Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

We’re in the home stretch for approving Detroit’s $3 billion budget for 2025-26.

A public hearing was held Monday for residents to voice comments and concerns directly to the council. It wrapped up three weeks of budget hearings where department heads outlined their needs and made requests for additional funding.

Next, the City Council will negotiate funding changes with Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration during executive session meetings this week. A final vote on the budget is scheduled for April 7.

Last year, the council secured an extra $33 million for projects during the executive sessions.

The changes represented just 2% of the overall budget, but included programs that remove dangerous trees from private property, cover lead paint in older homes, fund capital improvements at libraries, museums and Eastern Market, shelter new migrants and support the Office of Eviction Defense. 

Most Detroiters who came down to Monday’s hearing advocated for a large increase in public transportation funding. More than two dozen transit advocates marched into the meeting after holding a rally outside the city’s office building.

The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) will receive $209 million in Duggan’s budget proposal, a $20 million boost from the previous year. 

Advocates thanked Duggan, saying they’re grateful for the increase, but the budget still falls short of what’s needed to create an accessible and reliable system.

Detroit People’s Platform activist Rochella Stewart said “investment across the board” is needed, starting with hiring more drivers and mechanics.

DDOT’s budget includes $135 million from the city’s General Fund. The rest comes from ticket sales and grants.

Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero requested an additional $16 million in DDOT’s budget, raising the General Fund contribution to $151 million.

Transit advocates want to incrementally raise the General Fund contribution so that it doubles in the next five years, reaching $300 million.

They say the additional money could be used to pay drivers more competitively, put more buses on the street, build new shelters and benches, expand evening hours and more.

DDOT Reimagined is the department’s long-term road map to boost ridership and improve the transit experience. It calls for shorter wait times for buses, expanded service hours, more shelters and upgraded seating.

Megan Owens, the executive director of Transportation Riders United, said the plan isn’t possible without more investment.

“It’s an awesome vision, we want to see it happen, but at this rate it’s going to take 10 years to make that happen,” Owens said.

“My 12-year-old daughter shouldn’t have to wait until she’s 22 before the city has reliable, frequent bus service. It is going to take roughly double the number of drivers and double the number of buses for (buses to run) every 10 minutes. That is why we are fighting to double DDOT.” 

Amalgamated Transit Union President Schetrone Collier said current funding hampers DDOT’s ability to attract and retain bus operators. Collier said it costs DDOT $40,000 to train each operator and many are “poached” by other transit agencies that pay more.

“If we want to grow this region and have it become a world-class city, you cannot make that happen without addressing transit issues,” Collier said on Monday.

Transit is becoming a top issue in 2025 elections. Three City Council candidates joined transit advocates at Monday’s demonstration: District 5 candidate Chantel Watkins, District 7 candidate Denzel McCampbell and Stephen Boyle, who is running for an at-large seat.

Stewart said council members who are running for reelection or seeking to replace Duggan as mayor are focusing more on transit due to Detroiters’ advocacy.

“You’ve got to think about the people electing you,” Stewart said. “I know (city leaders) have to go along with billionaires, but think about the people that put you in (office).”

Boyle said he lives just over a mile from the nearest bus stop along the 16-Dexter route. He works evenings at a restaurant and is often left waiting for buses that arrive hourly after 8 p.m.

“We need to start making sure people get home and are safe,” Boyle said. “We are creating segregated opportunities in this city because the access is not present for a large number of people.”

Amy Hemmeter said bus service gets “noticeably worse” in the afternoon and on weekends. She uses the 5-Van Dyke-Lafayette bus to go grocery shopping on Saturdays at Joe Randazzo’s Market. Hemmeter and her husband have been stuck so often they coined a name for it: Being “strand-azzoed.”

Donnell Whitley and Michael Cunningham II said a lack of shelters forces seniors and disabled residents to endure harsh weather conditions. Only 5% of bus stops have a shelter and 1.5% have benches.

Advocates also linked transit with a need to support residents who have a disability. Nadine Miller, who is fully blind in one eye and impaired in the other, said she can’t navigate the city without reliable public transportation.

Representatives of Detroit Disability Power, a nonprofit group that pushes for full inclusion of people with disabilities, said chronic underfunding” of public transit threatens a crucial lifeline for residents.

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What page are we on? 

Today’s notebook covers the April 1 formal session.

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

Did a friend forward you this? Sign up for BridgeDetroit’s free newsletters to catch the next one.

Check out Detroit Next, our new podcast focused on the 2025 elections. Council Member Fred Durhal III joins us this week to outline his plan for tax reform and development. 

Durhal is in the Detroit News with an op-ed focused on the impact of tax incentives passed last year. 

