City Hall Insider … 2/10/26

By Charles Sercombe
The city council met on Feb. 10, and all councilmembers, except for Muhtasin Sadman, were in attendance.
It was announced that no-interest loans for small businesses are now available from Amanah Financing.
In a note to council, it was said:
“This program is designed to expand access to capital for entrepreneurs who may face barriers with traditional lending, including start-ups and existing small businesses.
“The loans through this program are available to all, and were designed to offer an Islamic-compliant lending option to those who need it. Eligible applicants must live in or operate a business in Hamtramck, and have basic business registration documentation. In addition to financing, ProsperUs Detroit offers technical assistance to help entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses.”
Residents and business owners interested in learning more or applying can find additional details at: prosperusdetroit.org/amanah/
Mayor Adam Alharbi asked the council to add another item onto the meeting agenda. That item was whether to hire Adel Al-Adlani as the new city manager.
The council agreed to add that item to the agenda for discussion later in the meeting.
During public comment, Ibrahim Aljahim complained about an employee in the Public Works Department who did not respond to an inquiry from a community business owner for two weeks.
“That’s a poor job,” Aljahim said.
He also said that community members are complaining about the city tax department director’s “attitude and demeanor, and the way she acts when citizens come to city hall.”
James Hines of Belmont complained that he is still being billed for water usage even though his house was damaged in a fire and he cannot inhabit the structure until it’s repaired.
“Why are we paying for water we’re not using?” he asked.
Mayor Alharbi said it’s his understanding that there is still a sewerage charge even if water is not being used.
A man urged the council to hire Adel Al-Adlani as city manager, saying he has “extensive experience in this field.”
The resident also advised against creating a new position of deputy city manager.
“The city cannot handle the creation of a new position that currently does not exist,” the resident said.
The resident also said the council should suspend Councilmember Mohammed Hassan until his court case is cleared up.
(Hassan is facing felony charges of election fraud.)
“He (Hassan) puts his nose in every matter in the city,” the resident said. “He directs the city manager what to do and blackmails everyone in the city.”
Bill Meyer took issue with the council adding items onto the agenda at the start of meetings.
He said the matter of hiring a city manager should have been made known days before the meeting in order for the public to comment on the proposal.
“Is this intentional?” Meyer said. “Are you trying to cover something up, or so people won’t talk about it? That’s bad politics.”
Moving on to new business, the council approved auctioning four city vacant lots.
The silent auction runs until April 1, when bids will be opened.
The lots being auctioned off are located at: 2352 Carpenter, 11804 Dyar, 11798 Dyar and 5184 Yemans.
Those who win an auction must bring the property up to code or build a structure on it within two years. There is a $50 fee to enter the auction.
A discussion was held on a resolution to hire Adel Al-Adlani as city manager.
Mayor Alharbi, who championed the hiring of Al-Adlani, said it’s important for the city to choose a leader “who has the skills, education, motivation, and will be a true partner in moving our city forward.”
Alharbi said he’s also looking into streamlining city operations.
Councilmember Nayeem Choudhury objected to hiring someone at this point, saying this new council has only been in office for two months.
“We should wait,” he said. “We have an acting manager in the position right now. … We need to be fair. We need to really have more options, more time to evaluate this candidate. No need to rush.”
Alharbi said that this is why a sub-committee was formed to conduct a search and to interview candidates.
Choudhury wasn’t buying it.
“This sounds like a single-man decision,” he said.
Choudhury also cautioned the council, saying that the city is being sued by a former city manager and others.
“This city cannot bear those lawsuits continuously,” Choudhury said. “The city does not produce enough revenue to continuously pay lawsuits.”
He asked the council to delay the hiring, and recommended the council discuss this and other city business in a closed session, without the city attorney or interim city manager.
Councilmember Abu Musa said he trusts that the sub-committee made a good decision in this recommendation.
All but Councilmember Choudhury voted in favor of hiring Al-Adlani as city manager.
In a related action, the council discussed whether to recommend the new city manager hire the existing interim city manager as deputy city manager.
Councilmember Choudhury predicted that the interim city manager, Alex Lagrou, won’t “get along working with the city manager.”
He said appointing Lagrou will likely end up in a lawsuit against the city.
The council agreed to discuss the matter in a closed session.
(Lagrou later resigned.)
In the second round of public comment, another resident said that the matter of hiring a new city manager should have been included on the meeting agenda before the meeting, in order for the public to have input.
“If you know the candidate is good, put it on the agenda beforehand so it can be discussed,” he said. “No more last-minute resolutions on the agenda.”
What is our City Council up to these days? We have the highlights of the latest council meeting.
Posted March 20, 2026