Mayor Mary Sheffield has approved a dozen budgets while sitting behind the City Council table, but Wednesday marks her first time giving her official signature as Detroit’s top executive to formally approve and move it forward.
Sheffield, in March, proposed a $3 billion budget focused on people-centered and neighborhood priorities. Since taking the helm, the mayor has announced several new departments, teams and initiatives to address those related priorities she promised on the campaign trail — housing, homelessness, crime prevention and safety, transit and doubling down on affordable housing, to name a few.
Sheffield gave praise to everyone involved in what she described as a “collaborative effort.” She said it “feels good” to be the one signing off on it, and that she would not have done anything differently if she were on the council side again. She added that the process was seamless and smooth.
“It was definitely a budget that, I believe, prioritizes everyday Detroiters, our neighborhoods and our youth, which oftentimes are neglected,” Sheffield said. “We know that this year, things were a little bit tight but I think we have a budget, again, that really prioritized a lot of key programs that are going to benefit everyday Detroiters.”
The City Council and financial policymakers on Tuesday, April 7 spent hours deliberating and crunching numbers to ensure a balanced budget, reflecting their priorities as well, would come before them. Council members attempted to shift funding priorities in other areas, though due to tighter revenues, they ultimately decided to push it off until next fiscal year. The current budget will go into effect on July 1 and run through June 30, 2027.
Nevertheless, several areas managed to garner larger increases, some of which include: $1.9 million for the 13th check for legacy pension retirees; $1.5 million for capital improvements for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; $1 million for the city’s forestry division; $300,000 for security at city parks and recreational centers and $1 million for the dead, dangerous and diseased tree program.
City Council President James Tate said despite being unable to meet everyone’s needs, he hopes Tuesday’s budget actions will reverberate for generations.
“Detroiters have been counting on us to get this right, and I believe that many Detroiters will be pleased, realizing that not all of the things that we want to see done — and residents want to see done — will be accomplished in this budget. But we’re going to be right back at it,” Tate said after adopting the budget.
Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mayor Mary Sheffield approves Detroit’s 2027 fiscal year budget
Reporting by Dana Afana, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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