Council approves multiple budget amendments — BOPC boost, Black Bottom Archives, media services and parks security changes

Detroit City Council budget negotiators moved through a string of amendments and procedural decisions during their executive‑session meeting, approving several one‑time allocations and adopting closing‑resolution language on larger commitments.

Key actions included:

- A motion by Councilmember Denzel Anton McCampbell to add a one‑time $210,000 for the Board of Police Commissioners—$100,000 for community engagement and $110,000 for training and travel—was approved by the committee. McCampbell said the extra funding aims to support outreach and oversight activities.

- Councilmember Renata Miller successfully amended funding for the Black Bottom Archives, lowering the requested one‑time amount to $200,000 to complete a museum interior project in the historic district.

- The committee approved a one‑time $225,000 allocation for media services intended primarily to allow recording and support for boards and commissions (planning commission, board of review and Board of Police Commissioners). Members debated whether the council should seek a dedicated staff line for council media support but agreed the current allocation addresses immediate recording needs.

- Councilmember Scott Benson moved to reassign $300,000 intended for general security at parks and rec centers to the Detroit Police Department to stand up park patrols capable of enforcement; the committee approved the change but members pressed the administration to show implementation plans and metrics by early summer.

- On retiree support, members approved removing a line‑item dollar figure and adding closing‑resolution language committing administration to use surplus funds toward parity for the ‘13th check’ payments; administration officials confirmed they will include the commitment in closing language and pursue surplus or grant options.

- The council pinned and asked for more scoping on a $300,000 economic study for the nighttime economy (District 6 / citywide interest); members and administration discussed whether to use the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) as the vehicle or to contract externally.

Why it matters: the amendments reflect council priorities — oversight capacity, cultural preservation, transparency of official meetings, parks safety and retiree parity — and shift some recurring costs toward reductions in police non‑personnel spending. Administration cautioned that many recurring council additions will be funded by narrowing police non‑personnel budgets (equipment and services), not reductions in sworn officer headcount.

Next steps: administration will return with closing resolution language and a list of reallocations or implementation plans for items such as park patrols and the nighttime‑economy study; council will finalize the full budget at the scheduled formal session.