Over at BridgeDetroit, that handsome devil Malachi Barrett writes his weekly CIty Council Notebook, a round-up of topics discussed and voted upon at the City Council meeting. This week…
Trash fee hike looks likely
[Mayor] Duggan says Detroiters should have weekly collection of bulk and yard waste, recycling and construction debris like suburban communities. It can be done for extra $12 million every year.
Duggan originally said he’d cover the cost by moving funds from other parts of the budget. On Monday, his administration pitched a “hybrid” option that relies on raising annual garbage fees from $240 to $270 over three years.
Fee increases could be inevitable. A recent LPD report found garbage fees already aren’t keeping up with current service levels. Each $10 increase in the Solid Waste Fee raises $2 million.
Downtown parking lots get a facelift
The DDA [Downtown Development Authority – rr] approved an $828,000 plan to fully cover the cost of landscaping upgrades based on site plans created by the city. The DDA will also cover 75% of costs for fences and bollards and 50% of the cost for signage.
The City Council’s Budget Finance and Audit Committee filed a report last week that showed the DDA collected $63 million in tax revenues in fiscal year 2023. The DDA will continue collecting taxes from increases in downtown property values until 2051.
The report shows $298 million in outstanding bonds issued to build Little Caesars Arena must be paid off. Interest adds $238 million, raising the total to $537 million in debt.
City Council redistricting slows down
The City Council is taking a few more weeks to consider new district boundaries that take effect after 2025 elections.
A vote originally planned for the end of this month was bumped back to Feb. 6 after a wave of residents voiced a desire for more outreach and engagement. The City Planning Commission created six map options.
Developer daycare fund
Whitfield-Calloway is proposing an ordinance requiring developers to fund childcare services.
The proposal is modeled off a San Francisco program that charges fees based on the square footage of projects. Fees can be avoided if developers provide family daycare on-site.
Under Whitfield-Calloway’s proposal, developers of new office, residential, and hotel projects would pay a fee based on the size and type of their projects.
Reparations task force replacements
The council will vote later this year on whether to appoint Edythe Ford, Director of Community Engagement at MACC Development, and Jashan Larosa, executive director of GreenLight Fund, a Boston-based nonprofit that supports wealth generation programs in Detroit.
Stephen A. Myth
ESPN Analyst Stephen A. Smith tried to pass off a ridiculous representation of Detroit after the latest victory on Sunday. I’ll leave it to Darren Nichols from the Detroit Free Press to explain what’s wrong with Smith’s tired take.
[City Council President Mary] Sheffield also called out Smith for promoting a false narrative about Detroit in a TikTok video.