News from Chalkbeat Detroit, Outlier Media, Planet Detroit, Bridge Detroit
Students talk with Mayor Sheffield, a crypto landlord’s legal troubles, digital makeover for Belle Isle, and a Detroit sales tax explained.
Buses, safety: Students at Pershing High tell Mayor Sheffield how she can help
Mayor Mary Sheffield made Pershing High School the first stop after her public swearing-in ceremony on Friday.
The stop at the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s neighborhood school reflected her campaign promise to focus her term on initiatives that will improve the lives of young people.
Lines of cheerleaders and a hallway booming with applause greeted Sheffield. As students and adults clamored to point their cellphone cameras at the mayor when she walked in, girls talked to each other about how excited they were to meet the city’s first female mayor.
“I’m very grateful to be in the presence of such a person,” said senior Neveah Washington.
Sheffield, who was sworn in during a private ceremony on Jan. 1, spent 30 minutes with nearly 90 students in the school’s library. She talked about partnering with the city’s schools to address systemic issues that affect the quality of students’ education, from improving city transportation to offering more after-school programming and wraparound services.
The mayor said she also wants to give youth reasons to stay in Detroit, such as more career opportunities and affordable housing.
Though the mayor does not have control over schools, Sheffield told the students, “that does not mean that the mayor cannot be a great partner, that we cannot be visible and hands-on with our youth – and that is what I intend to do.
By Hannah Dellinger — Chalkbeat Detroit
Detroit requests court-appointed receiver to oversee crypto landlord’s troubled portfolio
The City of Detroit is asking a judge to put a receiver in charge of a crypto real estate company’s large and troubled Detroit portfolio. The city made the request as part of its ongoing lawsuit over the condition of properties owned by RealT, or RealToken. If approved, the receiver would be able to repair deteriorating properties at the company’s expense.
The lawsuit, filed in July with Michigan’s 3rd Circuit Court, contends that RealT’s neglect and mismanagement are harming scores of tenants and neighbors. Dozens of its properties were in such poor shape that the city deemed them “unquestionably harmful” to residents’ health and safety. Judge Annette Berry issued a temporary restraining order preventing the company from evicting tenants or collecting rent on properties that weren’t up to code.
In a court filing last week, the city said RealT has failed to complete emergency repairs, and many tenants are still living without heat, water or safe structures. Basements remain backed up with sewage, the filing says, even as the company renovates empty homes it plans to lease to new tenants.
“We are asking the court to appoint a receiver because the level of home improvement provided by RealToken has been slow, incomplete, and not according to the judge’s order,” Detroit Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett said in a statement. “The tenants deserve better living conditions, including basics like heat and water.”
By Aaron Mondry, Outlier Media
‘World-class attraction’ Belle Isle kicks off 2026 with digital makeover
The Belle Isle Conservancy’s new website includes a space to share island memories, a centralized calendar, and Spotify playlists for the island.
Belle Isle has a new look for the new year. A new brand identity and website for Detroit’s 982-acre island park launched Tuesday with the aim of making it easier to plan visits and interact with the Belle Isle Conservancy, the nonprofit that supports the island’s operation. The rebrand, for which the conservancy partnered with Detroit ad agency Lafayette American, includes:
• A “plan your visit” hub on the website.
• Curated content for island visitors like families, runners, older adults, dog lovers, nature explorers, picnickers, and event-goers.
• A space to share Belle Isle memories.
• Information on the conservancy and how to support it.
• A centralized calendar.
• Spotify playlists for the island.
“It’s the home everyone thinks of when they close their eyes and imagine what makes this city so amazing and unlike any other city in the world,” Meagan Elliott, the conservancy’s president and CEO, said of the island during a launch event at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. She announced a celebration on Belle Isle on March 13 — 313 Day — that will include photo portals, food trucks, live DJ sets, and more.
Mayor Mary Sheffield said: “I want every Detroiter — of every age, background, and ability — to be able to find joy on this island.”
By Dustin Blitchok, Planet Detroit
What a Detroit sales tax would raise, and who pays
A new report suggests Detroit could raise between $42 million and $71 million by creating a 1% sales tax that would cost households an additional $167 per year.
The figures come from a Citizens Research Council of Michigan study of potential benefits and risks of local option taxes. It’s the latest in a series of reports commissioned by the Detroit City Council to explore ways to raise new revenue and reduce the property tax burden for residents. It was shared with the council’s Legislative Policy Division.
A local tax could diversify Detroit’s revenue sources, drawing income from visitors while making the city less reliant on property taxes and state revenue sharing.
However, the path to creating a local tax is “a formidable task,” requiring an amendment to the state Constitution, a local ordinance and the approval of Detroit voters.
The report notes that Detroit residents are among the highest taxed in the state. Sales taxes are generally regressive, placing a greater burden on lower-income households, though it wouldn’t apply to groceries, prescription medication and water, plus religious and nonprofit sales.
The maximum expected funding raised by a sales tax is far less than what Detroit collects from other taxes and would represent roughly 5% of the city’s General Fund budget.
“Given the relatively small potential overall revenue raised, and significant challenges to adopting a one-percent local sales tax, local policymakers will have to decide if the potential new revenues are worth the state and local efforts required to secure authorization,” Senior Research Associate Madhu Anderson said in an email.
by Malachi Barrett, Bridge Detroit
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