Detroit ombudsman presents final annual report; council adds FTE and immigrant legal funding to executive session

Bruce Simpson, ombudsman for the City of Detroit, presented his office’s ninth and final annual report to the Detroit City Council, outlining recommendations on education, code enforcement, housing fraud and immigrant services and asking for one additional full-time equivalent position in the office’s proposed budget.

Simpson told the council that the ombudsman’s office has worked closely with Detroit Police Department leadership and community violence intervention partners and that the office’s approach is “balanced” and focused on producing results for residents: "The job of being the ombudsman for the city of Detroit requires me to have a balance objective approach when providing constructive criticism necessary to produce a product that our residents approve of." He highlighted recovery since Detroit’s 2013 Chapter 9 bankruptcy and said the city has produced major wealth gains in the past decade but still faces persistent problems that require attention.

Why it matters: Simpson’s recommendations tie service access, code enforcement and anti-fraud measures to residents’ daily quality of life and to larger efforts to retain and attract residents. The council moved promptly on several of his requests, adding further budget review of staffing and funding for immigrant legal services and agreeing to consider codifying an Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Actions and council decisions

- Council added the ombudsman’s budget item — including a request for an additional FTE — to the council’s executive session agenda after a motion was made and there were no objections. Simpson said the mayor’s proposed staffing level for the office is 17 FTEs while the ombudsman requested 19; the difference…