Detroit's FY2028 budget cycle is open, with priority forums coming to all seven districts

The dollars that will pay for Detroit's streetlights and water service a year from now are being shaped right now, and the city wants to hear from residents before the numbers are locked in.

Detroit's budget cycle for Fiscal Year 2028, which runs July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028, is officially underway. It opened with the Revenue Estimating Conference, the September session where the city adopts a local economic forecast and the projected revenues the annual budget is built on. That conference happens every September and February.

The first chances to weigh in are already here. The Office of Budget is holding two Annual Public Budget Meetings on Zoom, each at 5 p.m. The September 21 session covered the General Services Department, the Department of Public Works, and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The next, on Monday, September 28, covers the Public Lighting Authority and Department, the Detroit Fire Department, the Detroit Health Department, and the Detroit Police Department.

From there the conversation moves into the neighborhoods. District Budget Priorities Forums run on Zoom across all seven council districts, from October 20 to October 29, hosted by the Office of Budget. Districts 2 and 4 lead off on October 20, and District 1 closes the run on October 29.

You do not have to wait for a meeting. Residents can send spending priorities to the Office of Budget year-round by emailing [email protected]. The office sits in Suite 1106 of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center at 2 Woodward Avenue.

This is the stretch where priorities get shaped before anything is fixed on paper. The Mayor's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2028 goes to City Council in early March, and the Council's own budget hearings follow that spring.

Detroit's budget is one of the clearest places where a resident's voice turns into paved streets and staffed firehouses. The Zoom links are posted, and the calendar runs through fall. Pick the session for your district, or send an email, and get your priorities on the record while the budget is still being written.