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How to make your voice heard during city budgeting cycle

September 23, 2026

Detroit has entered its annual budget planning cycle following the September Revenue Estimating Conference, with Mayor Mary Sheffield's administration launching community engagement sessions to gather resident input on spending priorities. The city's Budget Office is developing the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2028, which will run from July 2027 through June 2028, to be submitted to City Council in early March for review. The engagement process includes public budget meetings featuring presentations from various city departments, district-specific priority forums held via Zoom, and opportunities for residents to contact council members directly.

Who is affected

  • Detroit residents and neighborhoods
  • Mayor Mary Sheffield's administration
  • Detroit City Council members
  • The Budget Office and Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO)
  • Public Lighting Authority/Public Lighting Department (PLA/PLD)
  • Detroit Fire Department (DFD)
  • Detroit Health Department (DHD)
  • Detroit Police Department (DPD)
  • District constituents across Detroit

What action is being taken

  • The Budget Office is preparing the Mayor's Proposed Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2028
  • Public budget meetings and district priority forums are being held across the city
  • Departments (PLA/PLD, DFD, DHD, and DPD) are presenting at the September 28 Annual Public Budget Meeting
  • The administration is conducting Budget Priority Meetings by district via Zoom
  • BridgeDetroit is covering the budget process

Why it matters

  • This budget cycle determines how Detroit allocates funding for essential city programs, services, and activities for Fiscal Year 2028. The engagement process allows residents to directly influence spending priorities that will affect their communities, ensuring that city government decisions reflect constituent needs. The participatory approach provides multiple accessible channels for public input, recognizing that traditional meeting formats may exclude working residents or those with scheduling constraints.

What's next

  • The Mayor's Proposed Annual Budget will be presented to City Council in early March along with the Four-Year Financial Plan
  • City Council budget and public hearings will begin in March
  • Council members will review and vote on budget adoption
  • BridgeDetroit will provide coverage of the March hearings

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com