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Council adds debt-collection cases to right-to-counsel executive-session discussion as callers urge full funding
Summary
An unidentified councilmember moved to add debt-collection cases to an executive-session review of the city's right-to-counsel work. Callers during public comment urged full funding — including a $25,000,000 request — and raised concerns about outreach and a proposed sunset after fiscal 2025.
An unidentified councilmember moved at the start of the meeting to "move to expand the right to counsel to include debt collection again this year to executive session." President Sheffield responded, "Okay. Are there any objections? Hearing no objections, we will have that in our executive session as well." The expansion was adopted by unanimous consent and will be discussed in executive session.
The motion comes as several callers during the public-comment period urged the council to fully fund the right-to-counsel ordinance and to provide ongoing outreach and staffing. "We think it still need to be 25,000,000 because Diamond need help in the office of eviction defense," said Tanisha Sanders, identifying herself as a Detroit Action organizer for renters and tenants. Sanders also asked for "more counselors in all districts" and improved outreach so tenants know about the program.
Lisonbee Putt, speaking on behalf of the Right to Counsel coalition, urged the council "to fully fund the right or the right to counsel ordinance as is required by law under the ordinance." Putt noted a figure discussed in the meeting — "the 5,593 people who are ineligible" — and said that number "is actually the also the number of the default population. Those people are not necessarily ineligible, but may not know about the program and an out an effective outreach funding would be part of addressing that particular issue." She also pointed out that "there is no line item in the budget after fiscal year 2025 for the right to counsel," asking whether the council intends to let the program lapse after ARPA funding runs out.
The council did not take a roll-call vote on the motion to add debt-collection cases to executive session; President Sheffield announced the addition by unanimous consent. No final budget decision was recorded in the public meeting minutes; callers asked the council to include the requested amounts and sustained staffing in the city budget.
What happens next: the council scheduled the matter for executive session discussion. Budget discussions and follow-up staff reports were referenced during public comment as necessary next steps but were not decided publicly in this meeting.
