Welcome back to the notebook. I’m still Malachi Barrett. 

Detroit’s reparations task force received a $66,000 funding boost in the 2024-25 budget approved by the City Council late Monday night. 

Any remaining funds from the $350,000 allocated by council members last year will remain available to the task force. Council President Mary Sheffield said the task force sent a memo asking to extend its deadline for policy recommendations from November to March next year. 

These details weren’t shared with Detroiters who attended the latest monthly task force meeting last weekend.

Residents have struggled to keep up with how the task force is working to advise the council on programs to address discrimination against Black residents. That’s why we spent the last several months diving deeper into Detroit’s effort. 

Here are three big things I took away from the reporting:

1. This is a historic opportunity for Detroit, but legal constraints, questions about funding and political disagreements could stem the impact of any reparations programs

2. There’s a fundamental divide between Detroiters about whether reparations should address harms the city is responsible for or broader inequities stemming from slavery.

3. The task force is taking strides to be more accessible and bring residents into the conversation but has a ways to go before Detroiters feel truly included. 

Along the way, we also learned a lot about how cities across the country are taking responsibility for harms inflicted on Black communities. 

We also unearthed the lesser-known history of Detroit’s contributions to the reparations movement thanks to key figures like “Reparations Ray” Jenkins. 

Read the series here: 

• Detroit has a big opportunity for reparations. Can it deliver?
• How cities are taking on reparations after decades of federal gridlock
• Reparations: A movement made in Detroit

BridgeDetroit is committed to following the task force as the work continues. In the meantime, I want to hear from you. 

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What page are we on? 

Today’s notebook describes the April 9 formal session. Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero was absent. 

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

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Detroit finalizes 2024-25 budget 

This week, the City Council approved a $2.8 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year starting in July. 

Monday’s vote came after roughly a month of departmental hearings and a week of deliberation on funding council priorities. 

Executive session meetings were the battleground for City Council members to shift money included in Mayor Mike Duggan’s budget proposal. Sheffield said their priorities were based on input from residents and said the budget reflects the city’s values. 

The council moved $33 million toward projects and departments while negotiating the changes with Duggan’s administration. 

That’s a large sum of money, but it pales in comparison to the $1.4 billion General Fund.

Keep reading for a breakdown of projects that each council member secured funding for. 

The list may not be all-inclusive – documents approved by the council were not released by Tuesday afternoon when I put this newsletter together. 

District 1 Council President Pro Tem James Tate

• Tree removal: $2.5 million in one-time funding to continue a program that helps homeowners remove dangerous, dead and diseased trees from their property 
• Detroit Zoo: $2 million in one-time funding for infrastructure improvements 
• Detroit Zoo: $1.2 million in one-time funding for security and insurance 
• Marijuana business: $1 million in one-time funding to the Office of Marijuana Ventures for a grant program to help entrepreneurs start marijuana businesses  
• Assessment appeals: $300,000 in one-time funding to automate Board of Review appeal filing process 
• Board of Police Commissioners: $23,000 in one-time funding for a case management system to deal with a backlog of citizen complaints against police officers 

District 2 Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway

• Lead hazards: $2.5 million in one-time funding to HRD for lead-based paint encapsulation program 
• Merrill Fountain: $2.5 million in one-time funding for capital improvements at the historic Palmer Park fountain 
• After-school programs: $500,000 in one-time funding for GOAL Line, a program that connects students with transportation to after-school programs 
• Eastern Market: $250,000 in one-time funds to Eastern Market to support Black-owned farms
• Avenue of Fashion: $40,000 in one-time funds to add banners to promote Livernois Ave

District 3 Council Member Scott Benson

• ‘Tis the season: $260,000 in recurring funds to increase spending on seasonal events 
• Benson also helped secure $3.4 million in funding for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. 

District 4 Council Member Latisha Johnson

• Monteith Branch Library: $2 million in one-time funding for capital improvements 

District 5 Council President Mary Sheffield

• Wright Museum: $3.4 million in one-time funding to support capital projects at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Benson also secured the funding. 
• Court upgrades: $3 million in one-time funds for capital improvements in 36th District Court 
• Eviction defense: $2 million in one-time funding to the Office of Eviction Defense for its legal aid program 
• Eastern Market: $1.75 million in one-time funding for Shed 4 construction and other capital improvements 
• Business boost: $500,000 in one-time funding DEGC legacy business fund. Whitfield-Calloway also secured the funding. 
• Auditor General: $250,000 in recurring funds to hire two additional auditor positions, plus $100,000 in one-time funding for office renovations. Durhal also secured the funding. 
• Office of Inspector General: $131,000 in recurring funds to hire an information analyst
• Board of Ethics: $125,000 in one-time funding for an independent learning management system to train city employees 
• Reparations task force: $66,000 in one-time funding. Any unspent funds from the $350,000 allocation it received last year will roll over to the next fiscal year. 
• Board of Review salaries: $55,823 in recurring funds to increase compensation for Board of Review members 
• Detroit Zoo: $36,000 in one-time funding for a senior transportation service. Waters and Whitfield-Calloway also secured the funding. 
• BZA Payday: $14,500 in recurring funds to increase the stipend paid to members of the Board of Zoning Appeals

