This week in the notebook:
- Teen honored for quick action
- Cameras added to freeways
- Wheeling and dealing e-scooters
- Reparations task force adds member
Welcome back to the notebook. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
Council President Mary Sheffield continues to explore legal options to repay homeowners who were overtaxed by the city.
The council authorized homeowners who were overassessed from 2009-2016 to receive boosted business grants through Motor City Match. Sheffield said the programs and perks approved by the council in recent years don’t satisfy residents who want cash payments or tax credits.
“It’s something we can do now within the constraints of the law,” Sheffield said. “It’s one step as we work through the legal challenges. We do believe individuals should be compensated.”
Sheffield said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel did not weigh in on the legality of providing cash payments or property tax credits after being asked in 2022.
The city’s Law Department argued a payment fund is an illegal “lending of credit.” Taxpayers have a limited window to appeal their assessments under the law.
The Affected Homeowner Benefit Program was created last year to give overassessed residents better access to existing programs.
This includes preference for downpayment assistance, home repair grants, summer employment through Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, Motor City Match grants and subsidies to buy property from the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
Motor City Match grants were increased Tuesday by 20% for residents who were overtaxed from 2009 to 2016. This amounts to up to $120,000 in financial assistance and $60,000 in technical assistance.
The council also authorized grants for participants in the city’s Community Violence Intervention (CVI) program. This applies to residents who are being served by nonprofit groups working to reduce gun violence in select neighborhoods.
CVI participants can receive up to $150,000 in financial or technical assistance.
Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway said “we hear every day” from residents who were overassessed after the Great Recession. It led to a wave of tax foreclosures that Detroiters have not fully recovered from.
The city acknowledged that it did not properly account for a steep decline in property values, causing systematic overassessment. However, city officials say the problem has been addressed and systemic overtaxation is not a problem.
A University of Chicago study released last week found illegal overassessment still affects homes sold for under $34,000.
The study found high-priced homes are more likely to be underassessed and low-priced properties are more likely to be overassessed.
What page are we on?
Today’s notebook describes the March 19 formal session. Council Member Coleman Young II was absent.
Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.
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Teen honored for ‘tremendous’ bravery
Gregory Pope III, 15, was honored by the City Council for springing into action when his neighbor was experiencing a medical emergency.
Pope was playing video games in his house on Jan. 3 when he heard calls for help. He put down the controller and ran outside.
Pope’s neighbor John Lee was unresponsive hanging out of his car. Pope performed CPR on Lee, but he died of a heart attack.
“That does not diminish the act and the heart of this young man,” said Council President Pro Tem James Tate. “We need to uplift and let him know we appreciate him.”
Tate gave Pope a Spirit of Detroit award in recognition of his bravery and quick response. Tate said the 9th Grader sets a positive example for other youth in the city.
“I want to thank my family and my coach, who pushed me to be the man I am today,” Pope said. “I love you.”
Tax break approved for Pistons housing project
The council voted 6-2 to authorize a $41.5 million tax break for a mixed-use housing project led by the Detroit Pistons organization and Henry Ford Health.
The Pistons are spending $189 million to convert a four-story hospital administrative building into 403 apartments. It received a 17-year tax discount.
One Ford Place is the corporate headquarters for Henry Ford Health. The building will be leased to the Pistons and rebuilt into modern apartments.
Substantial interior demolition is required to modernize the building. The Pistons plan to spend $313,400 per unit. Apartments include 181 studios, 179 one-bedroom units and 43 two-bedroom units.
One-fifth of the units (81 total) will be offered at reduced rents ranging between $416 to $1,367 per month, depending on the unit type.
Market rate units will cost between $1,340 to $2,830 per month. The ground-level is set aside for a retail or restaurant use.
The historic building was originally designed by architect Albert Kahn and finished in 1918 before being renovated in 1971. Henry Ford Health took occupancy in 1992.
It’s in the process of being proposed for addition to the National Register of Historic Places.
Construction is expected to start in 2027 and create 539 temporary jobs. Once finished in 2029, the housing project would create 87 full-time positions.
