019 Detroit City, cold animal care, control and regulation by amending Article One definitions in Article Seven, pet shops and renumbering Section six, dash seven, dash three, cell of disease, injured main or sick animal prohibited. Section six, dash seven, dash four, injured for sick animals to be reported care by a licensed veterinarian or others. Section six, dash seven, dash five, representations as to help or pedigree. Section six, dash seven. Dash six, human treatment of animals. Section six, dash seven. Dash seven, approval of department, agreement by applicants and licenses or licensees all to prohibit the sale of dogs and cats by pet shops, laid on the table, November the 12th, 2024
Hearing no objections that action will be taken. We're going to move to discussion after we lay it on the table.
Council member Calloway, yes, ma'am, I move the ordinance be placed on the order of third reading and considered
read, Hearing no objections that action will be taken. And I think this
is where we move to
discussion manager, okay, we will open it now for
discussion council member Young, thank you, ma'am. I just wanna make sure I understand this ordinance correctly. So this is not Is this about we can't sell animals at a pet store at all. So like, let's say me and my partner that, like, wants to open up a store and we raise masting and sort of pit bulls, and we want to be able to sell them out of a store, or pet CO, which is on eight mile, wants to be able to sell don't I don't think they do currently, they want to be they sell other pets, but they want to be able to sell dogs with this band that. Or would this just ban selling dogs that are seized or injured
or harmed?
May I, Madam Chair, yes. Member Calloway, we do have an expert in the room. So if you allow me, she's still here. Yeah, if
she can come to the podium,
Madam Chair, okay, yes. Thank
you. Thank you. Can you just say your name and your title please? Absolutely. My name is Arielle Lefkowitz, and I'm a puppy mills policy specialist with the Humane Society of the United States. So to answer your question, this is only prohibiting the sale of dogs and cats from pet stores. If, for instance, you are a breeder of mastiffs, as you said, and you wanted to sell directly to a member of the public, you would still be able to do so. Animal rescue organizations, animal shelters, rescue groups, they would be able to coordinate with the pet store to arrange space, for example, Michigan Humane works with like premier pet supply to post adoption day events, that sort of thing would still be available if a pet store wanted to connect a resident to a breeder who they feel is responsible and they feel checks the boxes of what makes a responsible breeder, they would still be able to do that. So this is not banning breeding. This is not banning again, like the sale of of dogs or cats to the public, not through a pet store. It's only,
only affecting pet stores, no, because I understand what, I understand what you're saying. I'm just concerned about the pet store aspect of it, because it is this something that is already regulated on the state level in terms of puppy mills, or is this something? Is this something? Or, if not, is this something that could I just feel like it would be better if they had laws and regulations to be able to prevent that in the first place, rather than if I'm Petco and I'm responsible and I want to sell dogs from a store, or if I got like a small or if I'm like canine five, and I want to be able to sell dogs from a store, I just feel like I can't be able to do that. It's like $148 billion industry. If I'm responsible and I'm doing things the right way. Why wouldn't I be able to
do that? So the issue is that the entire pipeline from the puppy mill to the pet store is broken. There is currently nothing at the state level that like there's currently nothing at the state level that would prevent a puppy mill in a Midwestern state from shipping, you know, their puppies into here. There are 16 puppy selling pet stores in the state of Michigan currently, and there are public records that show that they are sourcing from inhumane puppy mills that some of them use predatory lending schemes. These are consumer protection issues that we want to prevent from entering the city of Detroit, because there are no current puppy selling pet stores in the city. And so, you know, we are working and we are fighting for regulations at the state level, but that also takes time. The cities have this power and responsibility to say we're going to protect our own community.
No, I agree what you're saying. I just don't agree with the sale part. I think that we should ban these stores for being able to accept dogs from these puppy mills. I think we should have harsher penalties, whether it be fines, whether it be, you know, changing, you know, sibling fractions, the misdemeanors. I understand all that, you know, because, God forbid, I don't want a dog that's sold, you know, with that's been injured. And, you know, I don't know about everybody else, but I've seen that, you know, the McLaughlin videos, dogs with the ear bit, and it makes me want to cry every time I see it. So I understand that I don't want those type of dogs being sold at all. I just don't understand, like, if I'm doing the right thing and I'm not buying those dogs and I'm taking care of them properly, why? If I wanted to sell for the seed drink, I couldn't I understand what you're saying about cracking down on puppy mills in the system, and we should. I just, I just don't understand the sale from the store aspect of it. That's, that's my hesitation with this,
okay, through the chair Graham Anderson law department, to just make a few additions to help ease some of your very reasonable anxiety towards this council member, young as stated before, I think a key thing to highlight is this currently affects no current touch ups in the city of Detroit, correct. And to your point, too. And I think council member Callie would agree as well with this, that this is not an end all be all solution to all those problems, this is step one, and if additional legislation in the future, both at the city level and the state level, to go further to address these bad actors. But what we're obviously in favor of that with this is just step one in tackling this obvious, gross, you know, inhumane practice in this as well. The real emphasis here is to encourage people to go more to adopt at local shelters, where I adopted a cat this summer from a Detroit shelter. And there's, there's plenty. I know I'm a cat guy, it surprised me too. I saw your face there. Yeah. Weird. So No, no, no, I understand the private market aspect your concerns about, but, but this is, this is we're not handcuffing anybody here from selling responsible breeders are still able to sell we're not stopping that. And as I said before,
this is just step one. Okay, so, so, like, so like, if I'm a pet cub, or if I'm like, a Pet Smart and I decide I want to be able to sell dogs from my store, from like, a trusted brand.
Would I be prohibited? Well, so under this, let me go to the actual language of the ordinance. But no person chapter six, Jeff of Section seven, three, no person operating a pet shop within the city shall sell or offer for sale any dogs or cats. Nothing in this section shall prevent a pet store, its owner, operator or employees, from providing space and appropriate care for animals owned by an animal control, shelter, rescue organization, foster care provider, foster home and maintained at the pet store for the purposes of adopting those animals to the public. So I see where you're coming with that, but that's the as you see, that that's what the black letter language lays out in this statute. In addition, there was some confusion about enforcement as well. Section B there says, in addition to other penalties which may be imposed for violation of this section, the pet shop may have its city license suspended, revoked or not renewed, in accordance with chapter 28 of this code license. So what we determined was it would be the General Services Department, but that they would issue the tickets if we do find out they keep, you know, violating this they're not going about about this the right way, they would keep issuing the tickets. They would then work with BC to determine is this worthy of pulling that license. So from your concern too about business operating, maybe someone just did something the wrong way, that they were innocent, but they just, you know, might have done something the wrong way. It doesn't mean we're revoking that license right away, that they get their ticket, they learn they'll do better. They're not automatically going to lose their license. Both. We do have this bad actor that one, two, however, many times they're just not listening and they keep violating over and over again. Then that's a discussion between the General Services Department and BC to say, Hey,
I think this license should be pulled here as No, no, as it should be. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not knocking that part of it at all. It's just the private sector aspect I'm kind of having problems with, because I know there's a lot of people who would just rather feel more comfortable. More comfortable going through a store than going to a shelter and things that nature. So just something I have to wrestle with in my own mind, I am done.