District 6 Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero

• New arrivals: $1 million in one-time funding to help provide shelter to migrants 
• Park improvements: $900,000 in one-time funding for a bridge park 
• Nurse navigation program: $600,000 in one-time funding to the Health Department for a new program helping residents with non-emergency health services and preventative care 
• Office of Ombudsperson: $164,000 in recurring funds for two community engagement positions 

District 7 Council Member Fred Durhal III

• Snow removal: $1.2 million in one-time funding to HRD to create a grant fund for snow removal services on hard-to-access streets 
• Bus driver training: $205,000 in one-time funding to DDOT for diversity and sensitivity training 
• Disability office: $177,000 in recurring funds to expand the Office of Disability Affairs 
• Bus stop accessibility: $150,000 in one-time funding to the Department of Transportation (DDOT) for wheelchair accessibility upgrades at 150 stops. Waters also secured the funding. 
• Fire Department community engagement: $125,000 in recurring funds for a new position to conduct  outreach to the disabled community, plus $50,000 in one-time funding for additional outreach support
• ADA events: $125,000 in recurring funding to the Police Department to hire an additional special events ambassador which helps disabled residents navigate busy events. The budget also includes $50,000 in one-time funding to expand the special events ambassador program. 
• Paw patrol: $100,000 in one-time funding to create a marketing campaign on responsible pet ownership, in response to a surge in abandoned animals and dog bites 
• Retail study: $100,000 in one-time funding to increase the appropriation for a corridor retail study on Joy Road 
• Media Services: $50,000 in recurring funds to increase appropriation for disabled residents 

At-Large Council Member Coleman Young II 

• Housing: $100,000 in one-time funding to analyze the cost of multifamily housing versus single-family homes 

At-Large Council Member Mary Waters

• Senior accessibility fund: $1 million in one-time funding for senior accessibility program 
• Tenants rights: $521,000 in recurring funds to create a Tenants Rights Commission
• Historic Fort Wayne: $100,000 in one-time funding for a study of capital improvements. Whitfield-Calloway also secured the funding. 
• Veterans office: $150,000 in recurring funds for a new position focused on veterans outreach 
• Young entrepreneurs: $150,000 in recurring funds to add a position for the DEGC Young Entrepreneurs Program 
• Retirement village: $100,000 in one-time funding to study community housing designs for seniors
• Web access: $50,000 in one-time funding to DESC for digital resources and literacy on website 

Kayleigh Lickliter helped compile these items.

Land bank changes proposed

Waters is suggesting major changes to a contract with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, including:

• Reduce the term of each agreement between the city and land bank from 10 years to 5 years
• Prohibit demolition of land bank properties 
• Dissolve the Nuisance Abatement Program, which allows the land bank to pursue legal action against property owners of vacant buildings 
• Reduce the threshold for land bank land purchases requiring the council’s approval from 10 properties to five properties  
• No new homeownership programs or requirements for residents to buy land bank property 

Waters is also seeking information on whether voters can dissolve the land bank through a ballot initiative.

She sent a memo to the Legislative Policy Division inquiring about how the ballot petition process works. 

Pause liquor licenses 

Johnson is starting an effort to pause the approval of liquor licenses in Detroit. 

The Legislative Policy Division will draft a resolution asking the Michigan Liquor Control Commission for a moratorium on licenses. Johnson said it’s in response to a March audit that found Detroit has more licenses than allowed under the law. 

State law sets the number of licenses allowed based on population. 

Detroit is allowed 426 liquor licenses for on-premise consumption but 517 were issued. The city issued 214 specially designated distributor licenses, but there are 421 licenses issued. 

Garbage terminator hits Belle Isle 

A remote-operated litter cleaning machine will hit Belle Isle Beach on April 22 for Earth Day. 

The “BeBot” clears away plastic debris including bottles, food wrappers, cigarette butts and fragmented plastic particles. It was provided through a partnership with Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, the Clorox Company and Meijer. 

Detroit and its partners will be seeking to secure long-term funding to purchase another robot and a remote-operated drone that cleans floating waste from waterways.  

The Belle Isle Conservancy will host its first community beach cleanup at 9:30 a.m. on June 8. Cleanups will take place regularly through September.