Mayor Mike Duggan OKs Detroit City Council's amended budget

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan signed onto and approved City Council's amendments to the annual budget for the 2023 fiscal year, Deputy City Clerk Andre Gilbert said Wednesday.

Councilmembers made $12.7 million in funding changes to the $2.5 billion budget that Duggan presented in March. Changes include a $50,000 increase to expand outreach for disability services, $100,000 for a strategic plan for the Immigrant Affairs Office and $6 million to fund a property tax overassessment program for legacy Detroiters. 

More:Detroit City Council approves 2023 fiscal year budget

More:Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says online gaming revenue helped offset budget losses

Other plans include allocating $1 million for a six-week paid parental leave policy for city workers and $70,000 for three law students to assist with the city's Freedom of Information Act request backlog.

Council members approved the budget in an 8-0 vote at about 11 p.m. April 14 after several clerical delays and a lack of quorum. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero was absent after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Clerk's Office has until May 7 to submit the budget to the Financial Review Commission to be certified. The 2023 fiscal year begins July 1.

The mayor said at his budget presentation that online gaming taxes helped offset the city's losses. It brought in $26.6 million last year and is projected to bring $71.1 million for the 2022 fiscal year, which ends June 30. The overall budget is an increase from the 2022 budget, which was $2.33 billion. The city slashed millions for the 2021 budget due to revenue losses during the pandemic.

The city also has $135 million in excess that will be used in one-time allocations for the 2023-24 budget.

Duggan could not be reached for comment. 

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact Dana: dafana@freepress.com or 313-635-3491. Follow her on Twitter: @DanaAfana.