Madam President, thank you. Thank you. So just the question is similar. I was not necessarily concerned, but just curious if it was talked about as it relates to just more so enforcement on pet shops that may want to open up to ensure that they have or are getting dogs from a licensed breeder, and maybe putting more stringent controls over if a pet shop wants to open that we're ensuring that those dogs are not treated inhumanely, or that they're going through a licensed breeder that route, versus a strict prohibition on all pet shops altogether, if that will help address some of the concerns that you raise, because everyone may not want a rescue dog through Humane Society, etc. They may want to go to a pet shop. But how do we ensure that maybe, if a pet shop wanted to open that they are maybe requiring, through an ordinance or a law that those dogs that are sold have to come from a licensed breeder. So that addresses
the issue that you're raising. Thank you for that question. And so the issue is that even if the breeder is USDA licensed, those standards of care are very minimal, and the enforcement that is happening is very it is not enough, and it's not meaningful. So the you under USDA law, dogs can be confined in cages that are only six inches larger than their bodies. They do not have to touch a blade of grass. They can be denied veterinary medicine or not be given veterinary treatment right away. They can be kept in temperatures that are extreme heat, extreme cold, for hours at a time. And you know, even when USDA inspectors are going in and providing these citations to violations that they are seeing, there's not meaningful enforcement happening. We've seen numerous cases where breeders who are licensed are cited for violations. Their license may be responded suspended, but then they are re licensed in a matter of you know, a year or two after that, we have seen cases where they no fines are happening, no animals are confiscated. There are some states that have more stringent standards of care for commercial breeders, but there are still these puppy mills operating in Missouri, for example, Kansas, Iowa. These are states that are currently shipping into Michigan puppy selling pet stores elsewhere in the state. And there are records of dogs from these licensed breeders that have open wounds. There's moldy feces in the enclosures. There's
significant problems, and I understand it is one step, but it's to me, the ordinance doesn't address the initial onset issue that you're talking about now, the puppy mill, the care, and that this ordinance would not prevent that, unfortunately. And so I heard you said that more work is being done to address those issues. That's really the core of it, where, when me and my team went over the ordinance this morning, everything you just said, this is the end like it doesn't address the initial cause of the care of the dogs, that's my concern. Yeah. And then everything that you just mentioned regarding the standards of the care within the pet shop, those are requirements that we could put in, put into the wardens, right, that the dog needs to go out certain amount of times a day that these are different standards that we want in the environment of those pet shops as an alternative. I'm just thinking of different ways. Yeah, absolutely, because it, you know, and I do support where we are today, but it doesn't seem like it gets to the
crux of what you're raising. Yeah. May I say something absolutely and thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair, this is just one step, I believe, in the right direction. Just as our Constitution of the United States, it's you can amend it. You can make it as small, multiple amendments as you want. But this is just a first step. And I know they're going to be multiple steps after after this one, but I would bring my colleagues attention to an email that we received, yes, well, this morning, after midnight, from the mayor of Berkeley, they have a pet store. And I'll read it, and then we'll go back to you through the chair to the honorable members of Detroit City Council. We are Bridget Dean, Mayor of the City of Berkeley, and Dennis Hendon, Berkeley council member, and strongly urge you to pass the ordinance prohibiting retail sales of dogs and cats. We are writing to share our experience with puppy gram, a pure bred dog store that opened this in the city of Berkeley on Woodward in early 2023 as well as the legal challenges we face while trying to ensure the animals entering our city are healthy and humanely treated. When the store initially opened, we didn't give it much thought, but we were soon educated on how the vast majority of these stores get their animals from inhumane puppy mills. You may be told these animals are being cared for according to USDA standards, but those standards are about the animal surviving and not the inhumane treatment that they receive. Puppy mills often have hundreds of dogs kept in crates barely larger than themselves, never getting attention or socialization. And despite the LAX USDA a standards, these breeders will still regularly wrap up violations and then play a shell game of revolving ownership among family members to make it appear as if their record is clean. You can read more about dog meals at bailing out Benji for Berkeley, the pet store was already open. Once we learn how they typically operate. Had we already had an ordinance prohibiting such stores, we would have saved many months of lengthy research and very hard work to craft an ordinance to offer the few protections we can. There is evidence that puppy Graham's source of animals is from largely unlicensed facilities. However, as a Michigan municipality, we have no authority to investigate them as their breeders are outside our borders, as she just mentioned, even in other states, as she also mentioned, further animals are generally treated humanely once they reach the storefront. Under these constraints, it makes proving inhumane treatment extremely challenging for cities, if not impossible. So we attempted to craft an ordinance that would require proof to be provided about the source and care of the animals, but even the request for documentation that should already exist and be readily available has often not been forthcoming. In short, if you want to curb the inhumane treatment of animals, one of the easiest and most effective ways to do so is to prohibit retail sales of dogs and cats. We are not against the sale of pure bred animals. Both of us have purchased purebreds from reputable, embedded breeders and adopted from rescues. My family and I have also adopted animals from the pound the Humane Society, and found one on the street and adopted and adopted them, even a cat. So we had one cat for 13 years. We had Abby, a little a little schnauzer for 12 years. She jumped in our car she was walking along the street, and we make sure they didn't have any chips. And then Lucy, we still have. She came from a pound in Ohio. They found her in a in a corn field, and we adopted her. We still have, still have Lucy, Abby and Sasha made their transition. So we love animals, even with the retail sales prohibition, consumers will still have humane choices, although Berkeley has prohibited all new retail stores for dog and dog and cat sales. Please note that we are speaking from our personal experience and research and do not represent the city of Berkeley in this letter. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us. The mayor of Berkeley, Bridget Dean, she provides her number to all of us and a council member, Dennis Hennen, he also provides his personal contact information. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you so much. Yeah, so if I may add on to that, and thank you so much. Council member Calloway, that the issue is that there is no way for Detroit to ensure that the breeders supplying the pet stores are doing what they're saying they're doing right? There's a lack of transparency that exists in this industry. And even if you have humane treatment in the store itself. The system is broken such that the damage has been done. If they are coming from a puppy mill, it affects the mother that births the babies. There are mothers that you know, we've seen are paralyzed and still used for breeding, and then those puppies are shipped, sometimes hundreds of miles to the store. You know, they're not getting potty breaks every two hours. So the the ability for for disease, for viruses, to spread between them, is rampant and or it's high, I should say. And so what this is doing, what ordinances like this do is cut off the demand for those for those sources. And I've heard from many local rescue groups that there are broader animal related concerns in the city already that this community is trying to face with. And so by enacting this ordinance, we are preventing the situation from getting any worse, because we know that in other places in the state, it is already occurring. So we do not want those bad actors, those issues, to enter this community, and then we can take more steps down the road to address those broader concerns, to address the high stray populations, the need to bridge the gap you know, of of resource access in the community, things like that and and just it cannot be stated enough, that is, this does not impact existing businesses in the city and businesses that are supplying Pet Services, pet supplies, boarding, Training, toys, dog food. They are still welcome under this ordinance
to enter the city. Thank you. I did see a couple of hands, so I'll start with President Pro Temp Tate,
and then I'll go down. Thank you, Madam President, thank you for being here. Want to first say I am a animal lover. I have rescued three so far, dogs and I've had a dog pretty much my entire life, best companion outside of my wife, of course, I gotta say that she heard that I've ever had, but wanted to know just a little bit more. Kind of down the road that council president was was heading, what's the overall effort, right? I mean, we as council often get folks who come before us want us to do this thing, and there's a whole host of other steps that lead up to this point. And because we're the most accessible, we're right in front of you, and they may not have been able to get much going in those directions. We are the ones that are the at the end of the train, so to speak. Sometimes it's in our hands, sometimes it's not in this one, it appears that we can make some adjustment. But I'm curious, because I'll be honest with you, being a council member, the time that I have been a Detroiter, as long as this has not been an issue that has been raised by residents in Detroit. To me, once the effort came before us, I saw a letter campaign. I saw, you know, communication there. It is a concern, because I seen the videos as well. So I'm not going to say that I'm not concerned about the issue whatsoever, but I'm also curious about one, how it became what it is today, before us as a piece of legislation, again, knowing that having really heard Detroiters in earnest talk about this, we don't have any stores that sell them currently, so we don't have those experiences from folks in Detroit, but then a broader comment conversation, if you will, about what's the larger effort? Because yet, now we have this. But where are we with the entire state and the puppy mills themselves in getting them regulated better before they even go to a consumer? Because at the end of the day, whether the consumer is purchasing, purchasing the animal from the puppy mill, or they're purchasing from a retail store that got them from a puppy mill, those puppies, those dogs, those animals, those beans, are still in that particular state. And while this was not on my radar before, it sounds like it has been on your organization's radar. So my question is, what's being done on a broader effort to address the core issue that I think you've kind of heard from us, with the animal, with the puppy mills themselves
and the regulation. Thank you so much for that question, and thank you for rescuing so at a broader level, there are nearly 500 municipalities across the country that have passed ordinances like this. There are also eight states in the country that have passed statewide. Vermont recently passed one last year, as well as New York, their state law just went into effect in December. And 11 Cities here in Michigan currently have ordinances like this. So the reason this is a on our radar, and a priority for advocates such as myself is because this is decreasing the demand. It is cutting off that major sales outlet for puppy mills, because, again, there's the lack of transparency that is inherent in a puppy mill. They are shipping their dogs elsewhere. You never see where the dogs are coming from. You never see the conditions that the parents are being held in and and we have seen that, and compared to 10 years ago, there are 32,000 fewer breeding dogs being held in USDA licensed facilities. So there is a decrease happening in in the industry, and by continuing to close off those sales outlets, that that assists that effort, as far as the larger effort, we are always working to find state legislators, including here in Michigan, that would be willing to work on improved standards of care for breeders within the state. That's something that can also happen at the municipal level. I myself have worked as recently with Campbell County in Kentucky on sort of huge overhaul of their code of ordinances as it is in regards to animals in short of looking at the requirements of a kennel, a breeding kennel, whether it's a commercial kennel or a kennel that's used for boarding, things like that, so looking at the standards of care there. You know, Council Member Santiago Romero is also invested in this issue, and we are committed to facilitating conversations with local stakeholders so that we can fully understand the issues that this community faces, and that we can start to look at the the city code and work on legislation, work on policy that could address those issues in the in the future. You know, there are initiatives such as spay neuter clinics that that the city can host, and there
