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Council debates Detroit Land Bank appointments and limits of intergovernmental agreement
Summary
Councilmembers clashed over whether the city or mayor holds final authority over Detroit Land Bank appointments under the existing IGA and whether council should secure an official appointment through a renegotiated agreement or MOU; city attorneys said substantive change requires mayoral agreement and six-month notice.
Councilmember Mary Waters pressed colleagues to act on a previously passed resolution seeking to renegotiate the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) governing the Michigan State Land Bank, arguing council must preserve an official appointment and oversight role.
“Vote however you wanna vote, but don’t ignore what has happened with this body,” Waters said, urging the council to memorialize council appointments in the governing documents. She said council previously passed a resolution to reopen the IGA and that she expects the council’s role to be codified.
City attorneys and staff explained the statutory and contractual framework. Mr. Whitaker (city counsel) said state statute and the cited IGA vest appointment authority primarily with the mayor and the state housing authority, though the council maintains practical levers — notably the budget and a separate memorandum of understanding (MOU) — to influence Land Bank operations and the appointment process. Counsel said major changes to the IGA would require notice and the mayor’s agreement and described a typical six-month notice period for substantive changes.
Councilmembers said they will pursue an enforceable MOU or ordinance language to secure council representation on the Land Bank board. Several members also noted an informal or handshake practice in prior administrations that gave council an appointee and said they expect to codify that arrangement going forward. The council moved and approved appointments on the agenda (motions and waivers recorded) while leaving detailed IGA negotiation language to follow-up work by law and policy staff.
What happens next: the council directed staff and legal counsel to circulate historical memos and to draft options (MOU or ordinance) that would preserve a council voice on Land Bank appointments; those drafts will return to the council for further action.
