Detroit Historical Society warns of collection risks as millage stalls; council adds CapEx and budget items to executive session

The Detroit Historical Society told the Detroit City Council that it faces a precarious funding gap while a proposed millage is delayed, and warned that the Collections Resource Center at Historic Fort Wayne is "one flood or power outage away from disaster." Ilana Roo, president and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society, asked the council for capital and operational support at a budget presentation and said the society will press ahead with a millage campaign when allowed to go before voters.

The museum chief said the society has pursued a millage for five years and that those bills had passed the state House and Senate but were stalled by a clerical issue and a hold from the speaker of the Michigan House. "We're still not quite there," Roo said, adding that the organization remains "optimistic" about placing the measure before voters next August and that polling supports the effort.

Roo and Matt Greenough, the society's chief financial officer, outlined current finances and near-term needs. Greenough said earned revenue is trending upward and the society expects to reach at least $1 million in earned revenue in the next budget cycle, up from roughly $600,000 in fiscal 2019. He also said a prior round of state transitional funding helped restore…