Detroit City Council unifies against Mayor Duggan

Flashback: Duggan called the council "dysfunctional" earlier this week after the Federal Transit Administration advised the city in a Nov. 30 letter that it could lose federal funding if paratransit services are curtailed next year.

• A 70% reduction in services is expected Jan. 1 after council voted against a contract with troubled paratransit company Transdev, provider of transportation services for residents with disabilities since 2016.
• Users have complained of long delays, driver assaults, skipped rides and difficulties reporting problems.

Why it matters: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the city has to provide seamless paratransit services. If they don't, the Department of Justice can investigate independently.

State of play: While Duggan pursues a solution — potentially through an expedited, emergency contract — other council members voiced frustration with his claim that the body does not work properly.

• "I totally disagree with that statement," Coleman Young II tells Axios. "We have been functional, we have been productive. I disagree that we will just have to give Transdev a new contract — everywhere I've gone people have not liked their service."

What they're saying: "Now it's up to the mayor to come up with a solution," Lisa Franklin, founder of Warriors on Wheels of Metropolitan Detroit, told BridgeDetroit. "We're not standing by to allow them to bully us into accepting this company that has treated us so bad for so many years."

What's next: Council member Fred Durhal III tells Axios he expects "cooler heads will prevail" as the city searches for an answer.

• "The folks that suffer are folks in the disabled community," he says. "They don't want to lose their services. That should be the focus."