City Budget Hearings Begin – Let Your Voice Be Heard!
Last Friday, Mayor Duggan gave the City Council his executive recommendations for the 2024-2025 budget. You can read a report on his recommendations in Bridge Detroit here. From now until April 8, when Council takes the final vote on the budget, it’s important to study the details of the proposed budget and advocate for your own priorities and those of your community.
Non-profit organizations like Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) are working to make sure residents understand the budget process and are prepared to weigh in. Here are the presentation slides from a recent CDAD training meeting, which explain how the budget process works, where the revenues come from, and how they are allocated.
From March 11 to April 1, Council has scheduled departmental budget hearings, where department heads appear before Council to answer questions about their own proposed budgets. All of these meetings are open to the public, either in person or virtually. Here is the 2024-2025 Budget Hearing Schedule.
If you can only attend one meeting, probably the most important one will be the Public Budget Hearing on Monday, April 1 at 5:00 p.m.
You can attend budget hearings in person on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, online at detroitmi.gov/Online-CC-Meeting or by phone by calling one of these numbers - 929-436- 2866, 312-626-6799, 669-906-6833, 253-215- 8782, 301-715-8592, or 346-248-7799, and entering meeting ID 85846903626##.
Agendas and related documents can be found and viewed here. (If you need help, click here to view a video on how to locate Agendas and Minutes.)
According to a recent CDAD newsletter, “Council may change how it handles public comment during this year’s budget process. Previously, Council generally had a public comment period for each budget hearing. Council may hold one morning public comment period and one afternoon public comment period. If this change is made, this would place an undue burden and possible barrier to the public's ability to comment on the City's budget and participate in the entire process. We have asked Council and the City Clerk to clarify and communicate if the public comment period is changed.
“Three things you should know about making public comment during the budget process.
The Budget Schedule is subject to change – hearings and sessions may start earlier, later or be rescheduled.
It is within the discretion of the chairperson to determine when to hear public comment during the meeting and the length of each comment.
Sometimes Administration and department officials are not available during public comment – they don’t hear the public commenters’ questions nor respond to them.”
Sign up to receive CDAD’s budget campaign emails by visiting https://cdad-online.org/. Now through April 8, if you can’t attend any budget hearings, you can still call or email the Mayor’s office and our District 4 Council Member, Latisha Johnson at 313-224-4841 or (councilmemberjohnson@detroitmi.gov), and share your views with friends, neighbors and colleagues on social media.
