Detroit Evening Report: Duggan presents 2025 fiscal year budget to Detroit City Council

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan presented a $2.76 billion budget plan to city council on Thursday.

The proposal includes $20 million for capital improvements and about $15 million for blight removal.

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It also has a 13% bump in funding for the city’s transportation department (DDOT), amounting to an extra $21.6 million. Duggan says that investment would mean more DDOT buses running routes every day.

“Today we pulled out upwards of 150 (buses),” Duggan said. “By later this year I expect it to be up to 175 and I hope to get even further in early 2025.”

Some of the DDOT funding is allocated for the transit authority to hire 117 more bus drivers.

Duggan says he also wants to boost funding for Detroit’s election services by 40%. He says that commitment will be necessary to support early voting in this year’s presidential election.

“There isn’t going to be one election day on Nov. 5,” Duggan said. “We are going to have polls opened 14 days in a row starting basically three Saturdays before the election, running up to the Sunday before the election.”

The Detroit mayor says he also wants to provide 12% more funding for the fire department to improve the quality of emergency services.

“The day is going to come where everyone is cross trained as a firefighter and as an EMT, but that means taking people out of the fire department to be trained,” he said. “And as we do that transition there is a cost to it — and we’ve expanded out ambulances.”

Duggan says between the fire department and private vendors there are about 40 ambulances operating in Detroit.

It’s up to city council whether to approve the mayor’s proposal. Prior to voting, hearings will be held over the coming weeks to review the 2025 budget.

Reporting by Alex McLenon, WDET

Other headlines for Thursday, March 7, 2024:

• Michigan high school athletes would be able to sign endorsement deals under legislation heard in a Senate committee on Wednesday.
• Amtrak will cut back on Detroit-to-Chicago rail service this summer so crews can work with the Michigan Department of Transportation to make track improvements.
• The Ford House will guide families in an exploration of Maple Syrup making this weekend.

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