Council committee moves CFO appointment forward as members press for retiree relief

The Detroit City Council Internal Operations Standing Committee interviewed Tanya Stoudemire on May 7 as part of the process to name a permanent chief financial officer and voted to send her appointment to the formal session with a recommendation to approve.

Stoudemire, who identified herself as “acting CFO for the city of Detroit,” described a 30-year city career that included positions in budget and finance and said she has been running day-to-day operations as chief deputy CFO. She told the committee that the city cannot use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay pension debt. "We are strictly prohibited from using those dollars for pension debt," Stoudemire said, adding that retirees who are city residents may be eligible for ARPA-funded programs but the city cannot write direct checks for pension obligations.

Committee members pressed Stoudemire on additional relief options for retirees, including whether a recurring "thirteenth check" could continue and whether the city could use a budget surplus. Stoudemire said the administration included money in the 2026 budget for an additional check and that officials were "looking to see if we have a surplus in our budget, and if there's a surplus available in the budget, that's going to be the first thing that we do with that surplus." She also said staff were working on an option to allow retirees to pay off outstanding annuity-related debt and that more detail could come later in the year.

Council members repeatedly urged broader approaches to reduce senior financial strain. Councilmember Mary Waters said, "I want to see us find a way to make this go away for retirees," and pressed for continued effort to identify relief mechanisms. Several members discussed low-cost programs and outreach so retirees know what benefits and discounts they already qualify for, and staff said they would pursue targeted mailers and other outreach.

On appointments, the committee voted to send Stoudemire's nomination (line items noted in committee packet as items 6 and 8.1) to the formal session with the committee's recommendation to approve. Members also instructed the law and legislative policy division (LPD) to research related questions raised in public comment and during the hearing.

The interview and votes will now move to the council's formal agenda for final action. Stoudemire said she looks forward to continuing fiscal work in the role, describing her approach as focused on "fiscal sustainability and accountability."