Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

Starting next year, city attorneys will prosecute misdemeanor offenses in an effort to reduce the case load for Wayne County.

An ordinance championed by Council Member Scott Benson passed by 8-1 vote. Council President Mary Sheffield was the lone opposition, citing concerns about funding and shifting responsibilities from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

The ordinance allows the following offenses to be prosecuted by the city starting July 2026:

• Offering false statements to a police officer
• Failure to identify oneself to an officer 
• Refusal to allow fingerprinting
• Assault and battery
• Domestic violence
• Leaving a child unattended 
• Destroying trees, shrubs or other property 
• Throwing objects at a train or vehicle
• Embezzlement 
• Larceny
• Writing fraudulent checks
• Receiving or concealing stolen goods
• Retail fraud
• Theft by false pretenses
• Carrying a firearm while intoxicated 

Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett Jr. said the offenses are quality of life issues that should be prosecuted on a “regular, predictable basis.” Detroit’s Law Department will serve as the prosecuting attorney for cases litigated in 36th District Court and the city will collect a portion of fines and costs.

It will cost Detroit an additional $750,000 to take the cases on, including six new staff members. The Law Department had its budget boosted with federal pandemic funding in anticipation of the change.

Council President Pro Tem James Tate said he wasn’t properly notified that one-time money was set aside for the prosecution plan when the council authorized the budget in April. Mallett said the program will continue in future years with dollars from the General Fund.

Sheffield declined to comment after Tuesday’s meeting, but later sent a statement explaining that her standalone opposition was based on three issues.

First, Sheffield said there is “no pressing need” to take on prosecutorial duties from Wayne County, and the move has a negative fiscal impact for Detroit. She argued it’s a best practice to have all prosecutorial decisions “lie at the feet of an elected official who was elected to perform such duties,” and doing so ensures accountability and transparency. 

“Lastly, and in my opinion, there are more critical needs for the identified funding, such as current ARPA-funded programs and initiatives slated to end,” Sheffield said. “I would much rather allocate the $700,000 towards keeping residents, particularly our young people, from committing misdemeanors in the first place because, as the old adage says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” 

Worthy couldn’t attend Tuesday but previously supported Benson’s ordinance during a July committee hearing. She said the shift would help her office focus on murders and more serious charges. 

“We want to be more efficient, I am sure that you want my office to be more efficient,” Worthy said. “I’m sure that you don’t want us to have a backlog when it comes to charging these cases.” 

The county will continue to prosecute domestic violence cases, though the ordinance includes language allowing the city to take those cases on in the future if needed.

The City Council encouraged Detroit attorneys to offer delayed sentencing, referral to a specialty court and explore restorative justice options at every opportunity. Misdemeanors are punishable by imprisonment up to 93 days and $500 fine.

Michigan cities can prosecute violations of municipal ordinances, even if they mirror state laws. Most of the communities in Wayne County are prosecuting minor misdemeanors, Worthy said. 

“My budget is tasked for prosecuting every single crime that happens in the county of Wayne, including the city of Detroit,” Worthy said in July. “We don’t get any money from the city of Detroit for that … I think each city should be paying us to do their prosecutorial work, frankly.”

Douglas Baker, chief of criminal enforcement for the Detroit Law Department, said it’s a “historic change” that brings local oversight and control to how minor crimes are handled. He said, “It’s going to be a win-win for everybody.”

The council was referred to budget documents, which show the Law Department was allocated $7 million for criminal enforcement, including a $920,212 boost from federal pandemic relief funding.

Council Member Mary Waters said the ordinance comes during a “delicate time” for the city’s finances since its federal pandemic allocation is set to expire next year.

Mallett said the city doesn’t expect to cover the cost of the program with fines from people charged with a violation.

“We do not want to finance this program on the backs of people who find themselves in front of a 36th District Court judge,” he said. “What we do not want to do is send a signal to the citizens of the city of Detroit that fines imposed by 36th District Court judges are designed to support the Law Department as opposed to reaching some kind of justice.”

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What page are we on?

Today’s notebook covers the Sept. 2 formal session. 

Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.

