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July 27, 2026

July 27, 2026

Detroit Financial Review Commission

City of Detroit Regular Meeting

Monday, July 27, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.

Via Microsoft Teams

Minutes

  1. Call to Order
    1. Chairman, Kevin A. Smith called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m.
  2. Roll Call
    1. Members Present – 6
      1. Hakim Berry
      2. David Blaskiewicz
      3. Ron Rose
      4. Kevin A. Smith
      5. Tanya Stoudemire
      6. James Tate
    2. Members Absent –5
      1. Dr. J. Barnwell
      2. Jen Flood
      3. John Walsh
      4. Dr. Nicholai Vitti (non-voting)
      5. LaTrice McClendon (non-voting)
    3. Let the record show a quorum was present.
  3. Approval of the Proposed Minutes from June 29, 2026, Regular City Meeting
    1. Motion made by Commissioner Rose and supported by Commissioner Blaskiewicz to approve the minutes of the commission’s June 29, 2026, city meeting. The commission approved the minutes as presented.
  4. Executive Director’s Report
    1. Patrick Dostine, Executive Director, informed the meeting that the city of Detroit remains in good standing with the financial review commission.
    2. Mr. Dostine told the commission that the director of the Construction & Demolition Department gave an update to the subcommittee on public health & safety regarding the department’s remediation of the contaminated backfill. He updated the commission on that meeting.
    3. Mr. Dostine said, as of last week, the city has remediated just over 100 properties to date. Approximately 400 properties remain that exceed the state’s generic residential cleanup criteria. Mr. Dostine said the cost, averaged over the 100 remediated properties, was approx. $36,000. Mr. Dostine said that the director noted that amount doesn’t include the $5,000-$6,000 cost per lot for initial sampling and analysis;
    4. Mr. Dostine said council members asked about the department’s FY27 funding and is sufficient to complete the remediation? The director told the committee that there is money budgeted for the remediation, that dedicated cost centers have been established toward that end. Mr. Dostine said that the director noted that it is very early in the fiscal year still, if more funds were necessary, at that point a budget amendment may be necessary. [NOTE: Ms. Stoudemire added, after the executive director’s report, that the previous administration set aside $15 million in a demolition fund that is available if it is needed. Moreover, Ms. Stoudemire said that the city anticipates $5 million from an insurance policy. Those monies are available, too, for the remediation project.]
    5. Mr. Dostine said the director told the committee that they believe the public health risk from the sites that hold contaminated fill are “very low”. Mr. Dostine said this is due to in part to the abatement and post-abatement demolition process, it’s an implementation plan that has been in place for over 8 years. The process includes a one-foot cap of soil and a covering of vegetation which mitigates airborne particles.
    6. What’s new to the demolition protocol, Mr. Dostine said, in response to the contaminated back fill, is the additional quality control that’s been added to the process of approving the fill material coming from the source location.
    7. Mr. Dostine said that the department has a Fill Testing Website for the residents and others wanting to track the program’s progress. The web address is DetroitMI.gov/CDDFillTesting. Details include an interactive map, street addresses of properties in question, soil-test results attached to the address, and the status of the property.
  5. Old Business
    1. None
  6. City’s Financial Report for May 31, 2026 – FYI Only
    1. Deputy Budget Director, Matthew Spayth, and Treasurer, Valerie Agolli, gave an overview of the above-mentioned financial report and addressed questions from the commissioners.
  7. Public Comment
    1. Denise Elles (sp?)
    2. William Davis,
  8. Next Meeting Date
    1. City Regular Meeting: Monday, August 24, 2026, at 1:00 pm. using Microsoft Teams.
  9. Adjournment
    1. Motion made to adjourn, commissioner Blaskiewicz. Motion moved and supported, commissioner Rose; the Commission approved the motion to adjourn.
    2. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m.