City of Detroit, Michigan sent this bulletin at 03/29/2019 03:00 PM EDT
District 6 Newsletter - March 2019
Dear District 6,
Happy Spring! March has been a busy month with most of the Budget hearings taking place. Stay tuned for the final hearings and Executive Session where Council will revisit a host of budget items from various departments. We have lots of great info to share this month from budget updates, DDOT's new fare change, and more! Also, be sure to check out all of the community events shared in this edition.
Take Care,
Raquel Castañeda López Detroit City Council Member, District 6 #WeRDistrict6 #TeamRockyD6
Check out this short video that the City of Detroit filmed in honor of Women's History Month featuring Council Member Castañeda-López!
Diamond Smith, sophomore at Novi Christian Academy and granddaughter of District 6 block club leader Marsha Bey. Diamond shadowed our team on March 28th, attended committee meetings and learned all about what Council staff does.
Team Rocky Updates
Our office is currently recruiting interns for our summer and fall positions! Internships are available with both our community and policy teams.The job description is attached. Please share with eligible candidates.
Check out our monthly constituent case report for February! Our office is able to help constituents report city concerns, connect to resources, and navigate city services. If you require assistance, please call us at 313-224-2450.
Community Events
Attend the City of Detroit Kick-Off for the 2020 Census!
Learn the City's plan for getting everyone counted, how community groups and non-profits can get funding for local outreach, and where to apply for a Census job!
Learn about the project construction plan and estimated costs. You will be able to provide comments and questions!
Date: April 3
Time: 1PM
Location: Water Board Building (735 Randolph, 5th floor board room)
Attend the Wayne County Child Support Help Program to meet with attorneys about your child support case!
This event is FREE to the public, an ARREST FREE zone, and offers many resources to help you take control of your child support and paternity issues.
Date: April 6
Time: 1-4PM
Location: Detroit Public Library, Friends Auditorium (5201 Woodward Ave)
Join Urban Neighborhood Initiatives for a Global Youth Service Day for a tour of local murals and a neighborhood clean-up! Lunch will be provided.
Date: April 11
Time: 10AM-2:30PM
Location: Meet at 8300 Longworth
Unity in Our Community TimeBank is hosting a a Spring Swap in conjunction with Free Market of Detroit. Bring clean, gently used clothing and other items- and leave with some new-to-you stuff!
Will also feature crats, music, animal resources, raffle, and other activities!
Date: April 13
Time: 1-5PM
Location: St. Peter's Church (corner of Michigan and Trumbull)
Join Southwest Pride for their annual Easter Egg Hunt! Children ages 12 and under welcome. Team Rocky will be there - come and say hi!
Date: April 14
Time: 3-5PM
Location: Boyer Park
For information on volunteering or donating, call 313-986-1610
Detroit City Council Green Task Force Earth Day Awards Breakfast
Date: April 20
Time: Free and open to the public 10AM-Noon
Location: IBEW Local 58 (1358 Abbott)
District 6 - Your Motor City Makeover Day is on May 18th! Register today to volunteer for a neighborhood cleanup by calling 313-224-4415 or on this website!
Congratulations to the Munger Lions volleyball team for winning first place in their champsionship this season!
News & Policy
New DDOT fares will become effective on May 1, 2019! See flyer below for more information about fare changes.
Council Approvals
$250,000 in city funding for improvements at Riverside Park.
$150,000 in federal funding for the rest of 2019 to Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) to provide emergency housing, health care, education, transportation, and legal services for at-risk and homeless individuals.
A payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to 124 Alfred Limited Dividend Housing Association Limited Liability Company to develop a project known as"124 Alfred". This project will be a new five-story building with 54 senior housing units in the Historic District of Brush Park.
The PILOT is needed so the project can offer a deeper affordable structure: 60% AMI (20 units priced at $696), 30% AMI (4 units priced at $381), 40% AMI (13 units priced at $500).
Read about the latest updates on the development site at Bagley and 16th St that is part of the City's Strategic Neighborhood Fund.
This site will become a new mixed-use, mixed-income project that will include 60 new housing units and 5000 sq. ft. of retail.
The City selected Detroit-based developer Woodborn Partners for this project, with construction set to begin later in 2019 and to be completed later in 2020.
The City and developers will continue to hold resident engagement meetings throughout the construction period. We will post information about these meetings via this newsletter.
Budget Updates
Most City departments have now presented their budgets to City Council and have had the opportunity to answer questions and hear comments from City Council Members and Detroit residents.
Over the next couple of weeks, City Council will have the opportunity to make changes and approve the final budget for fiscal year 2019-2020. The Mayor has an opportunity to veto these changes.
Residents are invited to make public comment using this form.
Resources
Join these monthly meetings to share feedback, hear feedback from others or learn what’s going on with DDOT!
Date: Every third Thursday of the month
Time: 5-7PM
Location: Rosa Parks Transit Center (1310 Cass Ave)
Are you interested in starting a community garden? Join the Garden Resource Program! It will give you educational opportunities to learn how to establish and maintain garden sites.
See flyer to the left for different opportunities!
For more information, please call Keep Growing Detroit at 313-656-4769 or email info@keepgrowingdetroit.org
Do you need help with your water bill? Has your water been shut off? Are you facing shut off?
Reach out to The Human Utility to see if you can receive assistance!
Visit this website for more information, including ways of how you can get involved with this initiative!
FREE TAX PREPARATION SITES sponsored by AccountingAidSocietyrunning until April 13th!
Families and individuals with incomes up to $55,000 may be eligible for our full service tax help.
Find out and make your appointment today by calling 313-556-1920.
Most locations offer walk-in first come, first served service. Some are by appointment-only.
The Homebound Tax Program can help if you are physically unable to go to a tax site. Call for details: 313-556-1920.
The City of Detroit intends to improve the process for purchasing and permitting land based projects in 2019.
They want to hear from residents to gather input & prioritize improvements to the land purchase to permit process.
