Michigan’s redistricting commission tackles state Senate maps

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In last week’s Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) meeting, we learned that the state Legislature has yet to fulfill a supplemental funding request for the commission for this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

“If we were to continue to spend money, we would be out prior to June 1st,” Executive Director Edward Woods III said, adding that the commission is under a court order to hold public hearings next month ahead of a June 27 deadline to submit a final Senate district map. Late last year, a federal court ordered the commission to redraw state House and Senate districts in metro Detroit. The court said the original district boundaries were unconstitutional because they were drawn “predominantly on the basis of race.” Plaintiffs claimed the boundaries harmed Black voters’ ability to elect candidates of their choice.

Detroit is also asking the Michigan Liquor Control Commission to place a moratorium on liquor licenses. That’s after a March audit (see Page 30) revealed the state has issued many more licenses in Detroit than it should have.

In other public meetings, we learned the retirement system is struggling with record-keeping and cost overruns on a project to update its website. Suburban police chases ended with violent car crashes in Detroit. And public commenters praised the new Jason Hargrove Transit Center, which opened May 11 — but still had plenty of suggestions for the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) at its community input meeting last week.

The last day of school for the Detroit Public Schools Community District is June 7. Registration for summer school is open through May 24, and late applications will be put on a waitlist. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all students, and transportation service is available for students in grades K-8. High school students will attend summer classes virtually, though the district promises support for students who lack resources to do so.

Elections

A series of public hearings will be held in June to collect verbal and written comments about Michigan Senate district boundaries. These hearings will be run by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, a group of 13 state residents who don’t hold political office. It was founded after voters in 2018 decided that rather than politicians, citizens should be responsible for determining the state’s legislative boundaries.

In December 2023, federal judges determined 13 of the maps submitted by the MICRC violated the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution since the way Detroit was divided up and combined with neighboring cities would effectively dilute Detroit’s majority-Black vote. The citizen commissioners were ordered to redraw the maps before this November’s election.

Michigan residents are welcome to draw and submit their own maps and testimonies to the MICRC by June 21.

5/16/2024 Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, documented by Gina McPherson

Transportation

Residents participating in the Detroit Department of Transportation Virtual Community Input Meeting expressed overwhelming support for the new Jason Hargrove Transit Center. Public commenters said they appreciated that the center was named in honor of Hargrove, a DDOT driver who died after contracting COVID-19.

Many participants commented on DDOT’s paratransit system, advocating for 50-cent fares; trips currently cost $2.50, higher than some DDOT and SMART bus passes. They also asked about door-to-door service and questioned how paratransit drivers are held accountable if they don’t treat riders respectfully. DDOT representatives reiterated the service’s high cost and encouraged riders to file official complaints so DDOT can award contracts to businesses whose drivers are efficient and courteous.

5/16/2024 Detroit Department of Transportation Virtual Community Input Meeting, documented by Carole Hawke and Tamia Davis

Politics

5/14/2024 Detroit City Council Formal Session: Councilmembers requested a moratorium on state regulators issuing liquor licenses in Detroit and approved a 15-year extension on Renaissance Zone tax exemptions for the Detroit Medical Center.

Documented by Nathaniel Eichenhorn and Shiva Shahmir

For more on City Council, check out Malachi Barrett’s City Council Notebook at BridgeDetroit.

Education

5/14/2024 Detroit Public Schools Community District Regular Board Meeting: Community members and teachers at Thirkell Elementary-Middle School say the district has not responded to allegations of abuse and retaliation from the school’s principal.

Documented by Colleen Cirocco and Talia Gordon

Finance

5/15/2024 Detroit General Retirement System Board of Trustees: Some retirees subject to the bankruptcy-era clawback of a portion of their pension checks are asking to pay off their remaining amounts due in lump sum, but the records used to calculate those amounts were destroyed as required by a document retention policy, making new calculations difficult.

Documented by Amy Senese, B W and Perry Sylvester

Health

5/15/2024 Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network Board of Directors: The organization plans to increase its bed capacity by partnering with Trillium Behavioral Health to build a long-term behavioral health care facility, where the county will have access to a set number of beds in exchange for $3.5 million.

Documented by Sherrie Smith and Tyrone Anderson

Policing

5/16/2024 Detroit Board of Police Commissioners: Commissioners and members of the public expressed concerns over two police chases which began in Warren and Southfield and ended in violent crashes in Detroit — one fatal and the other resulting in six people hospitalized.

Documented by Elyas Khan

For more on the Board of Police Commissioners, check out the latest BOPC Watch.

This story was written by Outlier Media’s Lynelle Herndon and Noah Kincade and Detroit Documenter Carole Hawke.