are, there are a number of things. We're again talking in use. We're talking, we're talking at the end I'm saying we're talking, what I was describing were the mills themselves before the animals get to us. So what's being done from your organization's effort to try to change that from a statewide standpoint, and then a nationwide I mean, we always can go down to the local level, which, again, is smart. It makes sense. But from a broad perspective, as I mentioned before, whether that individual purchases the animal from the meal itself, directly or from a retail establishment that purchased them, the meal still exists. So that's where, that's the question I'm asking more
from in that stage understood. So we are fighting for legislation at the federal level as well. There is a bill that has been pending for many years, but it is called the puppy Protection Act, and that would increase the standards of care under the Animal Welfare Act. So that is the law that is currently enforced by the USDA. As I mentioned, the standards of care under that current law are very minimal, and enforcement is is not meaningful. It's also minimal, and so we are looking to improve the standards of care. Require that dogs get meaningful socialization that they're getting outside, that they are kept in enclosures that are big enough for them to to turn around, sit down, live comfortably, but also have that outside socialization and ability to be a dog. Right? We support legislation such as the better care for animals act. That's another bill pending at the federal level that would allow the Department of Justice to work directly with the USDA and provide better enforcement, so it would give them explicit authority to step in and provide fines, to confiscate dogs that are suffering in puppy mills, and also To to revoke licenses and so really provide meaningful enforcement action when the law is being violated. Thank
you. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you so much. Council member, Santiago Romero, thank you Madam President, and thank you for this work and for your advocacy. It's incredibly important. From my understanding, this ordinance is preventative. Currently we are not having this issue in the city of Detroit. It's not a thing here. It's preventative in case it's supposed to come but to the points of my colleagues, we do have real issues here in the city of Detroit. It's the issues of breeding. It's the issues of we have stray dogs. Also, very proud dog owner, two beautiful dogs. And we need further education. We need preventative action. You mentioned that I'll be working with you. We've got the ball rolling. Quite frankly, to my colleagues, this, I think, requires a task force. This requires a full all around thought process of, what are we doing, locally, statewide, federally, what are the resources that exist, and what are the gaps? Because, quite frankly, what's happening is that we have organizations that are addressing the issues that we deal with in the city of Detroit every single day, and they're doing it alone, and we should be able to help you fill whatever gaps, work together, coordinate. That's the lack here, and that's something that I'm looking forward to work with you on, and whoever else I remember. Deer Hall also was addressing issues of animal control, so there are council members here who need to address the core issues here in the city of Detroit. This, for me, is something that's preventative, but it also highlights the need for us to address the real issues happening here in the city that have been incredibly detrimental. We've had loss of young children, loss of men who are attacked by dogs. That's the issue here that we need to be addressing, and quite frankly, I think this really emphasizes that and allows us to have that conversation here publicly. So thank you. But for me, this is preventative, and there's a lot more work that we have to do, something that we are going to be looking into. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you so much. Council Member Santiago
Romero, Council Member duroch, thank you and good afternoon to you. So just really quickly, in this legislation, I know that there have been multiple cities and municipalities that have banned the sale of pets or cats and dogs, should I say, in retail stores, but there's generally a caveat in there that still allows them to partnership and sell from shelters, is that in this particular ordinance,
so correct? Yes. So animal rescue organizations, foster groups, essentially folks that are doing this local rescue work within the city can still partner with pet stores. The pet stores can host space for those organizations and showcase those adoptable
animals to the public. And so let me ask you, from the sale of these animals, maybe through or if they host one of these shelters, or shelters or organizations where they get these animals to the public through the shelters, and that partnership, is there
revenue generated off of those
sales, and who does that revenue go to? I think that would be more of a legal option through the chair. I
think that would depend on the individual business council member der Hall. I can't der Hall. I can't speak on behalf of all of them, but, but I, but as, as stated previously, yes and the black lottery law does allow for animal shelters, rescue organizations, foster care providers, foster homes about to to
provide those services. Yes, and so. So the reason why I asked, and let me say, I'm not saying I'm I'm against this ordinance, but what I'm stating is is, as we look across the country, and we're basically mirroring kind of these ordinances, or mirroring this, this initiative, most of the work has been done on the state level. So when we talk about New York, they have a state ban a city. The only closest city that comes to mind from the research that I've had is Dallas, who has passed a local ordinance, but even within that ordinance, it still allows for that partnership to occur. I don't know the specifics of how that revenue is generated because they are still a business as well that has supplies, and so I want to be very careful, and I have always been about issuing a mandate that could potentially harm business, although this is an important issue because we don't want pets hard, so that's first. Life is first, and I agree with that, but we don't want to have unintended consequences for businesses as well. And had the opportunity to engage, remember callaways office and asked about this ordinance because I did not know to member takes point this to be a problem in the city of Detroit, because no one's selling cats and dogs on a retail level already, and so what was in my thinking? I want to be careful that we at that point and not saying that that's what this is, but be developing a solution in search of a problem that doesn't exist already here in the city of Detroit. So what do those partnerships look like, and if that is in this ordinance, or have there been discussions that, if these retail stores are supposed to come here, do they partner with our local animal shelter? Do they partner with our local humane society?
What are those discussions?
Thank you for that question. And so it depends on the business and it depends on the rescue organization, so it's at the discretion of both parties whether they want to work together. I can send your office some more information of examples from different states where there are stores that have transitioned or there are stores that you know currently work with different different shelters. As I mentioned, Michigan Humane currently works with Premier pet supply in Detroit to do things just like this, Petco and Pet Smart, as some of you all may know, already, often hosts adoption events for local rescue groups. And so it is. It is at the discretion of both parties, you know who they want to work with. And I think there might have been another piece to
your question that I'm forgetting. Well, no, I mean, that was pretty much the crux of it, just knowing what those partnerships look like, talking about our local animal control that we have here, noting that when we talk about the space and the necessity for how we house animals here that are maybe picked up or shelter, we partner with the local humane society here, right? But what are those discussions relative to this legislation? Okay, noting that this is something may, that may come into fruition. And I'm not saying that a Pet Smart or whatever is going to open here within the next 10 years, but I want to be sure that if we are putting this legislation forward, the possibility of a retail store that could be needed to supply pets so they don't have to cross into other cities to
get pet
supplies understood
up here is not based upon the precedent
that we are setting today. Okay, so speaking now, as someone who has worked at an animal shelter and who has volunteered at some of these events, typically what happens is that volunteers are like the shelter, employees will bring dogs cats, to the store, and that will be publicized as an event. People can come and interact with the dogs, with the cats, and they can decide whether they're going to adopt them, and then they would fill out that paperwork with the shelter organization, with the organization that that, I guess, has ownership of of the animal in that moment, I know because recently, I was working on some research for this that there is, there are, is a store in, I believe it's Oregon, that hosts puppies at their store that come from purebred breeders who they have vetted as responsible, and then they connect residents with that breeder, with that individual. And that is just sort of two quick
examples of how that might look. But I'm kind of asking, what is that plan here at the city. So let's say, okay, smart says we want to open up on eight mile, right? And we're saying, Okay, you can open up on eight mile, but know and understand, you can't sell dogs and cats, but there's a caveat that if you partner with the shelter, you're able to, able to do that. But what you know, what is, what does that look like? I'm trying to, trying to figure out what that looks like. And even to this point, we talk about the connection to breeders. What is that conversation with breeders? And saying that, okay, you know, even in this legislation, we're going to allow that to take place. I just, I want to connect the dots. I think that, for me, that's what it is, connecting the dots to ensure that 10 years down the line, we don't have unintended consequences from this,
this or understood. Okay, so I the if the animal were to be adopted out from an animal rescue organization, I believe that fee would be retained by the animal rescue organization, rather than the pet store. And again, if they were to point the resident in the direction of a responsible breeder, then the the proceeds from that sale would go to the breeder, breeder, rather than the pet store. And we,
yeah, I think, and through the Chair, if I may as well, Council Member durhall, you bring up a fantastic point. One thing I want to highlight too, though, is that this, if you know, Petco wanted to open up next to the Meyer right by council member Benson's district there, if there are still various services that pet co provides, where they can still make profit off, whether it's grooming, obviously a large supply, supply of food and other needs that cats, dogs and other pets needs. So we're not outlawing pet stores. We're just restricting the sale of, actually, the cats and dogs. There is still a large economy behind that as well. I just, I just
wanted to highlight that point as well. No, no, I'm aware of that, and I agree. I'm not saying that we're outlawing pet stores. What I'm saying is the unintended consequence of someone deciding to do business in a city or municipality is based off of what the ordinances of that city and municipality allows. And so if, let's say I am a pet CO, and I know I can go open up a pet CO, I can't say Royal Oak, because that is not allowed on Royal but just say other city or municipality and say, I'm not coming to Detroit, because I know I can do what I need to do over here that could be an unintended consequence, and so I'm in agreement with my colleagues. I mean, I think this is a further a further discussion really is warranted as we talk about regulation and even responsible pet ownership. But I also think there needs to be a campaign put out there, because if you are someone who is looking to buy a cat and a dog, some folks don't know the process of going to a responsible breeder. Some folks don't know the process of going to a shelter or the Humane Society, and the first thought that they have in their minds is that I'll go to a retail store because the stigma and the mind state that is attached, and this is a professional corporate business that is going to provide me with an animal that is is pure bred, that is safe, with no diseases. So I think the campaigning and educational component is very important to our residents, and we want to make sure we get that information out to our residents as well, showing them how those dots are connected, what they can do to go get that that animal. I'm not opposed that if funding from the sales of those, you know, animals go towards the shelters. I mean, they're nonprofits. Want to see our nonprofits thrive and continue some of the great work they're doing, but there's a business component that we have to be sensitive, sensitive to as well. Other than that, that
concludes my comments. Thank you, Madam President, all right.
