Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

Entrepreneurs should expect a smoother licensing process after the City Council approved ordinances meant to help small businesses get off the ground. 

Changes approved unanimously by the council require business licenses to be renewed every two years instead of annually, offer a new provisional license allowing businesses to operate while working on a license, and cut a redundant health license for restaurants. The council also created a repayment program for businesses that owe under $350 in fees, allowing them to obtain licenses while paying off interest-fee fines.

The ordinances were drafted after a year-long review of city licensing practices and meetings with business owners. Duggan administration officials said the vote ends complex and burdensome regulations that delay small businesses. 

Hasan Beydoun, group executive of Economic Development, said the previous regulations were a “form of protectionism that essentially shuts out small businesses — mom-and-pop shops we need to rely on to grow neighborhood corridors.” 

For example, he said, starting a restaurant with a patio takes 10 months, 13 inspections, $4,300 in fees and coordination with six city departments. Large corporate chains can clear the hurdles, but Beydoun said it’s insurmountable for local entrepreneurs and “antithetical to the type of economic growth we’re trying to achieve in our great city.” 

Council President Pro Tem James Tate Jr. said this represents the most substantial change to business licensing he’s seen in his 15 years on the council. Council Member Fred Durhal III said it’s about changing the culture for entrepreneurs and showing Detroit is open for business.

“We’ve got to start setting the tone that Detroit is a place you can do business in, that we have a level of predictability,” Durhal said after the meeting. 

Reforms will cut revenue from business licensing in half, according to a fiscal impact statement prepared by the Office of Budget. The Buildings Safety Engineering and Environmental Department would redirect staff to enforce unlicensed businesses, said Director David Bell. 

Renewing licenses every other year instead of every year gives up $530,000 in annual revenue for BSEED, roughly 24% of its General Fund allocation. City officials said it’s a trade they’re willing to make. 

“We see this as putting money back into the hands of businesses,” Taverna said. “When the city is collecting less in fees it directly helps that small business. We fully anticipate BSEED will collect enough revenue to fund operations this year.” 

Council Member Scott Benson said he disagrees with the assessment, since the changes are expected to create more businesses and bring in more revenue overall. 

An increase in annual business license activity would partially offset the revenue losses, but the budget office said it can’t estimate how the volume of business will change. 

Council members were briefed on a new business concierge team created with funding added to the 2026 city budget. It will focus on helping businesses navigate permitting and licensing processes. 

“Oftentimes people feel like they have no one, they’ve given up,” Amanda Elias, deputy group executive for Neighborhood Economic Development, said in a previous committee meeting. “I can’t tell you how many businesses just decide to operate anyways and give up on getting a license or a permit.” 

The five-member team will provide “white glove service” to support businesses. Elias said hires are being made in preparation of getting started this year. 

“Believe it or not, that team could be 25 people and still not meet the demand,” Elias said on Tuesday. 

The licensing changes don’t apply to sexually oriented businesses, marijuana facilities and rental halls. It also doesn’t apply to liquor stores, which are licensed by the state. 

Timothy Tharp, owner of Grand Trunk Pub and Checker Bar, called into Tuesday’s meeting to support the changes. Tharp said the package “is by far the most important pro-business ordinance” he’s seen in two decades. 

American Coney Island owner Grace Kiros said the changes are a “no-brainer” while renewing a business license in Detroit is “a disaster.” 

Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway was absent during the votes. She returned to the chamber immediately afterward, but said she’s a supporter of the ordinance changes. 

WHAT PAGE ARE WE ON?

Today’s notebook covers the July 8 formal session.

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

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Do you know where your children are? 

Mayor Mike Duggan is asking the council to raise fines for parents whose children are caught outside late at night as part of a wider crackdown related to the city’s curfew rules. 

Duggan is seeking to raise “curfew responsibility fines” from $75 to $200 for the first offense and from $100 to $500 for the second offense, the maximum allowed under law. 

Detroit enacts a special curfew zone for the annual fireworks show, but another curfew stands year-round. Minors who are 16 or 17 can’t be outside without a parent or guardian after 11 p.m. Minors 15 and under can’t roam without a parent after 10 p.m. 

Detroit’s curfew ordinance makes it illegal for minors to be on public streets, sidewalks, playgrounds, arcades, restaurants, theaters and other spaces during restricted times. Parental responsibility is also outlined in city codes: If a minor commits a delinquent act, the parent is held responsible.

