Detroit budget changes target transit and community violence intervention
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City Council members at a February session. Photo: Courtesy of the city of Detroit via Flickr
Detroit City Council is expected to vote Monday on the city's $3 billion budget, setting the stage for new leaders when they take over in January.
Why it matters: This spending plan is the last for Mayor Mike Duggan and the current City Council, many of whom are running for reelection.
- It will help propel the city into a post-Duggan future, with the 2013-14 bankruptcy getting smaller in the rearview mirror and mayoral candidates saying they hope to extend more help across neighborhoods.
State of play: The monthlong budget hearing process kicked off in late February, with 46 budget hearings delving into departments' operations, what City Council members want to see done differently and what new programming to expect in the July 2025-June 2026 fiscal year.
- BridgeDetroit and Outlier Media reported on all those hearings.
Between the lines: While the budget is $3 billion, City Council can influence only the $1.58 billion general fund. The rest is restricted to specific uses, including water and sewers, and targeted state and federal grants.
This week's executive sessions allow council members to negotiate funding amounts against Duggan's plan.
- For example, Duggan proposed raising the Department of Transportation (DDOT) budget by $20 million to $209 million, but transit activists have been calling for the city to invest a transformational amount to create a bus system that truly works for residents.
Case in point: Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero requested increasing DDOT's budget by $16 million for more bus shelters and drivers.
- City officials told council Thursday that the current budget amount helps the bus system improve reliability. They said there wouldn't be a feasible way to deploy the $16 million without years of planning how to use it.
- Santiago-Romero reduced her ask to $2 million, with her and Council President Mary Sheffield hoping to still reserve some funding to improve bus shelters.
In another ask, multiple members sought an additional $3 million to continue the mayor's proposed $4.4 million community violence intervention (CVI) program and expand it to more areas of the city.
- CVI pays neighborhood groups to mediate conflict, mentor individuals at risk of violence involvement and address underlying conditions.
- The increase would fund two more groups for a total of seven.
The bottom line: There's only so much money to go around, but as with any publicly elected body, council members want to show that their priorities are translating into action.