Thank you council member Calloway, yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you to all my colleagues. Thank you for your questions, and I want to thank you, young lady, for flying in from New Jersey your hometown to appear before us today, and you were here yesterday. And I want to thank you for your commitment, because you're not from Michigan, but you've done the homework to know about Michigan laws. You are a national representative, so I want to, I want to thank you, and also, I want to bring to my colleagues attention again, that in Michigan, including Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Ferndale, East Point, Fraser, new Baltimore Harbor, spring St Clair Shores and Hazel park have successfully enacted similar ordinances. So we're not, you know, treading in new territory. We're just doing what other municipalities have done, and then we can't wait on the state to do what's right by the city of Detroit, for instance, our cashless ban, we didn't wait on the state to take action. We knew it was good for our residents, so we passed that law last year. We didn't wait on the state to pass an ordinance about human trafficking and making it mandatory that we have a nine by seven placard in hotels and motels. We took it upon ourselves and passed it. Now they're watching us, and now we're going to be meeting with the Attorney General to see how it could be a statewide requirement. So it's this legislative body that's putting the laws in place that the state is looking it's looking at my colleague and I member Benson, when I first took office, we passed a ordinance, a requirement that there's six paid, six paid weeks of parental leave that was not in existence before. Well, what did the city of Dearborn do they follow suit? What did the state of Michigan? Do we set the Presidents for the state. That's my opinion. They're watching what we do. We're the largest city in the state, so we can set the barometers in terms of what
happens across the state, and
that's what we're doing here. That's what we did with this ordinance making it requirement in hotels and motels This is the law, and now they're going to hopefully do the same thing. We'll be meeting with some of our state representatives, showing them our ordinance and why it's important that it not just be by city but a state law. So I want to thank you again, and you know whatever we need to do to have a vote up or vote down. Madam Chair, I'm there, and I think my colleagues again for their input and their questions. They've been they've been thought provoking, and especially you, young lady, answering all these questions. And you're not from, from Michigan, and I thank you for flying in to appear before this Council. Thank you so much. And thank you attorney
Anderson, thank you. Thank you Madam Chair.
Thank you council member Benson. Motion to
in debate. Okay, for the Chair, if I may just have one quick point. I was shocked to learn about the loss of deonta and now the clerk's department, and I'm just really heartbroken to hear that he always was professional. Helped guide me in my early career at the city of Detroit. Was a great guy to have a beer with. So I just have to say that real quick, I'm sorry for your guys' loss.
Thank you. Thank you so much. All right, there is a motion to end debate, and if there are no objections, that action will be taken.
Councilmember Callaway, we can now
move the ordinance to be passed as submitted. Madam Chair, move the coordinates be
passed as submitted, and there being a roll call required with the clerk,
please call the roll council member Scott Benson, yes. Council member Fred der Hall, the third Yes. Council member Letitia Johnson, yes. Council members Gabriella Santiago Romero Yes. Council president pro tem, James Tate, yes. Council member Mary water, yes. Council member Angela Whitfield, Callaway, yes. Council member
Coleman Young the second
Yes. Council President, Mary Sheffield, yes,
nine yeas, zero,
nays. That motion passes. Madam President, the ordinance is approved. Council member Calloway, I move the title to the ordinance be confirmed. Madam Chair, Hearing no objections that action will
be taken. Thank you very much, Madam Chair,
and thank you to all my colleagues. All right. Thank
you, Madam Clerk, if we can move to the next ordinance. Council Member Santiago Romero and ordinance noting a roll call line item 19.2,
Council Member Santiago Romero,
thank you, Madam President, I move to take from the table an ordinance to amend chapter 43 of the 2019 Detroit city code, street, sidewalks and other public places. Article eight, encroachments and obstructions by adding division three outdoor dining street areas to include subdivision a generally, Section 43 dash eight, dash 46 scope of this division, Section 43 dash eight, dash 462, definition, Section 43 dash eight, dash 63 misdemeanor, violation, continuing violation, penalties for conviction thereof. Sections 43 dash eight, dash, 64 general requirements, alcoholic beverages, site specifications, identity agreements. Section 43 dash eight, dash, 65 use of tents and shade structures, hence larger than 10 foot by 10 foot, restrictions and prohibitions. Sections 43 dash eight, dash, 66 sidewalk, Street area requirements, sections 43 dash eight, dash 67 Park Street area requirements, last Park meter revenue and sections 43 dash eight, dash 68 parking lot Street area requirements and subdivision B permits to include sections 43 dash eight, dash 81 required, sections 43 dash eight, dash 82 expiration and renewal of permits. Sections, 43 dash eight, dash 83 applications. Sections, 43 dash eight, dash 84 review of application exceptions. Sections, 43 dash eight, dash 85 required inspections, standards for issuance, approval, letter posting requirements, non transferable. Sections 43 dash eight, dash 86 notice of rejection. So Section 43 dash eight, dash 87 continued duties of permit T and sections 43 dash eight, dash 88 revocability of permits to establish regulations governing the establishments and operation of outdoor dining areas laid on the table, January 14, 2025 hearing, no objections that action will be taken. Council Member Santiago Ramiro, I move the ordinance be placed on the order of third reading and considered read. Hearing, no objections that action will be taken. Council Member Santiago Ramiro,
I move that the ordinance be passed as submitted.
There being a roll call required.
Will the clerk please call the roll council member Frederick Hall, the third Yes. Council member Letitia Johnson, yes. Council member Gabriella Santiago Romero Yes. Council president pro tem James Tate council member Mary waters, yes. Council member Angela Whitfield fell away Yes. Council member Coleman Young the second Yes. Council member Scott Vincent, yes. Council President, Mary Sheffield, yes, nine yeas, zero nays,
That motion passes. Madam President, the ordinance is approved. Council member, Santiago Romero, thank you. Madam President, I move that the title of the ordinance be confirmed, Hearing no objections that action will be taken. Brief discussion. Madam President, yes. For the public's information, we just passed an ordinance to codify streeteries, street eating, eating outside in the city of Detroit, this happens during COVID, a lot of businesses, since we weren't able to go inside, we're outside. There are many cities like New York, once COVID ended, they stopped allowing restaurants to allow their business outside. We just needed so Detroit can continue to have businesses be outside. I know I love being outside in the neighborhood enjoying a good meal, of enjoying our businesses. So thank you everyone for continuing that. I know that we all greatly enjoy it. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you council member, Santiago Ramirez from the Office of contracting the procurement and I'm going to turn the chair over to pro Tim for a quick second and Madam Clerk, if we can proceed to Office of contracting and
procurement, Madam Chair, may I request a waiver online item 19.1
19.1 which was the ordinance we passed for the head store. Ordinance, is there any objection to a waiver on that item? Okay, Hearing no objections, a waiver will be attached to 19.1 Madam President, a waiver for 19.2 and if there are no objections, we will also add a waiver to line item 19.2
that action will be taken.
