Detroit City Council Formal Session

Detroit City Council

Politics

Tuesday, March 4, 2025
10:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m. EST

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2 Woodward Ave Detroit, MI 48226 (Directions)

ERMA L. HENDERSON AUDITORIUM, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center

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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team

Note-taking by Gina McPherson

The council postponed a decision on the appropriation of excess revenue to gather more information, specifically related to a $14 million shortfall in a trash contract. A resolution exploring a historic designation for the Renaissance Center failed 8-1.

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Live reporting by Benjamin Haddix

The council postponed a decision on the appropriation of excess revenue to gather more information, specifically related to a $14 million shortfall in a trash contract. And a resolution exploring a historic designation for the Renaissance Center failed 8-1.

Bhx

Hello! I’ll be live tweeting the Detroit City Council meeting at 10:00am for #DETDocumenters. Media Partners: @DetDocumenters media partners: @BridgeDet313 @chalkbeatDET @freep @metrotimes @Michigan_Public @media_outlier @PlanetDetroit @wdet @wxyzdetroit

08:56 AM Mar 4, 2025 CST

Bhx @BhxDetroit 2/32

Here is a link to today's agenda: pub-detroitmi.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?I…

pub-detroitmi.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?I…

Bhx @BhxDetroit 3/32

The meeting has been called to order at 10:08.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 4/32

The local chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction is being honored with the Spirit of Detroit award.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 5/32

Public comment has begun.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 6/32

Public commenter inquires about the resolution to designate historical status to the Renaissance Center (line item 18.19). She suggests that she wants to know how council votes on this because it will affect how SHE votes for council elections.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 7/32

Council member Tate indicates that a recent public meeting is archived on the city's website and provides more context to the decision making process regarding the Renaissance Center – I'm am having a difficult time finding said meeting. I will share link if I do.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 8/32

…(the council made it sound really easy to find on the city's website!)

Bhx @BhxDetroit 9/32

Some commenters are calling to advocate for scheduled demonstrations at Dingell VA hospital in Detroit – demonstrations to protest the layoffs of VA workers related to the mass layoffs of federal workers.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 10/32

A number of commenters are speaking to concern over a violent incident (death of a young man over concern of shoplifting) at a gas station at McNichols rd and the lodge. Commenters speak to concern that they have no control over what businesses are in their community.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 11/32

Public comments have ended.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 12/32

A lot of comments regarding the Renaissance Center suggested that because their tax money had paid for the construction of the building in the first place, people felt concern over it's future being decided by tax-evading billionaires [to paraphrase].

Bhx @BhxDetroit 13/32

A report is being shared by the 2025 Revenue Estimating Conference. A $14million gap between expenses and revenue is being discussed.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 14/32

… This $14million gap pertains a trash disposal contract. The money cannot now come out of ARPA, but is instead having to come out of the city's excess revenue (which I believe the speaker indicated was around $74million).

Bhx @BhxDetroit 15/32

The council is discussing surprise at this additional fee in the contract (apparently nearly double). The presenters of the report are suggesting that this additional fee is the result of a revenues for the solid waste funds being significantly lower than expected. …

Bhx @BhxDetroit 16/32

… They indicate that this is due to a lower-than-expected revenue from delinquent property taxes. There is a lot of esoteric language going on here, and indeed even the council seems confused about why this happened and what it means.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 17/32

Line item 6.1, regarding the 2025 Revenue Estimating Conference Report, has been postponed for 1 week. A discussion of this item has been lengthy and ultimately has required more explaining and information to be fully understood and effectively voted on by the council.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 18/32

A resolution to extend the Reparations Task Force until June 30th, 2025, was approved.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 19/32

An unusual discussion regarding whether to postpone a vote or not on line item 18.18, which is a resolution officially inviting HUD secretary Scott Turner to Detroit. …

Bhx @BhxDetroit 20/32

Unusual in that they postponed the resolution, opened it for discussion, changed their mind about postponing, but now discussing more. The conversation is about, should they invite the secretary, how they can all be on board as a council in making a plan for that visit.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 21/32

The council is discussing the Renaissance Center. Calloway speaks to the way the city rushes to demolish without regard for the historical significance of landmarks and architectures, let alone the possibility to rehabilitate the use of the structures. …

Bhx @BhxDetroit 22/32

… Durhal III speaks to the proposal by the building owners, arguing that this is an opportunity to open up the planning of downtown; that it is, significantly, a privately owned property; …

Bhx @BhxDetroit 23/32

…and as well he suggests that the Renaissance Center was designed to be a 'city within a city' to effectively segregate class and race within the city center.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 24/32

OK here is a link to the public meeting where the proposal for the redesign of the Renaissance Center was presented and discussed: detroit-vod.cablecast.tv/CablecastPubli…

detroit-vod.cablecast.tv/CablecastPubli…

Bhx @BhxDetroit 25/32

… [Thanks to @DetroitJCS for helping me navigate the city's meeting archives to find that.]

Bhx @BhxDetroit 26/32

@DetroitJCS This discussion, regarding line item 18.19, a resolution requesting the historic designation advisory board to conduct an eligibility study of the Renaissance Center, has a number of interesting points regarding the dimensions of history and what is worth preserving. …

Bhx @BhxDetroit 27/32

@DetroitJCS … Council member Waters articulates her experience looking at the Renaissance Building and never seeing any history in it for Black Detroiters, and instead seeing isolation and coldness [paraphrasing]. …

Bhx @BhxDetroit 28/32

@DetroitJCS … Council member Calloway suggests that her experience with the Renaissance Center was different – that she has many rich and racially diverse experiences in the RC, and does view it as an important part of a shared Detroit history.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 29/32

@DetroitJCS The historical designation study would, apparently, take approximately 1 year.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 30/32

@DetroitJCS Annd this resolution, line item 18.19 fails – 8 nays and 1 yea.

Bhx @BhxDetroit 31/32

@DetroitJCS The meeting is NOT adjourned yet, but my coverage is ending. For more coverage followers can check out the transcript, recording and Documenters notes at detroit.documenters.org

detroit.documenters.org

Bhx @BhxDetroit 32/32

@DetroitJCS If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@outliermedia.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

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Attachments

4 attachments

Transcript and recording, part 1

By Noah, Detroit - MI Documenters Team ⋅ March 4th, 2025

Transcript and recording, part 2

By Noah, Detroit - MI Documenters Team ⋅ March 4th, 2025

PDF transcript: Detroit City Council — Formal Session part 1, 3/4/2025

By Noah, Detroit - MI Documenters Team ⋅ March 4th, 2025

PDF transcript: Detroit City Council — Formal Session part 2, 3/4/2025

By Noah, Detroit - MI Documenters Team ⋅ March 4th, 2025

Agency Information

Detroit City Council

www.detroitmi.gov

See Documenters reporting

The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The Council is responsible for the creation of local laws—called ordinances. Additionally they pass resolutions, motions, and the proposed city budget. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a location besides city hall. The council may convene for special meetings at the call of the mayor or at least four members of council. Areas of responsibility for the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee include, Budget, Finance and the Auditor General.

City Council members are elected on the same cycle as the Mayor and will be elected in 2021. Seven members represent the seven council districts, while two members are elected at-large.