Duggan was named “America’s most effective mayor” in a new profile from Governing Magazine that explores his legacy as mayor.

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Overheard in public comment 

Every week, I take notes on what people are saying during the public comment portion of Tuesday meetings. It’s a way to stay on top of emerging trends and collect pieces of intrigue.

After mulling it over for a few weeks, I figured I would carry on this newsletter’s tradition of reporting things and letting you decide if it’s worth it. Here’s a few things mentioned during public comment this week worth paying attention to.

Detroiters are advocating for an ordinance to force the release of police body camera footage within 7 days of an incident. Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway said she’s working with the Law Department to draft that legal change.

Old Western Market is opening its weekend food market this Friday. The Corktown market was razed in 1965 to make way for the Fisher Freeway. Co-owner Richard Noto said the pop-up market relaunched last year and will be open on Fridays and Saturdays.

Wayne State University students are asking for assurance that they won’t be arrested for peacefully protesting the war in Gaza. Campus police have threatened to break up vigils, even after the ACLU got involved. The threat of arrest is especially worrisome to students who are on visas.

Kosta Vrahnos, owner of Costa D’Oro Jewelers, says Bedrock’s planned acquisition of the Renaissance Center could threaten his business. Vrahnos is concerned his business could be replaced with a larger jeweler and asked the City Council for support.

Sheffield’s office is holding a virtual meeting on April 14 to seek input from street vendors. Sheffield said she’s considering changes to regulations.

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Savvy Sliders slips into the east side 

A new east side Savvy Sliders restaurant is one step closer to opening after the City Council approved a zoning change. 

One parcel of land at 6181 Cadieux Rd. was rezoned to a General Business District. The property was formerly a Chase Bank, but the building was demolished in 2020 after years of vacancy and vandalism.

The change allows Savvy Sliders to build a new restaurant with a drive-thru and retail space. It was approved unanimously by the City Council. 

The Farmington Hills-based fast food chain has four locations in the city and dozens more across the country. 

Discussions on the rezoning go back more than a year. At a February 2023 Planning Commission public hearing, residents vouched for Owner Ibrahim Bazzi’s reputation for hiring community members and taking care of his properties.

Residents said the east side needs more projects that turn vacant and unproductive parcels into businesses that uplift neighborhoods. Some residents and property owners expressed concerns about traffic along the Cadieux Corridor.

Planning Commission Director Marcell Todd said the site plan was adjusted to alleviate concerns of the adjacent Calvin East Presbyterian Church. The Traffic Engineering Division determined that the surrounding streets have enough capacity to handle traffic increases.

Council Member Latisha Johnson said it would go on “fast food row” along Harper.

The area historically functioned more like a major thoroughfare with intense auto-oriented uses, largely thanks to its proximity to I-94. The intersection hosts a gas station on each corner with fast food restaurants spread along the road.

Bazzi was among the original eight businesses to join Detroit’s Project Green Light video surveillance program. Bazzi has owned a gas station on Outer Drive and Harper for 38 years.

“For somebody to last this long in a community, you gotta have love and passion for the community you do business in,” Bazzi recently told a council committee.

“I’ve helped two of my employees buy houses in the neighborhood. I coached a couple dozen residents that were losing their homes on how to write hardship letters to the banks. They were able to save their houses and they still live in the houses they were able to maintain up to now.” 

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Home purchases continue for solar project 

Detroit continues to assemble land near sites planned for solar energy farms, purchasing nine properties for $1.29 million.

Homeowners are being offered twice the fair market value or a minimum of $90,000. The nine properties were bought by the Public Lighting Department for prices ranging between $92,500 and $225,000.

The properties were bought with money from the Utility Conversion Fund.

The City Council approved the land sales by a 6-3 vote, with objections from Council Members Whitfield-Calloway, Santiago-Romero and Sheffield.

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Police officer honored for community work  

Detroit Police Cpl. LaTrelle McNairy was honored with a Spirit of Detroit Award in recognition of her 25-year career with the city and community work at SuperBad Boxing Gym.

McNairy specializes in analyzing shell casings and tracking down firearms used in crimes. She also organizes school supply and grocery drives with Gleaners Food Bank and is co-owner of the boxing gym.

McNairy manages Tony Harrison, a World Boxing Council light middleweight Champion, and Lance “Boogie” Smith, a rising star who won his professional debut match earlier this year in Detroit.

Whitfield-Calloway said SuperBad Boxing Gym needs more resources and is planning to make a request for funding in the 2025-26 budget.

“They’re keeping young people alive in that community,” Whitfield-Calloway said. “To have a safe haven – it’s like a library. I’m hoping we can help you out because that’s what we’re here to do – help organizations that give back to the community where you were raised.”