Madam Clerk, Council Member Santiago Romero, a resolution line item 19.3, Contract Number 6006847, dash r, revenue agreement, police space and provide concession operations for the Coleman and young International Airport contractor, my flight tours LLC, total contract amount, $0 that's for airport Council Member Santiago Romero, a resolution.
Member Santiago Romero, motion to approve as a motion to approve line out of 19.3 with
discussion. Member Benson. Thank you very much. Through yourself to the administration. Is there anybody here from the airport who can speak to this contract
in these terms, the long contract? Yeah, Mr. Washington, so you hear anyone from the airport? Yes, good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee. We do have Jason white online. All right, we can move
Mr. Watt, or Director Watt over,
and when you see yourself on the screen,
sir, please introduce yourself for the record. You
Good afternoon. We'll see you on the screen. Please introduce yourself for the record. Yes, Jason, what? Airport director,
good afternoon. Member, Benson. Thank you very much. Mr. Watt, looking at the tutor report here, this indicates that this is a revenue contract, but there's no number assigned to that. What's the value of this
contract to the city of Detroit? Value of the airport or to the of the contract is 4.5 million.
Okay, over a 30 year period? Yes, sir, okay. And then how are we basing that? And is that a good number of 4.5 million over 30 years? We're providing a contract to somebody. They're committed. They're doing business at the City Airport. Are we receiving just compensation
for the use of our airport? Absolutely, this particular contract is going to allow the airport to collect $5 per passenger that flies on the the the helicopter tour operation. It also includes 2.5% of the fixed wing operations that this particular company is going to be doing. In addition to that, there's a land lease involved in this that will be $1,000 a month. And then, in addition to all of that, this contract also allows for us to start the discussion with the FAA about changing the status of our airport from a GA airport to a primary non hub airport, so that we can start counting passengers, which means that instead of us getting a subsidy of $150,000 a year, we'll be in line to be able to get a subsidy of about 1.3 million per year for infrastructure improvements, based on the number of pastors that we're doing, which on average, with this
particular company, is 20,000 okay? Is that 1.3 million factored into the
value of this contract? It is not. It is not because that's a that's actually not with this particular company. That's a discussion with the Federal Aviation Administration,
which we're currently having. Okay. In addition, the teeter report indicates that the tour operator providing passengers with pre arranged private flights of a distance under 100 miles round trip. So providing fixed flight for less than 100 miles, it seems like a very short distance for a fixed
wing flight, right, right? So some some individuals may choose to use service. He this particular company has purchased a private jet, which they're in the process of turning into the they're gonna be using it under there. It's called CFR Part 135 which is not commercial service. It's a private service. It's a different standard, meaning that the, let's say they go from Detroit to Lansing that, you know, that's not necessarily 100 mile distance. So we wouldn't charge a 2.5% against that, but we would charge a 2.5% against, say, an individual or a company that utilized that service to go to, say, Mackin Island, or even as far
down as to the Bahamas, okay? And then just looking at there is a requirement, the vendor is going to spend $3.4 million on capital improvements at the airport, and then just going back to the 30 year period, are we confident that we're going to be getting our value after giving somebody ability to generate revenue over a 30 year period? And are they locked $4
million expenditure? They are locked into the $3.4 million expenditure. They are set ready to go for development. They actually have staged equipment at the airport. Their intention is to break ground. If they could do it today, they would. They just can't do it due to the weather, but they are 100% committed to the city of Detroit, as the citizens of the city Detroit been committed to them and help build that company into what it
is today, which is phenomenal. Okay? And then we had a public comment recently where someone indicated that the operator My flight is taking helicopters and hovering over people's homes in the eighth special streets area around Van Dyke and outer drive. It just doesn't seem realistic to me. Is there any evidence that's
actually happening? We have not received any of those reports as of as of yet. I'm not here to call anybody say that it didn't happen. I don't know the circumstances in which that would be done. They may have misconstrued, say, a DPT aviation operation in that area with a my flight helicopter. Traditionally, these helicopters are going to depart South out of the airport and then fly over the downtown area and then down back through the the waterway there. So we try to keep them away from from people as to not have so many reports of incidents. But traditionally, the helicopters do not fly north out of the airport, and if they did, they were put there and possibly a holding pattern by air traffic, just for landing or
departing aircraft. All
right. Thank you very much. Mr. Chair. Thank you, Director. Well, I got a question for you. I know this is for a 30 year commitment, and fears that all of the terms are fixed. Are there any potential of escalation based on performance, based on revenue generated? Because if, if we're fixed for 30 years and fortunes change like I'm prayerful that it will based on your leadership and the leadership of the folks sitting at this table and whoever Mayor's office at the time, yeah, you know, I want to make sure that we can maximize the opportunity in this particular contract, also understanding that, you know, in lean times, we also need to take care of those who were with us during those that era. But you know, as we move forward,
where's our flexibility, our flexibility, sir, through the chair, is is placed into so every five years, there is an escalator that I believe should be in there as a an appraisal on the property. So we do have the ability, after five years, to increase the rate based on fair market value at the time. So every five years this will be reevaluated. Then I believe, actually after that five year period, then it goes to every
year after that.
All right, thank you, colleagues. Any additional Seeing none. There was a motion to approve line item 19.3 any objections
Seeing none, that action shall be right. Mr. Chair,
what line 19.3 as request for waiver in line 19.3 colleagues, any objection Seeing none, a waiver should be attached. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir, from the from the Office
of contracting and procurement. Council member young a resolution noting that this line item was postponed from last week formal session. 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. That's for general services. Council member young, or
resolution you
remember Young? Thank you, Mr. President, I move to approve line item 19.4
as a motion to approve line out of 19.4. Colleagues, any objection any discussion.
Seeing none. That action shall be taken.
Thank you. From the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of
Development and grants. Council member, Santiago Romero, a resolution, line item 19.7 member Santiago Romero, motion
to approve. The Motion to approve. Line item 19.7 Colleagues, any discussion and or approval? Seeing none that action shall be taken. Request a waiver. Mr. President, this request for a waiver in lineup, 19.7 Colleagues, any objection Seeing none waivers will be attached. Thank you.
Under resolutions, Madam Clerk, Council Member durhall, a resolution line item, 19.8 member durha,
thank you, Mr. President. Motion to discuss briefly, 19.8 motion to discuss line item, 19.8 member duha, thank you. And again, this is providing notice of the mayor's submission of the budget to Detroit City Council. It will announce that Mayor Duggan will submit the proposed budget on February 28 in compliance with section 17, dash two, dash 3c of the city charter. We also have a walk on that has been given to us, if LPD can just quickly speak on that, very quickly, or, I'm sorry, the administration or LPD, see Mr. Joined us. Mr. Coyle, you have insight on the walk on it. Remember Hall member chair. Hall just announced Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair and good afternoon city council. So last night, late last night, we submitted an LPD, our proposed budget calendar for 2025 2026 memo that describes the budget process as well as the calendar. And then we also submitted a proposed calendar for the upcoming budget process. And excuse me, the first attachment includes about four or five resolutions that council would take up and discuss if you agree to this referral to the budget, Finance and Audit Committee that sets the time you know, for the mayor to present his budget, the public hearing the budget the times for the committees to change to accommodate the budget hearings and executive sessions. So all of that will be discussed tomorrow. And budget finance audit again, if you hopefully agree to walk this on and refer to budget Finance and Audit. And as member durha indicated, the mayor looks to present his budget on Friday, February the 28th we understand the time would be at one o'clock, and so on the 28th February 28 and so that's why we're asking for council to put these resolutions for right now so we can start the budget planning process as soon as possible.
So thank you,
member Chair. Thank you, Mr. President.
