Committee reviews stormwater, demolition and sidewalk contracts; approves several items and sets returns for others

The Public Health & Safety Standing Committee on Monday reviewed a wide slate of procurement items, seeking clarifications on tax clearances, bonding and property-acquisition steps while approving multiple contracts or referring them to formal sessions.

Stormwater infrastructure: Committee members heard from Detroit Water and Sewerage Department procurement manager Marcratia Welch and engineer Anna Timmis about contract 6007080, an $18,000,000, CIP‑funded agreement to provide stormwater infrastructure management through May 31, 2030. The work focuses on the Upper Rouge tributary and Near East Side and supports compliance with the state-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Officials said a resolution of necessity for property acquisition related to the Brightmoor project is pending and is expected to be presented to the PE committee in July; the council agreed to bring further discussion on 6.3 back in two weeks to examine condemnation and permitting details.

Emergency demolition and tax clearances: For contract 3083818 (emergency demolition), contracting staff said the tax‑clearance process has begun but is incomplete; the property had already been demolished on May 5. The committee agreed to return item 6.2 in three weeks so OCP and procurement can confirm tax‑clearance documentation before payment and formal action.

Sidewalk replacement and bonding: Members probed contract 6006862 (sidewalk replacements, $2,000,875) about whether contractors had posted bonds and whether prior contractors completed required sidewalk repairs. Tony Limit, deputy chief procurement officer, confirmed bonding requirements for construction projects over $25,000 and later reported a bond of $2,800,000 associated with the major contractor; the committee sent 7.6 to formal without recommendation to allow verification and follow-up documentation.

Demolition training and compliance: Contract 6005274 (7.5) — an amendment to continue accreditation and training for demolition field teams through June 1, 2026 — was discussed and approved. Group executives said demolition field staff must maintain certifications under the city's consent agreement with the state and that Environmental Testing and Consulting (ETC) provides the required instruction.

Autonomous-vehicle pilot and transportation contracts: The committee approved a grant-funded contract (6007244, $1,550,000) to relaunch a publicly accessible autonomous vehicle shuttle pilot, with Tim Slusser, chief of mobility innovation, saying the service aims to resume after the Fourth of July holiday and run for an additional year under MDOT and partner funding. The committee also approved several other transportation and public-works contracts and amendments, and moved multiple ARPA and public-works contracts to new business with recommendations to approve.

Representative actions taken: The committee approved emergency demo contract 3084267 and multiple ARPA-funded items (7.3, 7.4) and amendments (7.5, 7.8–7.14, 7.15–7.19) as recorded, referred some items for corrected paperwork or additional review, and scheduled returns for items needing tax-clearance or additional documentation.

Next steps: Items requiring additional verification (tax clearances, bond documentation, property-resolution steps) were set for follow-up in one to three weeks or to the appropriate committee; the body recessed to reconvene at 1:30 p.m. for dangerous-buildings hearings.