Budget Hearings — Board of Review / OIG
Detroit City CouncilRemote
This assignment is for two back-to-back budget hearings:
10:00am: Board of Review
11:00am: Office of the Inspector General
The full schedule of budget hearings may be found here.
Join meeting on Zoom: https://cityofdetroit.zoom.us/j/85846903626
Check the source website for additional information
Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team
Board of Review: The Pay as You Stay (PAYS) helped save 12,000 people from tax foreclosure, and the Homeowners Property Exemption (HOPE) program will sunset next year absent additional action. OIG: Closed 16 of 24 new investigations, Kamau Marable expected to succeed Ellen Ha.
Board of Review: The Pay as You Stay (PAYS) helped save 12,000 people from tax foreclosure, and the Homeowners Property Exemption (HOPE) program will sunset next year absent additional action. OIG: Closed 16 of 24 new investigations, Kamau Marable expected to succeed Ellen Ha.
I’m covering all four of today’s Detroit City Council Budget Hearings for @DetDocumenters !!
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06:36 AM Mar 28, 2024 CDT
These meetings tell us exactly where the $ is being spent & what future plans are
Catch up on them all:
Or you can join virtually or watch live or stream on Channel 10:
This body hears and determines appeals concerning real estate and personal property. The Board of Review is one of the only opportunities a taxpayer has to appeal before taxation.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s Office recommends $930,397 for FY2025, which is a $4,047 increase from FY2024.
Their questions:
This body investigates waste, abuse, fraud & corruption in City gov., with jurisdiction extending to all employees, contractors and those seeking to do business with Detroit.
The mayor is proposing a FY2025 budget of $1,742,634
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There's a part of Detroit experiencing severe medical debt that is harming their day-to-day life -- that BOR is now unable to assist
BOR says what they want is simple, the 2% increase everyone else is getting with the understanding that the recent tax reform ordinance added additional responsions to BOR
There should be an added per diem cost for those facing extra fees
BOR said they initially requested an additional $20,000 for FY2025, the 2% increase everyone else is getting would be around $18,000
There is disagreement between Council and Board between what the Mayor is proposing versus what is being asked
Inflation rates in 2023 were at about 5%
Councilmember-at-large Mary Waters (second from the left) says BOR is not asking for enough money and they aren't giving themselves enough credit.
BOR says the job is posted and working to be filled -- and they will follow-up after this meeting for an update because it is a highly needed position
Johnson she looks forward to the future prioritization of medical expense debt and appreciates the tireless work of BOR
BOR said it's a balancing act considering how new the programs are, they're a work in progress. He said better planning and intention should be put into the future ones
How will BOR go about the full implementation of the automated services?
The price: $600,000
It'll be a comprehensive software offering access to all applications and other services
$130,000 of grants left over from '23
No it's not, but it'll be around $200,000.
Tate is moving this topic into executive session to discuss further.
What happened to those funds and is that salary built into the FY2025 budget?
Benson said his greatest concern is that BOR is meant to be a grant-making program, and Council is intended to offer relief. What is the total value of that relief BOR provides to residents each year?
BOR said 2/3 of applications processed need to be re-applied each year, so 1-12K per year is the average
So what programs is BOR connecting residents for them to sustain support after they get BOR's assistance?
Dugann's Dept of Neighborhoods offers a level of similar services and has more authority than the BOR does - and they should be working together to serve people better, BOR said
Santiago-Romero wants to know if BOR is working with the Lein Team to get support?
What do you need to continue the PAYS program, Santiago-Romero asks?
A change in state law, BOR replied.
Young wants to know the impact of the 12,400 homeowners currently in the PAYS program
However, the transition of ownership throughout the city isn't new. The importance of a home's value on a person's life trajectory is something that must be weighed heavily. A number isn't known, but the circumstance is extigent
BOR said there is still a relatively large # of people who struggle w/ tax responsibility (aka HOPE program)
Young said he'll follow up on this later
BOR said the process as it is works, it just needs to be improved in certain areas to be more efficient. It's important to remember Detroit is older than most of America, he said
Durhal said he's open to starting a roundtable with Michigan legislators to discuss solutions
Closing remarks from Donwell, he's humbled and grateful by the role he serves.
This body investigates waste, abuse, fraud & corruption in City gov., with jurisdiction extending to all employees, contractors & those seeking to do business.
It was the OIG who made the decision on Tuesday to bar former contractor Bobby Ferguson from doing business with the city until March 2033 because of his affiliation with disgraced Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
It's almost like she can sense me watching...
Ha said OIG doesn't have the authority to enforce its recommendations but the staff did decide to create a table in the quarterly report with the status of all recommendations
I'll be picking up this afternoon on a fresh thread, so this will end the morning session live-coverage
Attachments
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.
Documents
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