Detroit City Council Formal Session
Detroit City Council
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
10:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m. EDT
2 Woodward Ave Detroit, MI 48226 (Directions)
ERMA L. HENDERSON AUDITORIUM, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
Check the source website for additional information
Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team
Despite objections, councilmembers authorized the city to establish a Section 108 affordable housing loan pool. They extended the Reparations Task Force through Oct. 31, and honored Malik Shabazz for 40 years of activism. Public commenters praised same-day paratransit service.
I will be live reporting the Detroit City Councii today at 10am for #DetroitDocumenters
08:04 AM Jun 24, 2025 CDT
The agenda for this meeting can be found here:
No movement yet from the council feed. I’ll let you know when they begin.
Audio cut in in the middle of roll call. A quorum is present and the meeting was called to order at 10:06am
A moment of silence for recently passed Judge Virgil Smith
Further words in memory of the recently passed Judge Donna Robinson Milhouse
Next up and Spirit of Detroit award goes to Minister Malik Shabazz
Several council members spoke in support of Minister Shabazz
Minister Shabazz spoke in thanks to the assembled, and pointed out those who had helped him.
The council is now accepting reports from the various city committees and referring them to other committees as appropriate
That being done, they are moving on to public comment
First commenter asked members Sheffield and Durhal what they plan on doing, if elected as Mayor, to curb the running of red lights in the city
Two representatives of the Detroit Agency for the Blind praised the council for improvements in para transit
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/06/16/detroit-offers-same-day-paratransit-service-for-residents-with-disabilities-how-to-apply/#:~:text=Trips%20via%20DDOT%20Now%20can,trips%20and%20availability%20are%20limited.
Several more commenters with praise for improved para transit services
It seems the Detroit Agency for the Blind has changed it’s name to Detroit Advocates for the Blind
Charlie LeDuff came up to speak about what he says is corruption in demolitions and the Detroit Land Bank
LeDuff alleged that toxic dirt has probably been transplanted from demolition sites to sites in the city of Detroit, and called in the council to investigate
Next commenter complained about the lack of action on over assessment of property taxes in the city
The commenter said that they have been given the runaround by the city council, and that she just wants just compensation for her lost home. Council responded that they have talked previously and are working actively to provide her with a remedy
Moving on to the phone comments, another rep from Detroit Advocates for the Blind to thank the council
Motto: “A little DAB will do you, but a lot of DAB will school you”
It’s an old reference to a Brylcreem ad
Caller accused the City Council and city government of being corrupt “from the rooter to the tooter” and of ignoring their calls for police accountability
Next caller called for donations to local activist Michael Cunningham, who needs to pay off a new used car and pay for some bus tickets
https://www.bridgedetroit.com/meet-detroits-other-people-mover-michael-cunningham-ii/
Another caller echoed the accusations of Charlie LeDuff and laid blame squarely at the feet of mayor Duggan, who they called a white supremacist.
Next caller decried violence in the city, and pointed out violence occurring at 4th of July fireworks show
A caller complained about metal detectors being installed in transit centers, and people being prevented from sitting inside transit centers by the hassle of an involved search
Moving on to the agenda, they are quickly moving through millions of dollars of contracts. Impossible to get them all down at this speed, you’ll have to refer to the agenda I linked above.
Council had some questions for 17.2, so that item is being moved to the end of the agenda
In regards to reports being generated by the Citizens Research Council, the council asked for information and analysis regarding Illinois’s “choice tax”. It’s hard to find unfo, but it seems like essentially a toll on people coming into the city during high-traffic times
Council asked if a city income tax would be possible
There are some errors in the contract. Specifically “staging services for outdated equipment” should be amended because that service is already done by a different firm. They have delayed the item to add late as possible in the agenda
Now on to 17.8-17.15, various lawsuit settlements. All Approved
17.17, a resolution to extend the Detroit Reparations Task Force
A rep from the task force estimated that they are 75% of the way to a complete report
18.1 is getting a lot of requests for clarification that is not forthcoming
How exactly the relevant funds will be dispersed is tied up in federal HUD, and it is that agency that will determine, apparently, a lot of the action taken
Much of the loans proposed would likely go to downtown developers, and if they fail to repay those loans, the city is left holding the bag
Councilmember Sheffield is giving several examples of this having already occurred, including the Book Cadillac
There were objections to a waiver being attached to the motion, and that would delay the action until after a HUD deadline, and Councilmember Callaway urged staff to bring these matters before the council in a more timely manner so they don’t have to legislate under such pressure.
There is a motion to suspend the rules, and allow the motion to go forward without a waiver, effectively overruling the objections
The motion to suspend the rules was passed and a waiver attached
Now quickly accepting reports from the various committees
Law department has asked that item 22.1 be removed from the agenda as the relevant negotiations fell through. That action was taken
The item, 17.2, postponed to the end of the agenda has been corrected and was approved.
Well folks, this closes my coverage of the Detroit City Council meeting for June 24th. Learn more about our coverage of local meetings at https://documenters.org
‼️IMPORTANT: If you believe anything in the coverage today is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@outliermedia.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line
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Agency Information
Detroit City Council
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.