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What happened during recess? 

The City Council is back after taking a summer break during the month of August. While they were gone, routine contracts were automatically authorized under recess procedures. Here are two notable spending actions that were ratified on Tuesday.

A new master plan is being developed for the city’s largest park: A $198,974 contract with livingLAB was approved to develop a plan for Rouge Park. 

The park is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year. The master plan will serve as a guide for the redesign and revitalization of Rouge Park and will collect oral histories from park stakeholders, community members, local historians and conservationists.

The plan must focus on protecting and enhancing natural areas while meeting the recreational needs of park visitors. It should also consider recommendations in a 2022 master plan completed by citizen advocates with the Friends of Rouge Park.

The city has been restoring a 60-acre prairie, the Ma’iingan Wildwood Trail and Joe Prance Nature Trail, and plans to expand a service yard to accommodate more staff for the Skills for Life program. 

Rouge Park was established in 1925 and is Michigan’s largest urban park at 1,181 acres. It features 400 acres of forest with hiking and biking trails, paved walking paths, a recreation center, pools and a golf course.

City bus riders will soon have a new way to pay: The council authorized an $8.2 million contract with Illinois-based Genfare, LLC for a new fare system.

City documents show 300 fare boxes will be installed on buses, plus 15 wireless electronic fare modules, and 3 printer encoder machines.

The fare collection boxes will accept digital payments, cards or cash, print reloadable cards and track data for the Detroit Department of Transportation.

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Overheard in CAYMC 

Here’s a recap of intrigue raised by residents during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting.

A group of Wayne State University medical students say the elimination of student loan funding will make it harder to keep trained physicians in Detroit.

Badruddin Mahamed said the end of the Grad PLUS loan program and a $200,000 lifetime cap on direct unsubsidized loans will make it harder for people to afford medical school. The changes were approved under the “Big Beautiful Bill” that Trump signed into law. Mahamed said Wayne State meanwhile raised tuition.

“This increase in tuition is now reducing our physicians’ ability to stay in Detroit and serve the city,” Mahamed said. “I’m from outside Detroit and I fell in love (but) it’s not love that keeps the marriage together, it’s also commitment and that commitment has to come in the form of incentives that drive market forces for physicians to stay in Detroit and serve in primary care.”

Safia Yusuf is a second-year medical student who volunteers as a Umoja Debate League coach and MOGO community ambassador. She and her peers need support to keep serving the city, she said.

“Having access to loans has been restricted, leaving students financially insecure at a time when they should be preparing to care for Detroit residents,” Yusef said. 

Yusef said the city should help advocate for tuition reductions and federal support. She said other cities like Grosse Pointe have implemented housing assistance for university students and suggested Detroit explore incentive programs. 

Street safety advocates are pushing for the creation of a complete streets ordinance that has undergone six drafts over the last 18 months.

The Detroit Greenways Coalition is working with Council Member Latisha Johnson to codify a policy framework for future infrastructure projects. A complete streets ordinance would ensure roads are designed with everyone in mind, and is meant to improve safety for bicyclists, pedestrians, people with disabilities and motorists.

Christina Peltier, deputy director of complete streets in the city’s Department of Public Works, opposed the ordinance concept. She said the city has a Streets for People plan in place and $75 million available grants to reduce crashes.

Johnson said the city is implementing complete streets projects but codifying the standards into law would help secure additional grant funding. Detroit Greenways Coalition Executive Director Todd Scott said an ordinance would codify a commitment in light of changing priorities in Washington, D.C.

Scott said the data shows a 20% reduction in traffic fatalities and 11% drop in crashes last year, but the goal should be zero deaths.

Whitfield-Calloway is seeking clarity on whether a registered sex offender can remain on a board serving unhoused and vulnerable residents. Continuum of Care Board Member Taura Brown said it’s “absolutely insane” that Alan Rosetto has been allowed to sit on the board since the public learned Rosetto sexually assaulted his stepdaughter.

Brown said Rosetto should not be allowed to attend meetings in Detroit recreation centers where children are present. Whitfield-Calloway asked the council’s Legislative Policy Division to study the question.