Through you to either mr. Washington and Lee Washington administration that's joining, from my understanding, we were looking at 130 instead of 1pm
or 1230 pardon me, instead of 1pm
the chair. Yes, I believe that is the time we have spoken with
President Trump's about 1230
Okay, and through you, Mr. President to LPD, is that going to be reflected? I know we are discussing 19.8 Mr. President, but I know that welcome is going to be for referral to the committee, but wanted to just take the opportunity to discuss both of them in perpetuity. Makes sense. Yeah, Mister Chair, so we will change the resolution that sets the time of the mayor's presentation on the budget from one o'clock to 1230 we'll make sure we have that done for you tomorrow. Budget first now, thank you. And so with that, knowing that those are what those dates are, Mr. President, can I make a motion first, 19.8 again, it's just the notice of the mayor submission of the budget Move for approval from line item 19.8, remember der Hall, just further discussion. Just got a quick one. I know it's not necessarily connected to this one, but just looking at I know I'm always looking to have a week in between when the mayor presents the budget to the time that we have our budget hearings, which will give us a time to really digest the information that was provided, and really be as thorough as I think we can can be potentially. Are we anticipating that taking place in the walk on or any anywhere else in the process that it give us a week between the mayor presenting the council and council actually beginning our hearing. So to anyone who can answer a question, yeah, Mr. Chair, go ahead. Customer do. I'm sorry. I believe we're looking at March the 12th. That gives more than more than one week. Wonderful, Mr. Chair, Mr. President,
thank you. Member Durham, with further
discussion. Member Benson, all right, thank you. And I was going to ask about this as well when we got to a 19.9 and it was going to be my advocacy that we actually look, if we're going to continue to do that, that we look at actually move, if we're going to have a mayor's presentation on the 28th and then we start on March 11, with the actual hearings, we've got 12 days between the time that we receive the presentation from the mayor's office, as well as before we start our own process. Here, I'd like to actually see us move that process, our process to the left, ie shortening it, so that we have more time to actually conduct our hearings, which would then also allow us to have less hearings during that three week time frame, to give us more time to be thoughtful, to ask questions at the table, and just think, if we're going to have that 11 or 11 or 12 day buffer between the presentation to when We start, let's look to actually shorten that time up to give more time to have longer public hearings, so that we can better use our time efficiently that way, or even shorten the process altogether. And so I also like to look at in the future. Not sure there's support for that now, but if we're going to have this amount of time between the two, let's look at doing something that actually gives us more time to be thoughtful during the budget hearings process. And I know that we also had the CDBG in between that, but there's in our actuality, there's not a whole lot that we do at this table just based on us being using a very prescriptive process. Now, if we wanted to make changes, we'd have to do lots of different items, and we in the last several years have not made any significant changes when it comes to the recommendations around the CDBG process. I really like to see us for more time into the budget hearing process, if we get more time, as we have this year, between the presentation for the mayor's office to the actual start
of the budget hearings. Member Benson, do you have any suggestions on what that looks like? That way we can get Mr. Corley and crew to start
chomping at it. So just for me, would be if we started, if we have a budget presentation on the 28th by the mayor that we have, and we don't start until the 11th of March. We have an entire week plus the while we're we have the time to digest, but we have the same amount of time to actually do the budget hearing. I'd rather see an extension of that time so that we don't have to cram as many budget hearings into one day, we can have more time to be thoughtful, ask questions at the table. I'd rather see a use of time that way, and I'm not asking for it this year, but I would be looking for there to be thought around this if we get this type of time in the future, and we've never had this type of time between I know we always talk about we want more time, but I like to see us put more time into the actual deliberations of the budget, versus having more time to do that individually. Thank you,
and I hope that answers your question somewhat. Yeah. Okay, so I guess are you looking for more time on the end or the
beginning of the more time period, just during the that would be at the beginning. So now we've been afforded more time at the beginning. I would push the budget process out towards the left the beginning, keep the end of the same space, which would then allow for more opportunity to talk at the table regarding the budget
deliberation process. Thank you so much. All right, colleagues, there is a motion to approve line item 19.8 any objection, any further discussion, seeing none that action shall be taken. Request the waiver for line item 19.8 Mr. President, request for WA 19.8 no objections. Waiver should be attached, Mister President, if I may. Also, I know we spoke on the walk on, and I know that generally comes at the end to referrals,
but take action. However you got however,
however anyone? Okay, are we walking on the calendar at this point? Okay, remember, how are you walking on the calendar
now, let's do that now, yes, thank you. Move to walk on the proposed budget calendar
for fiscal year, 2026,
2025, 2026,
pardon okay. And Madam President,
yes. Mr. Corley, yes. Thank you so much. And so that would be two documents that we walked on. One would be our memo on the budget, proposed budget calendar that describes the budget process and there and the budget hearing process, and then the proposed calendar itself. So we have a preliminary budget calendar that will be shared with administration, city council and the agencies, if Council approves the resolutions associated with this process next Tuesday, and we give the administration about a couple of weeks to react to the calendar, and then after that, we we submit A final calendar. So there's two documents that's being walked on for budget finance audit
tomorrow. Thank you.
And Through you, madam president, also move to walk on the memo from LPD, both to be walked on for referral to the budget
finance audit standing committee.
Okay, okay, so both of these will be referred to Committee not voted on today. Okay, I thought we were supposed Okay. Is there a motion to walk on both resolutions to be referred to the budget Finance
and Audit? Standing Committee,
Hearing no objections. Both of these resolutions will be referred to the budget, Finance
and Audit standing committee.
And did we take up? We're on 19.9
Yes, Madam President,
okay to the clerk's office. Council member Johnson, a resolution line 19.9
All right. Council member Johnson, thank you, Madam President,
discussion,
discussion,
right ahead. Member Johnson, thank you. So we were just talking about making some changes to the calendar. So should we bring this item back after the discussion is had in BF and a relative to the dates on the
calendar regarding budget?
Through you to member Benson. Member Benson made the suggestion.
Member Vincent.
Thank you for that. It's just an appetite to make that change. I wasn't sure there was. I just really wanted to make people aware that this is an opportunity to actually add more time to deliberations in the future. And so if there's an appetite, I'll be more than happy to support but unless there is, I don't want to prolong the conversation.
Madam President, I'd like for the discussion to happen during BF and a when they're reviewing the calendar. I agree. I think when we are going through budget hearings, we're trying to expedite our questions and maybe not having the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the discussion. I know we typically just continue with our questions and discussion, and then just kind of get off track, um, as it relates to what's on our schedule for that particular day. So I'm amenable to your suggestion, but I do also see Mister Whitaker has
stepped up to the microphone
right. Director Whitaker, Madam President, we amended the the calendar really to reflect the date in which the mayor was presenting his budget. So that's that's pretty much not going to change. I think what the budget calendar that Mr. Corley is speaking to is the detailed calendar about presentation,
which is different than this item
we actually are taking up an actual budget calendar. Now, the item that member Johnson moved
point of order really quickly, madam president,
if I'm not mistaken, this 19. This is the one who referred to
budget, Finance and Audit already, no. This is for internal ops. So this, this is the calendar for city council during the budget budget hearings that also require
changes in committees. Correct? But it also has on this calendar the
hearings as well. And pardon me Through you, madam president, we already walked those on. One is a walk on. One is a memo, and the other one is the budget
calendar. We've already walked those on for you.
Okay, okay. Director Whitaker, well,
from what I'm being told, is that it also reflects the hearing, the hearings as well. So remember, remember, remember, Johnson was correct. It might be better just to to pull this for next because you're not going to act on it immediately anyway. Just discuss it so Mr. Benson's considerations can be had, and then we can have this calendar reflects the
outcome of your deliberation in the committee. Okay? Yes.
Council member young, yeah, much more selfish question I just want to know, can I? I want to do is change the date. I just want to put it out there with a madam president for the evening council meeting to be in October, and then I want to
you would switch with me to June,
so we can talk about that. Just put it out there, putting on the ether. Thank you.
Council member Durham, thank you. And through you to member Benson, as you know, during that discussion that will happen be F and A, obviously, will be noticed for quorum, so any members that would like to discuss that and their particular ideas behind that change be warranted or be appreciated if you are at that committee, so we can take action on it, not and not just through memos, but but just have the ability to take action on it if the amendment, because it will require an amendment
to be made. Discussion member Vincent,
the conversation be had tomorrow. That was you're speaking of correct will that? Will there be a noticeable
corn presence? Absolutely
All right. Thank you. And just to be clear, so what's being discussed is starting the budget hearings a week earlier. Seeing that the mayor is submitting his budget on February the 26th you want to start one week earlier discussion versus, I think Pro Tem had it where we start a
week after member Benson. So my suggestion is to move this to the left. Didn't give a specific timeline, but we have it. We have 11 days, and so my suggestion is that we make use of that to shorten that window. Doesn't have to be a week, but we should shorten that window, I believe, give ourselves more time to have more deliberation
at the table. That's my suggestion. Okay, okay, all right. Well, looking forward to what we all can agree on. I know it discussion tomorrow on budget and and so we are going now to remove, is what I was told, 19.9 from the agenda, and then a new revised calendar will be submitted to council after we have an understanding of the schedule. Is there a motion to remove 19.9 motion? Okay, Hearing no objections that action will be taken
under resolutions. Thank
you. Mr. Corley, thank you. Director Todd, thank you.
Council member. Santiago Romero, a resolution line item 19, point 10, Council Member, on behalf of council member Whitfield, Callaway,
Santiago Ramiro, motion to approve. All right, this is a resolution acknowledging January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Any objections.
