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Public commenters urge city to keep shelter open, explain drainage fees and press for BZA transparency and DDOT safety
Summary
During the committee's public-comment period, residents raised multiple concerns including a plea to prevent a winter-time shelter closure, questions about drainage fees and Great Lakes Water Authority bonds, complaints about board of zoning appeals transcript access and requests for park repairs and transit-safety improvements.
Public comment at the committee meeting covered a range of neighborhood concerns, including an urgent request to prevent a shelter closure, calls for an audit and transparency of drainage fees, concerns about Board of Zoning Appeals record access, a neighborhood park repair request and complaints about the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT).
Reuben Crowley (who used the moniker “Upside Down Roo”) urged council members not to close a shelter he identified as “Detroit Power Detroit,” saying there is a zoning application pending and asking, “where are they supposed to go in the midst of winter?” He asked the council and staff to “try to focus on making it happen” to keep the shelter operational while zoning issues are resolved. A committee member responded that the office had just learned of the matter and would investigate and provide updates.
Several callers focused on drainage fees and utility governance. William M. Davis asked how the city plans to use “opera interest money” and raised questions about a drainage fee (sometimes called a rain tax), asking where that revenue is going and whether audits assess impacts on churches and small businesses. Malik Shelton alleged that drainage fees and recent water-fee hikes are being used to pay debt service related to bonds issued by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and questioned whether a water-boil advisory should have been issued after a water-main break; those claims were presented as public comment and not verified in committee.
Other public commenters sought local fixes and transparency: Betty Yvonne Varner, president of the DeSoto Ellsworth Black Association, described theft and vandalism at DIVA Community Park and asked for help obtaining boulders to secure the site before a June event; she also announced a March 18 community meeting about the Fenkle Avenue Corridor action plan. Another caller, identified in the transcript as “Miss Warwick,” asked the council to revisit a petition on the BZA’s decision to charge for transcripts; she framed the issue as an impediment to petitioning government and said the BZA previously provided recordings on request.
Transit safety and rider experience also came up: a caller urging improvements to DDOT said she and others find buses unsafe and unreliable and encouraged council members to participate in “ride along” events; the committee noted it will push the issue during the budget season.
Why it matters: speakers raised near-term shelter access, public-works and utility-accountability questions, and community-safety concerns. Committee members acknowledged the comments and in several cases said staff would follow up or connect callers to administration resources.
Next steps: staff said they would investigate the shelter/zoning concern, connect community members with assistance for the park, and that the council and OCFO will publish responses to some budget-related questions online.
