Welcome back to the notebook. I’m Kayleigh Lickliter!

Malachi Barrett is busy with an elections journalism fellowship, so I have you covered. 

Let’s talk about what happened at the July 30 formal session!

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Neighborhood solar initiative approved

The Duggan administration’s neighborhood solar initiative is moving forward with the approval it needed from the Detroit City Council. Council President Mary Sheffield and Councilwoman Angela Whitfield-Calloway voted no on the batch of resolutions, while Gabriela Santiago-Romero voted no on certain items. 

Around 60 people spoke during public comment, many of whom identified themselves as long-time residents in the neighborhoods or districts where the solar fields are proposed. 

Neighborhoods in the first phase – Gratiot-Findlay, State Fair and Van Dyke-Lynch – will work with the developers and the city administration on the landscaping plan and other aesthetic features as the project continues forward.

One woman spoke Tuesday on behalf of her grandmother, who has lived in the Van Dyke-Lynch area for nearly half a century and watched the neighborhood depreciate over the last 30 years. She said that the project would help to address blight and make the area safer. Others echoed the comments, saying they believed that the solar installations would change communities for the better. 

The City Planning Commission and Planning and Development Department will be working on zoning ordinances and anticipate having a final draft ready for the council when members return from recess. 

Although she doesn’t oppose solar projects, Sheffield said she may have supported the initiative if given more time to institute changes. Overall, Sheffield said her issue with the proposal rests on priorities. She noted that cities like Chicago, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia have invested in large firms that operate on rural land outside of city limits, and where property wasn’t zoned residential. She also shared concerns about the promises that had been made to residents before anything was formally approved. 

“It was very unfortunate to hear that DTE has lobbied against senate bills that would allow community solar to be legal,” said Sheffield, noting that she hasn’t seen a commitment from DTE that it will support community solar moving forward.

”One can only surmise that DTE did so because community solar would decrease their profit and benefit residents. In stark contrast, this proposal increases of course DTE’s bottom line.” Sheffield said, “And again, it seems that DTE and these other companies are benefiting a lot more.” 

Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett Jr. said time isn’t on the city’s side because there’s potential for speculators to manipulate the price of land in the proposed areas. 

“People could come in and buy these vacant lots, and drive up the price on purpose,” Mallett told council members. The fair market price was locked in upon the council’s approval.

The council is now in recess until the first week of September. 

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What page are we on?

Today’s notebook covers the July 30 formal session. 

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

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DWSD touts new ‘EasyPay’ plan

Detroit Water and Sewer Department Director Gary Brown provided details on the department’s efforts to address delinquent water accounts. According to Brown, DWSD is losing $48 million a year due to late water and sewer bills, which is about 12% of the department’s revenue. Without federal and state support, the department would be losing 24% of its revenue, he said. The average DWSD account owes $1,240 according to Brown.

A new program, EasyPay, was developed for residents, nonprofits, churches, and businesses to pay overdue water and sewer bills. Customers would pay $10 down and the past-due balance would be divided into 36 interest-free monthly installments. Those enrolled would avoid shutoffs and penalties as long they pay their regular monthly bill alongside the installment payments.

A draft policy was posted Tuesday on the city’s website that outlines the enrollment process and terms.

Those who are unable to meet the requirements of the installment plan will be referred to an agency that can provide assistance and alternative options to avoid water shutoffs.

EasyPay will replace the assistance plan known as “10/30/50.” Those enrolled in 10/30/50 will remain in the program until they’re removed or a customer requests to be enrolled in EasyPay. Those who are in a payment plan as a result of a dispute or legal settlement aren’t eligible, nor are those who are a named defendant in a lawsuit, Brown said.

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There’s a new watchdog in town

The City Council voted unanimously to appoint Kamau Marable to a six-year term as Inspector General. 

Marable served as Detroit’s deputy inspector general for the first 12 years of the office’s existence. The Office of Inspector General is responsible for investigating allegations of waste, fraud, abuse and corruption.

The council interviewed Marable and two other candidates – Tanja Long, Detroit’s chief administrative corporation counsel, and Randall Harrison, assistant administrator for the State of Michigan Department of Labor – during a Committee of the Whole meeting last Wednesday as Detroit Inspector General Ellen Ha’s term nears expiration.

Marable told council members last Wednesday that he finds inspiration in his upbringing, as one of 7 children born to Kenyan immigrants who moved to Detroit during the Great Migration. 

James Heath, who now serves as corporation counsel for Wayne County, asked Marable for help setting up the office in 2013. At the time, the city was in a financial crisis, which left the office with a small budget and Marable volunteered his time before signing a professional services agreement. 

Before joining the office, Marable spent time working in Georgia for the late Congressman John Lewis. He later served as a legislative liaison to Detroit City Council and as a consultant assisting the campaign of former Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. 

Marable said he intends to build awareness of the office’s purpose and mission through meetings with city officials, including the mayor. He also plans to increase the OIG’s presence in the community, and be more proactive in investigating issues like allegations of ghost employees, falsified invoices, personal purchases with city funds, embezzlement and more. 

Staff complaints have been among the office’s “most actionable,” Marable said, but the office is receiving fewer complaints from city staff members now than in past years. 

“If you allow this office to truly do what it can do, it’ll make the city better,” he said.

Right now, 95-98% of the OIG’s work is complaint-based but Marable would like to be more proactive by examining systems and processes that are vulnerable to fraud to identify and root out “embedded schemes that are not easily identified.” 

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The Perfecting Church project 

The City Council approved a rezoning plan Tuesday that advances Perfecting Church’s campus development project.

The city previously sued the church after the project was stalled for 20 years. The city dropped the lawsuit with various conditions. 

A church official told the council’s Planning and Economic Development committee last week that they expect to close on financing for the project in the next few weeks and anticipate the project to be completed in April 2025. A representative for the church told the committee that nearly half the development costs have been raised over the last 20 years. 

The initial plan was a 12-acre campus consisting of a 3-story church that could seat 4,000 people, a chapel, a separate administrative building, a 4-story parking garage with over 1,000 spaces, and a small surface parking lot. The current plan shifts office space into the church building and eliminates the parking garage. Instead, the church plans to construct a large surface parking lot with 659 spaces. 

There are also new aspects of the plan, including a small amphitheater in front of the church complex and community gardens. The property will be gated with a metal picket fence. 

The original permits were issued back in 2005 after the city closed streets and assembled land before selling the property to the developer. By 2006, the church secured a construction loan and development began. Two years later, the bank “called” the loan amid the economic downturn. Although the project was never completed, the windows and heating and cooling system helped keep the unfinished structure intact.