Duggan said Tuesday that Detroit police plan to enforce the curfew in ways “this city has not seen before” after a wave of summer shootings involving juveniles.

Police will treat reports of young people violating curfew as urgent “priority one” calls, increasing response times. Duggan also authorized overtime for police assigned to illegal block party and drag racing units, extending their shifts from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Three council members voiced support when asked by BridgeDetroit on Tuesday: Young, Durhal and Angela Whitfield-Calloway. 

“Sometimes when you hit a person’s purse or pocket, they change their behavior and make sure children are in the house and abide by the curfew,” Whitfield-Calloway said. “To not do anything is to not solve the problem.” 

Whitfield-Calloway said most people probably aren’t aware of the curfew, “but they’re going to find out if they break it.” She hopes the council votes on raising the fine this month. 

Durhal said the council can’t write laws to make good parents but something must be done to make people safer. 

“As we look at these homicides that have happened, not just over the past three weeks but even over the last couple of years, you’re starting to see the ages become younger and younger,” Durhal said.

Young said some parents are working multiple jobs to keep their families afloat. He understands why they would be “burned out,” but Young said the fees will encourage them to better supervise their children. 

“People are trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents, and I think this will emphasize: You need to know where your children are,” he said.

Durhal said he wouldn’t let his children roam the streets alone at night. He and Whitfield-Calloway remember being called home from childhood adventures when the street lights came on. Will increasing fines convince more parents to do the same? 

“We’ll have to see,” Durhal said. “The intent is to let folks know we’re becoming serious. We’ve got to start instilling some of those old-fashioned values.”

I asked Durhal and Young why raising penalties would work in this case while the council has found fines haven’t been an effective path toward raising rental compliance and encouraging other types of behavior. They said that’s a false comparison. 

Durhal, a mayoral candidate, later compared the curfew penalties to a blight tax he’s proposing on the campaign trail.

“If we left blight tickets at $500 a ticket, that’s a slap on the wrist and some folks don’t pay it or they wait to pay it,” Durhal said. “If you say I’m going to charge you 25 times (more) in one year, I guarantee folks are gonna start taking blight more seriously. I think it’s the same approach.” 

Huntington Place skybridge unveiled

The City Council is expected to vote on zoning changes needed to build a pedestrian walkway connecting Huntington Place to a new JW Marriott Hotel near the convention center.

The skybridge would allow people to move between the two buildings along the Detroit River without going outside and include a public street entrance. The plan also includes public gathering areas, informal lounges and the capacity to host pop-up business and events. 

Design renderings included in the council agenda give a preview of what the walkway could look like. 

Overheard in CAYMC 

Here’s a rundown on a few other smaller items of news and intrigue pulled from City Council records. 

The council approved a four-year $4.1 million contract for voter awareness and advertising efforts. 

The Detroit-based Allen Lewis Agency was contracted to help the Election Department develop a media plan and make purchases for marketing campaigns to support upcoming election cycles. City documents show the work includes buying ads, leveraging relationships with influencers and local news organizations, and providing metrics. 

Early voting by absentee ballot has already started for Detroit’s 2025 municipal election. The Election Department sent out 97,000 ballots to voters who requested them. 

Ron Gonzales bought two city-owned properties as part of his plans to bring a new ice cream shop in the Airport Sub neighborhood. 

Gonzales previously bought two adjacent properties from the city in 2021 and has been renovating a building on the site into an ice cream shop. The council approved a $2,370 sales agreement for 11642 Van Dyke, giving Gonzales land for customer parking and outdoor seating. 

American Citizens for Justice is planning an inaugural Detroit Chinatown block party on July 26. The event is scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. and will feature local vendors and food. It requires closing a portion of Peterboro. 

City officials recently unveiled a ceremonial street sign to honor Vincent Chin, who was beaten to death by two auto workers in an incident that flared concerns about anti-Asian racial violence. The state allocated $1 million to Midtown Detroit Inc. to refurbish streets in the historic area while local advocates hope to revitalize its connection to Chinese American immigrants who have largely left Detroit.

Representatives of Auntie Na’s Village, a nonprofit community resource group, said they’ve experienced thousands of dollars in flood damage. Tuwana Gross-Robinson said basement flooding is persistent in the neighborhood, and “nothing has been done