Council suspends rules to add morning and afternoon public-comment windows during budget hearings

Detroit City Council on the record approved a temporary suspension of its rules to allow public comment after every pair of budget hearings, adding an explicit morning and afternoon public-comment period for the duration of this year’s budget hearings.

The move, introduced on the council floor as a motion to “suspend the rules to allow a call for public comment after every budget hearing during budget session,” was put forward by Pro Tem Tate and carried after a single objection from Member Callaway, the council clerk noted. The clerk announced the motion approved after no further objections were raised.

The change formalizes what members and callers said had been an inconsistent practice: callers in the morning session asked to speak after individual hearings and to have a second opportunity later in the day. Councilmembers characterized the change as applicable only for the current cycle of budget hearings; the motion and approval apply “for the duration of our budget hearings for this fiscal year,” Pro Tem Tate said on the record.

Public commenters then used the newly confirmed morning session. Cindy Dara, who identified herself during the morning comment period, and other residents addressed a range of topics including demolition, flooding and public-safety concerns. The council recessed the morning session and announced it would return at 1 p.m. to continue the afternoon budget hearings and the second public-comment window.

City clerks will reflect the morning/afternoon public-comment schedule on agendas for subsequent budget hearings so the public can see when comment opportunities will occur.

The council’s approval was procedural; no numeric vote tally was recorded in the transcript, and the clerk’s announcement, rather than a roll-call vote, recorded the motion’s passage.