Dearborn Heights council opens budget hearing; personnel changes, ordinance staffing, grants and water projects draw questions

The Dearborn Heights City Council opened a public hearing on the proposed corporate fund budget for fiscal year 2025–26 and reviewed a set of personnel and revenue changes that city staff had prepared.

Budget staff presented page-by-page changes that included director salary increases, reassignments between departments, and several grant revenues that had previously not been included. Council members questioned staffing levels, enforcement workflows in the ordinance department, and the city’s remaining fund balance as the hearing progressed.

Key items discussed

Personnel pages and salaries: Staff said several department director salaries were increased (several director positions were noted at $85,000 in the draft) and that changes to court clerk and HR positions were included. Council members asked for clarification on which positions shifted between departments and how costs were allocated.

Ordinance officers and law‑enforcement access: Council and the ordinance director discussed that ordinance officers currently lack full access to the LEIN-style law‑enforcement databases used by police. The director said only personnel formally part of the police department are certified for that access; staff agreed to explore options including equipment for vehicles and potential organizational or training steps to streamline ticketing and reduce time spent returning to the office to process citations.

Staffing counts: Council reviewed the count of ordinance officers (discussion referenced 6 current, 7 budgeted, with prior discussions of 9 total officers) and the role of TIFA funds in paying for 1 position. Council directed staff to reconcile personnel pages with prior resolutions and to confirm the funded headcount.

Grants and revenues: Staff added several grants and reimbursements to the draft budget that staff said were approved but had not previously been budgeted, including MDHHS/state grants, Safe Streets for All and Safe Routes to School (with a local match), CDBG‑DR and FEMA awards for flood recovery work, and American Rescue Plan/DRWSRF allocations planned for water‑main replacement projects. Staff reported that some reimbursements already have been drawn down.

Golf-course parking and fund balance concerns: Council members debated a projected resurfacing and parking-lot cost for the municipal golf course that staff described as previously estimated and now higher; council members noted the capital project currently lacks an appropriation in the proposed budget. Multiple speakers warned the city’s unrestricted fund balance was low with limited margin for large new capital outlays.

Plant Moran and outsourced finance work: Council members questioned the level of contractual services paid to outside consultants (Plante Moran) and discussed options to bring more accounting and recurring functions in-house. Staff said recruiting municipal accounting candidates has been difficult and that interim consultant support had been used while the comptroller position and related roles are being filled.

Decisions and directions recorded during the hearing included selected line-item adjustments and requests to staff for additional detail. The council opened and closed the public hearing during the May 6 meeting; no final budget adoption vote was taken at that session.

Public comment: Residents urged the council to explore sustainable revenue options, stronger enforcement of existing ordinances, and more proactive grant-seeking. Residents also raised concerns about police staffing and neighborhood blight.

What happens next: Staff will reconcile personnel pages, provide requested backup documents (grant award motions and contract line-item breakdowns), and return with clarified budget documents for subsequent council consideration and eventual adoption.