Hearing, no objections. The
resolution will be approved
for the president's report on standing committee referrals and other matters for the budget
Finance and Audit. Standing Committee, four reports from various city departments
before reports will be referred to the budget Finance and Audit, standing committee
for the internal operations. Standing Committee, two reports from the law
department. The two reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the Neighborhood and
Community Services. Standing Committee
submittal
of a memorandum.
The memorandum will be referred to the Neighborhood and Community Services standing committee for the Planning and Economic Development standing committee 16 reports from various city departments. Oh, yeah. 24.5 Correct. That item has to be moved to new business, in light of all of the changes that are taking place in our country and the threat to federal funding, is there a motion to to move 24.5
to new business? So oceans,
so move, Madam President, and then we'll discuss when we get to Yeah, thank you. 24.5 will be moved to new business, Hearing no objections. That action will be taken in the 15 reports will be referred to the Planning and Economic Development standing committee
for the public health and safety standing committee, nine
reports from various city departments.
The nine reports will be referred to the public health and safety standing committee. And before we move to the consent agenda, we can take up line
item 20, 24.5,
and if we can have someone come on, Mr. Washington, who can briefly explain this request. Oh, we have Julie,
here's person, Director Schneider,
yes, online.
We also have Terry Daniels from grants. I'm
president. Move approval line item 24.5,
with the discussion. Okay, thank you. Proton,
good morning. Good morning. Julie Schneider, director of the housing and revitalization department, so we are requesting the council to vote today to allow us to enter into a grant agreement for a competitive grant agreement that we were awarded very early this year. We received the grant agreement to sign late last week, and due to some changes that were announced late last night in federal grant programs. We're asking to be able to enter into this agreement today so that we have it under contract prior to 5pm today. The grant is to is called Pro housing, and we worked with CPC on a portion of it, finish the zone Detroit work. We're also going to use some of the dollars to do a kind of small, small buildings work to provide gap dollars to small neighborhood scale projects, really thinking in the like two to two to 10 unit size properties, as well as provide pre development funding for for those projects as well. So that is the total amount of the grant is a little over $4.2 million
okay, we'll open it up if there's questions from colleagues.
Thank you. And it's not so I guess, I guess I should allow questions for this one first, because I have more of a broad question about, you know, what the implications are of the announcement that was made yesterday. I know we're kind of talking in codes and and I didn't get the memo. So yesterday there was this, there's this ban or a pause on federal funding. And I think it's important for the public to know what we're dealing with is not just us moving stuff cloak and dagger. This is the reality of what we have to deal with. There's a pause in federal funding temporarily, it has been stated, and so it is urgent for us to move on this item prior to 5pm based on a memo that we received. Now the question that I have is, okay we, as we were entering into this agreement and we now potentially secured it, what does that mean overall, for any grant funding that we have in our coffers at this this moment, maybe they're in the process of being utilized for a contract that we have in progress. Um, all this is brand new, so we're all learning in real time, and the public is seeing the sausage being made. So director any response to any
of those questions. So through the through the chair to council president pro tem Tate. So the housing revitalization department, about half of its budget comes through HUD funding on an annual basis. We also have a number of one time grants that we get, for example, for lead remediation, for Choice Neighborhoods, the grant that we're that we're talking about today, as of right now, we're working to make sure that any invoices that are currently in the process are being reviewed promptly, so that our vendors are getting those payments. We are going to continue to operate as we as we have been for the time being, there are lots of kind of real time updates happening. And so right now, it's not changing the operations to our business, but we will given this as an unprecedented circumstance. We'll make sure to keep very close eye on happenings to understand how that
impacts our overall work. No,
but it's terms of this, this grant agreement, that would put it under a contract. So given that this grant is one that is a new grant that was proposed by the Biden administration, is likely to be a one time program. We think it's important to be able to meet this 5pm deadline to have it under
a grant agreement today. So essentially, what it sounds like we've we received from the White House
advisement, but not guidance
through the chair. We've received no information directly. We've only received and read the memo that has been shared throughout the country. We've certainly been in in contact with our our HUD field office and our we understand, like many other grantees, we want to make sure that we're getting the invoices in process paid today, prior to that at 5pm freeze. We believe that it will affect our draw systems at least
temporarily. Okay, and you may not be able to answer this question because it's more broad than you, but what are? What is, and maybe the Revolution should not be televised, so to speak. But what is our move to at least get more information on what those next move is, because I would rather us know and strategize, as opposed to end up, you know, having to scramble
to the best of our bill.
Yeah, the chair this certainly many, many city of Detroit departments are somewhat reliant on federal grant programs. I can speak to, to HUD programs. So we've certainly been in contact through our through our congressional liaison to understand, and our government liaison to understand if there's been additional guidance that they've received. We've had conversations with our HUD officials today, and we'll keep doing so, but they have not received additional as of this morning, at about 10 3011, o'clock, when we had that conversation, they hadn't received any additional information either.
And if we again approve this today, is there any guarantee that this contract will be able to be fully executed based on the advisement that we saw in the memo today of the temporary
pause. It starts at 5pm
through the chair. I think we start getting into some really through the chair. I think we start getting into some pretty big federal questions. And so I know that this gives us the best chance to be able to use those dollars. I, like all of you, haven't experienced this type of order before, so, but I know that this, getting it under agreement is the closest we can get to assuring that these dollars that we were competitively awarded
do come to the city of Detroit.
Thank you, and I just again, advise it we tell the folks exactly what's going on so they don't have to learn it elsewhere and be mislead. So I'm glad we have had at least the entry conversation, but I hope that we can continue along the way letting folks know what's going on as it relates to our federal grants and the reality that we all are dealing right now.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And director, just to be clear, this has no impact on any of our current federal ARPA funding that has been obligated but not has been that has not been spent, but may have been obligated.
Has is that
any impact on that whatsoever
through the chair ARPA, unlike the HUD programs is, is not a line of credit program. HUD is so each year, what happens with our with HUD grants is, and I can't speak to, you know, a Department of Transportation grant. I can only speak to HUD grants to know how those work. We are appropriated an amount of money through HUD, or through the Congress. Via HUD, we have those dollars available. We draw them when there's an invoice to be paid. ARPA was not, did not work like that, where we received the funding for that at a one time. So we actually have those dollars. So it's not affected in the same way, because the programs are not frozen, because the program is what the road the line of credit system can't be
frozen because there is no line of credit. Line of credit. And is that the same for the recent announcement with the 349 or 400 roughly $400 million in CDBG recovery that we stood with the announcement for funny they came to the city through the last allocation, excuse
me, Vita Harris administration to the chair that is a HUD program that will operate as a line of credit
program.
So that may be, oh, go ahead. I'm sorry, yeah, and we, we do not have a grant agreement available, and we have several other stages that we have to go through by statute, including public notification period, before we would be in any position to be able to bring
anything to to council. Would you be able to provide us with a list of programs that are based on the line of credit that you just mentioned that could possibly be impacted in the ones that are specific allocations that I think you mentioned, like ARPA, that are more money up front that we get versus line of credit that I can just better have a better understanding of what possibly could be impacted by this new
water that was released today
to the chair. Yes, we can, we can provide that, but I will mention all all HUD programs operate on that line of
credit for system. Yeah, okay, but it'd be good to break down what those programs are so people can know. And I could know, no, no, not now, no, but just you know, so we can have them in writing, so that we know the public knows, and that that'd be great to have an understanding. Does the clerk have a copy of the resolution for 24.5
to the chair? The resolution was submitted through the clerk last Friday. We were intending that it go through the normal timeline, but given the news today, we ask for it to be accelerated
for for consideration today. Okay, any
additional questions we got council member Johnson, thank you, Madam President, through you to Director Snyder or Mr. Todd. Should we also be concerned about CDBG
through the chair like you know, today we're continuing to operate as as we did as we did yesterday. I don't have any clarification that tells me that I need to to do differently today. Um, but I am concerned about freezing of our federal grants, yes, but I with the information I have today, we've directed our vendors to continue to act you know, these are long standing programs. CDBG earned 50 years old this past year, so it's a program that communities around the country rely on to be able to serve their residents. And so there is a strong voice that these programs do need to continue, and I believe they will, but I believe we do need to acknowledge that there will be a pause, and we need to learn what that what that means as as everybody
else does. I need a sec. Okay? Thank you. The the only reason I ask is because it is a HUD program, right? And I know we, we have all heard about
the thoughts around FEMA and
pulling funding, potentially from FEMA as well. So I think there are a number of concerns relative to federal funding coming to the city, and I'm sure other cities throughout the country. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam President,
yes, Mr. Washington, yes. I just want to mention that Terry Daniels from the grants department is online too, who may be able to answer respond
to some of those broader questions.