Council Members Gabriela Santiago-Romero and Whitfield-Calloway voted against the tax break. They previously opposed a larger package of $296 million in tax breaks and a community benefits agreement tied to the Future of Health mega-development.
Detroit Action, a progressive political advocacy organization, estimates $741 million in property tax revenue was given to developers from 2017 to 2023. This includes tax cuts worth $203 million in lost revenue.
Detroit Action argues the subsidies undermine the city’s ability to create housing programs, and “perpetuates the flawed model of trickle-down economics.”
Reparations task force adds new member
Yolanda Jack was unanimously appointed to the Detroit Reparations Task Force, filling a vacancy left by Maurice Weeks after he resigned last December.
The task force lost five members since being formed last year. The death of founding member JoAnn Watson last July was followed by resignations from Weeks, Lauren Hood, Alan Venable and Anita Belle.
The City Council added Edythe Ford, Jashan Larsosa and Gloria House to the task force this year.
Jack is a Detroit native and manager of community engagement at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
In her interview last week, Jack said she wants to make sure the task force is rooted in the history and culture of Black residents.
“Our history has been ignored as a result of racist behaviors and laws,” Jack said. “Reparations is to ensure that it is repaired and I want to make certain that is not forgotten.”
Jack said it’s important for the task force to listen to community members. She hopes to center residents in the conversation.
Task force members appointed by the City Council were given 18 months and a $350,000 budget to issue a report on potential housing and economic development initiatives.
The task force is considering asking for a deadline extension that would push the due date from Nov. 1 to March of next year.
Voters overwhelmingly backed a 2021 ballot initiative establishing the task force with 80% approval.
Cameras added to solve freeway shootings
The council voted 7-1 to approve nearly $20 million in grant funding for CCTV cameras and license plate readers at 200 locations along Detroit freeways.
More technology is needed to help police respond to a post-pandemic spike in freeway shootings, said Deputy Police Chief Franklin Hayes. Cameras will be installed along 68 miles of freeways.
City data shows shootings on freeways increased from 15 on average between 2018-19 to 54 shootings from 2020 to 2022. There were 31 freeway shootings recorded from July 2023 to Jan. 29 this year.
License plate readers, which automatically take photos of passing vehicles, helped close 70 homicide cases in the last three years. City data shows the license plate readers led to 64 arrests in the last six months of 2023.
Cameras can only be used for violent or felony crimes, according to police policies. The cameras won’t be used to enforce immigration or traffic laws.
Hayes said Police Chief James White has made it clear that any misuse of surveillance technology will carry “extreme consequences.”
A $17.5 million contract was awarded to Motor City Electric Utilities. Another $2 million contract was also approved with AECOM Great Lakes, Inc.
Santiago-Romero said she appreciates public engagement meetings the administration held to gather feedback from residents. But she voted against the contract.
“I want residents to feel there is a member voting for accountability,” she said. “Overall, I do believe we can do this well.”
License to shred
Five electric scooter companies were recommended to receive permits to operate under regulations created by the City Council.
Personal mobility devices were unregulated until the council approved an ordinance last February requiring companies to receive licenses.
The ordinance also prohibits scooters from being abandoned in the public right-of-way or ditched on private property. The Office of Mobility Innovation is responsible for collecting fees, issuing permits and enforcing the ordinance.
The office recommended licenses be issued to Lime, Spin, Bird, Boaz Bikes and C-Max. Permits would last two years before having to be renewed.
Mobility Strategist Sherelle Streeter said applicants were given two months to apply for permits.
Companies had to answer 42 questions about pricing, the number of devices in their fleet, proof of insurance and accessibility.
NFL Draft gets green light
The City Council approved a $331,442 contract to provide eSports gaming equipment at six recreation centers.
A contract with Canada-based FanFit Gaming, Inc. was paid for with federal pandemic relief funds. It aims to create a professional gaming environment for large groups to accommodate competitions or after-school programs.
Equipment includes smart televisions, desktop gaming computers, video game consoles and furniture.
Recreation centers provide a variety of activities but only 2% of Detroit residents have annual memberships, according to an Outlier report.
