Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
The City Council is scheduled to approve the $2.8 billion budget today at 3 p.m. An earlier meeting at 11 a.m. is scheduled for final adjustments.
Watch live or sign up for public comment online.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A budget is a statement of priorities.
I don’t like cliches, but that one rings true. Documenting how taxpayer dollars are spent reveals what’s most important to city leaders.
Big thanks to our partners at the Detroit Documenters and Outlier Media for collaboratively covering hearings these last few weeks.
Detroiters paid attention. More residents spoke at last week’s public hearing compared to the previous year.
Detroit resident Meeko Williams said it should feel like sitting around the kitchen table with family. Take a look through the cupboards with our recap of department budget hearings.
Keep reading for more on some things we learned this year.
It’s not just the mayor’s budget
Mayor Mike Duggan and his financial advisors proposed the budget, but it’s important to remember that the City Council has the “power of the purse.”
In other words: The mayor has the power to prepare and execute the budget, but the City Council authorizes his spending plan.
The council also suggested its own list of additional investments worth roughly $54 million, as of this morning.
Some items are paid for with one-time funds for the next year – like $2 million for free legal counseling outreach, $2.5 million for residential tree cleanup or $2.3 million to shelter unhoused residents.
Some items have long-term funding commitments – like $189,763 to hire more building inspectors, $150,000 to create a veterans affairs office or $150,000 for the council’s annual retreat.
Other priorities are unfunded, like a request to repair the shuttered Monteith Branch of the Detroit Public Library, provide free bus rides for low-income residents or a ferry service along the Detroit River.
Some cash left over from last year
The council is being asked to approve roughly $173 million in additional spending using revenue surpluses.
The biggest increase ($60 million) would go into the Risk Management Fund to pay for lawsuits and legal settlements.
Another $32 million would fund capital projects like upgrading seawalls in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood.
The proposal includes $13 million for demolitions not covered by Proposal N bonds or federal funding.
Leftover revenue would pay for increased contributions to legacy pensions and overtime for police and EMS operations.
Bond, fiscal bond
The Duggan administration is seeking authorization to issue $34 million in bonds.
That means taking out loans to fund public projects. Voters approved the bonds in 2004 and 2009.
Most of the funding ($22 million) would go toward public lighting improvements.
This includes replacing 5,500 light poles, improving lighting in high-traffic areas, replacing 6,000 LED lights and swapping out wood poles with metal poles.
The city plans to issue $9 million in bonds for improvements to recreation centers and parks, plus $3 million to upgrade police precincts and public safety facilities.
Bonds are paid off using a debt millage. Duggan proposed reducing the debt service property tax from 8 mills to 7 mills this year.
The city also has $15 million available from bonds authorized in 2018. Most of this would be directed to the Department of Transportation.
Public transit changes
Sixty new bus shelters are being planned for this year.
There are plans to create 100 more shelters in the next two years, with locations chosen through a public engagement process including businesses and advocacy groups.
The city set a goal of having 85% of buses arrive on time and is working to reduce preventable crashes. Roughly a third of busses were late on weekdays last year.
People Mover rides are free through 2024 through a sponsorship.
Stations are being upgraded with digital kiosks and an upcoming planning study will look at expanding the elevated rail system.
The Police Department is taking over security on buses using $4.8 million in funding. There will be 45 officers on the transit police unit.
Public safety
The Board of Police Commissioners is hiring temporary investigators to address a backlog of roughly 1,400 citizen complaints about police misconduct. It hopes to clear 70% of the backlog by this time next year.
Police are using $5 million in federal pandemic relief to replace a helicopter used to track speeding vehicles and drag races.
Funding increases are going to each police precinct, with the largest boosts going to Precincts 8 and 9.
Thirty-five illegal marijuana facilities were closed in 2023.
Youth budget wanted
Council President Mary Sheffield wants to boost spending on youth programs.
The council’s Legislative Policy Division suggested investing between $300,000 and $600,000 and creating a youth commission with teen representatives from each council district.
Two Baltimore programs are good examples to duplicate, according to the LPD report.
The city created a special fund, based on the assessed value of land in Baltimore, that has largely gone to grassroots Black-led organizations. The Baltimore Children and Youth Fund was launched in 2015 in response to the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody.
Baltimore also established an advisory group for young people to influence policy and convene discussions. The mayor and City Council select members of the group.
LPD suggested creating an advisory commission to gauge existing services and recommend new investments.
There’s always more documents
The Legislative Policy Division created financial reports for each city department that anyone can download.
You can also see what council members asked. Memos include questions posed to departments about funding amounts and priorities.
Really hoping the city finds some funds to at least start to repair the Monteith. I find it so odd that the city, institutionally, has difficulty doing efforts in phases.
It is as if they believe the full job must be done in one go. That all or nothing approach leaves the branch in deteriorating condition which will raise costs to repair over time.