Thank you so much. Council member, young Thank you, Madam President. Um Miss Schneider, great job. Always good to see you. I just wanted to ask you. I took a look at the letter and it says in the bottom paragraph. Now, most of this is dealing with, you know, canceling dei woke gender ideology, which is not what wokeness means. That's what we call a malapropism and the green New Deal, but it says in the bottom of this letter, it says, cancel awards already awarded that are in conflict with the administration's priorities. That's pretty broad, and so if the administration decided that the ARPA funds would not be in line with their priorities. Could they then
claw those back
under this order,
after the agencies do their analysis and then give it to the Office of Management,
budget through the chair to council member Young? I'll ask Ms, Daniels, if she has more insight related to arpa. As is, ARPA isn't one that HRD is directly managing, or if there's been any further conversations with, I mean, law
or legal issues around your question. I mean, couldn't just like, you know, just in the blanket way, just say that this is woke ideology or part of the green New Deal or whatever, and
just draw that money back.
Good afternoon. This is Terry Daniels, Chief, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of Development and grants through the chair council member young the ARPA funds are already under contract have been awarded to us, and I'm sure there will be legal cases going forth in order to keep this new administration from Taking already awarded funds back that are currently under contract.
Listen, I understand, and, you know, we were in a normal situation, I agree with you. That's not going to stop this administration. You mean, you know, I understand what you're saying, and I think we need to, you know, make sure that we're prepared legally to be able to do that and appropriate funds towards that. But I just want people to kind of be on their P's and Q's here. Q's here. This is a little bit of a different situation that we're dealing with here. So I just want to know, does that affect our time to ramp up the spending of these funds? That that should we just be a more aggressive in terms of approving, accepting whatever federal grant we can just because the time period I think, would be shortened based on the priorities of the current administration and their willingness or recklessness, if you will,
to skirt the law in order to achieve
that through the chair, we are fully obligated with our ARPA funds and nearly 50% spent we have projects that are, you know, currently underway. This this information, and this memo is pretty broad, and we are assessing how we can ramp up, if we need to, as we receive additional information from the Federal Office of Management and Budget,
thank you. I'm done. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right, so we do have the request that was walked on to new business, and we have discussed it, and there are no additional questions for Director Pro Tem has already moved this item for approval. Are there any objections on
approving this item?
All right, Hearing no objections. This one item, this resolution will be approved. Is there a request for a waiver for this item? Yeah, there's a request for a waiver and Hearing no objections that action will be taken. All right, thank you so much. Everyone. Under the consent agenda, there are no items. Madam President, all right,
we'll call for member reports,
pro temp Tate report, Council Member young, negative report, no
member waters,
thank you, Madam President. I just want to say on February 13,
10am to 12pm
at the Detroit brew,
20438, Plymouth Road, ice coughing conversation with Team waters, February 13, 10am to 12pm at the Detroit brew at 20438,
Plymouth Road.
I just want to further say, and I'll say it in one sentence, elections have consequences.
Thank you, Madam President, thank you council member waters, Member Santiago Romero, thank you, Madam President, wholeheartedly agree, elections have consequences, and right now we are dealing with those as a society. Tomorrow, at 10am I will be holding a press conference with Congresswoman Rashida Talib and other immigration advocates to hold a Know Your Rights press conference, which right now, regardless of the immigration status everyone has, so we invite everyone that is concerned that wants to learn and be a part of protecting every Detroiter to join us tomorrow at 10am at Pine Park. Thank you, Madam President. All right. Thank you and
council member Benson. All right. Thank you. Just want to ask everyone to save the date we have new workshop dates for our free estate and will preparation planning. Please protect your family and put them in a position where they can efficiently transfer your wealth. Wednesday, February 26 at 5:30pm there's an in person meeting at Jefferson east at 14 300 East Jefferson. Tuesday, March 25 at 10am there's a virtual meeting hosted by Wayne Metro. And on Thursday, April 10, from 10am to 12pm there's an in person hosted by Jefferson east. Again, at 14 300 East Jefferson, there are any organizations looking to host a re estate planning and will preparation course workshop, please contact the Detroit Housing Network and our own city of Detroit, the administration, they are more than happy to support and help here. This is a program that's running out of housing and revitalization Department. Thank you very much. And I would like to make a suggestion. I know that we've been seeing a number, and I believe to be a greater level of negative engagement between the public and the city of Detroit when it comes to language, when it comes to subject matter. And I appreciate, Madam President, your call for a greater level of civility. But also, just like to make a suggestion that we at this table, not engaging as much back and forth with the public. I believe that may engender a level of expectation that they have that right, versus ensuring that that is kept to a minimum, which I think may also increase the amount of negative
engagement with the public. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you council member
Benson, Council Member Johnson. Thank you, Madam President. Just want to say congratulations and thank you to Doctor Polk who opened a pediatric urgent care facility as well as a health care facility for anyone 21 years old and younger in District Four, it is at the river bend Plaza on East Jefferson, near Dickerson, and I believe it's the first of its kind in the city of Detroit. So just want to say thank you and congratulations to them for opening up on the east side to take care of all of our young
people. Thank you, Madam President. All right. Thank you council member
Johnson, member Callaway, yeah, thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you again to my colleagues the passage of the pet ordinance. Join me and my team at Focus HOPE this Thursday, january 30, from 9am to 12pm we will be volunteering as a team. We will be participating in the full packing for senior citizens. Again, that is a Focus HOPE on open Boulevard this Thursday, my team and I will be volunteering from 9am to 12pm noon as we participate in the full for seniors packing program on February 10 at the Johnson Recreation Center located at 8550, Chippewa, from eight to nine I'll be having my monthly coffee and conversation again, that is February 10, Monday, from eight to 9am and we start promptly at eight. The Johnson Rec Center is located at 8550, Chippewa Avenue on Monday, February 17, from 530 to 630 we will host the district two virtual community webinar with Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabri the meeting. Information can be found on my social media sites and Detroit mi gov join us in the in the American Heart Association's walk 56 miles in February, for the entire month, we're inviting everyone, not just in district two, but across the city for community walk at the University of Detroit Mercy Fitness Center on Wednesday, February 26 from 5pm to 6pm again, we're inviting everyone, not just residents of District Two, but we'll be having a community walk at the University of Detroit Mercy Fitness Center on Wednesday, February 26 from five to 6pm and that's located on the corner of West McNichols in Livernois. I'll be walking two miles starting February 1, every day in the month of February, in recognition of American Heart Association. Month. I'll be throughout the district and in other areas as well, but mostly in district two, and that's going to start February 1. That's two miles a day. At the end of the month, I would have walked 56 miles. So join me, and you can look at my website, and you'll know where I'll be walking. Some of those walks will be outdoors on February 27 I invite you to join me for a town hall meeting to discuss the upcoming budget process and our priorities in district two. This is your opportunity, residents of District Two to learn more about the budget deliberations and how to prioritize your needs. For more information, you can go to Detroit mi gov website, and the town hall will be held at Congressman street thanat Ours Community Center, which is across the street from the locker room on Livernois. And that is February 27 and I think it's going to start around six o'clock. It's district two. Town
Hall, thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you council member
Callaway, Council Member door Hall, thank you, Madam President. And I just like to thank all who attended our 20th policy session held yesterday at the Edison library, we had a wonderful discussion on the city charter, just a lot of engagement from community members questions, and it was just a very, very good event. I'd like to personally thank inspector Inspector General, come on Marable for attending, as well as talking about his role as prescribed by the city charter, and having the opportunity, or taking the opportunity to engage with our residents. Other
than that, that concludes my report. Thank you.
Thank you. Council member durha,
and again, just a reminder tomorrow, Wednesday, 6pm Williams rec center Organizing for Action, our annual event where we come together to discuss policy and budget priorities for this year, please join us, as well as several district five leadership, from our dons to our DGC liaisons, Detroit Land Bank Authority and many more tomorrow, 6pm at the Williams rec center. Hope to see everyone there that will conclude my reports for today under adoption without committee reference. There are no items, Madam President, under communications from the clerk, a report on approval of proceedings by the mayor. The report will be received and placed on file under testimonial
resolutions and special privilege. Council Member durha, two resolutions, line items, 30.1 and 30.2
council member durha Move
for approval for both line items, Hearing no objections. The two resolutions will be approved. There is nothing else to come before us today. Is there a motion to adjourn? Right? This meeting will stand adjourned. Everyone has a blessed day. Thank you.
