More police in Detroit? Council says no
With a 7-2 vote, Detroit City Council rejected putting on the ballot a tax hike to raise about $56 million a year.
More taxes, fees? Detroiters pay fortune for abysmal services; council mulls another tax hike
It’s not easy being a taxpayer in Detroit. Property taxes are disproportionately high, yet city services are abysmal. The income tax rate is the highest in the state, but an obscenely high portion of the money is spent paying back debts from years past. And today, as the city and its suburban communities decide at the ballot […]
Tax hike in Detroit? Council considers plan to put police protection on ballot
Detroit City Council declined to vote on whether residents should have the opportunity to vote on raising taxes to put more cops on the streets, saying the police department needs to provide a more thorough plan. Council members said they want to ensure the roughly $56 millon that would be raised from a tax hike […]
Detroit City Council rejects contract because of city’s former ties with KKK
Detroit City Council declined to approve a contract from a Howell-based company today because of the city’s ties with the Ku Klux Klan. “This looks really bad,” Council President Charles Pugh said of the contract. “You can’t have contracts coming from Howell, Mich.” It’s unclear whether council has the legal authority to reject a contract […]
Million Man March coming to the Motor City?
By Steve Neavling The annual Million Man March may land in the Motor City. Civil-rights leaders officially made their case Monday as it vies to beat out other cities to host the next march, which could draw hundreds of thousands of people to Detroit. Detroit City Council enthusiastically backed the effort today. Originally held in […]
Will Detroit run out of cash this week? Council shrugs.
By Steve Neavling If anything is certain in Detroit, politics are frustratingly childish and counterproductive. And Detroit City Council didn’t disappoint today. Despite threats from Mayor Dave Bing and his staff that the city is about to run out of money to pay for basic services by week’s end, council pounced on the chance to […]
Will Detroit run out of cash this week?
By Steve Neavling If you believe Mayor Dave Bing and Gov. Rick Snyder’s warnings, the city of Detroit may grind to a halt by week’s end, shutting down buses, trash pickup and government offices. The mayor is expected to warn city council this morning that an internal lawsuit challenging broad and imposing state oversight could […]
Open Letter to Council President Pugh
Dear Detroit Council President Charles Pugh, When your constituents feel under siege by the state takeover and the rapid loss of services, it’s time to stop locking the door on Detroiters. As president of the Detroit City Council, you were elected to hear from your constituents, no matter how much you dislike their message. Once […]
Council Decides Apple Orchard Fight More Urgent than Solving Budget Crisis
By Steve Neavling Leave it to Detroit City Council to turn a peaceful apple orchard into a heated, divisive issue. Forget the city’s other problems, like chronic poverty, high illiteracy rates, tens of thousands of vacant homes and a budget shortfall that could land Detroit in bankruptcy court. When council members learned Tuesday that volunteers […]
Detroit Consent Agreement May Violate State Constitution
By Editorial Columnist Greg Murray On Tuesday, May 1, 2012, I appeared before the Detroit City Council to share my belief that the so-called “consent” agreement between the state and Detroit actually violates the Headlee Amendment. It is my position that the “consent” agreement included unconditional terms Detroit had no choice but to acquiesce to. One […]