u/Apprehensive-Act9089

Detroit plans to spend an estimated $9.5 million to fix sidewalks in front of 6,300 homes by the end of the year, which would clear up a backlog of resident requests that goes back years, Mayor Mary Sheffield and other city officials announced on Monday.

Some residents' requests go back as far as five years to address broken sidewalks in front of their homes, city officials said at a press conference in the Murray Hill neighborhood. Officials say the plan will now fix these sidewalks at an unprecedented rate. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2026/05/18/detroit-sidewalks-broken-fix-2026-sheffield-plan/90141007007/

Even as the latest U.S. Census Bureau data shows Detroit's population grew for the past three years, city officials contended Thursday the federal agency is still undercounting 25,000 residents and plans to sue to correct the alleged flaw.

The city said it will file a suit Friday in U.S. District Court in Detroit that contends that one of the formulas used by the Census Bureau that relies on county population growth is skewing the city's recent growth. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2026/05/14/detroits-population-undercounted-25k-census-bureau-sheffield/90077552007/

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2026/05/12/detroit-council-delays-contract-to-find-toxic-dirt-at-home-demo-sites/90034002007/

The Detroit City Council on Tuesday paused a plan to pay an outside firm $3.5 million to investigate hundreds of former demolition sites throughout the city that may now be filled with contaminated dirt, saying they want more information.

The council delayed a request by Mayor Mary Sheffield's administration to pay the firm Mannik & Smith $3.5 million to perform "environmental due diligence," as described in council documents, at 650 sites for potential toxic backfill. That backfill was put there by private contractors to refill the gaping holes of demolished homes.

Several council members said they wanted more information about whether taxpayers will be on the hook for the $3.5 million, as well as more information from the city about the growing controversy around the contaminated sites.