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Detroiter to Detroiter | Fred Durhal III: "We can grow—and give real tax relief."
Detroit mayoral candidate Fred Durhal III told FOX 2’s Hilary Golston the city must "keep growing" while delivering comprehensive tax relief. Durhal laid out a plan to reduce Detroit’s 80+ mill property tax rate—nearly double that of Grand Rapids—to target of 19.5 operating mills. He supports a blight tax on speculators, income-based assessments, and expanded NEZ zones to make homeownership more affordable. "We’ve come a long way," Durhal said. "But we still have a long way to go."
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit mayoral candidate Fred Durhal III believes the city is on the cusp of a new chapter, one focused on equitable growth, tax reform, and neighborhood revitalization.
"I think we need to continue growing… There is a lot of opportunity. Detroit has come a very long way in the past decade. We have a long way to go," Durhal told Hilary Golston.
Durhal currently serves on the Detroit City Council and previously represented the city in the Michigan House of Representatives.
Now, he’s running for mayor with what he's calling a comprehensive tax relief plan, aimed at reducing Detroit’s property tax rate - targeting 19.5 operating mills. "Our property taxes are double Grand Rapids. We need to lower the burden," he said.
To help fund the reduction, Durhal wants to "charge speculators more who are holding non- owner occupied structures and also charge a blight tax." The goal, he said, is straightforward: "We’ll be able to generate enough revenue to provide tax savings for a lot of our residents."
When asked, Durhal notes Neighborhood Enterprise Zones (NEZs) are helpful. "NEZ’s are an important piece to ensure housing is affordable and we have a path to home ownership." He added: "Taxes are the pathway to move people toward homeownership. Values have grown, but tax base has not."
He is also "willing to consider capping taxes based on income, and also income based tax assessments," acknowledging that "many are making under $28,000 per year," and that "AMI is out of the hands of local officials."
Durhal’s broader economic plan includes growing Detroit’s commercial corridors and increasing neighborhood-level investment. He says attracting major retailers requires more than downtown growth: "They want to know what else is in the neighborhoods." That means ensuring safety and strong infrastructure outside the city core.
He also wants to streamline the business climate. "Folks say sometimes it’s entirely too hard to do business here in the city of Detroit," Durhal notes.
Addressing Detroit’s roughly 18 square miles of vacant land, Durhal says the city needs to replicate what’s worked downtown. "Use the same strategy downtown in the neighborhood. Connect opportunity to folks willing to develop.
"On the sensitive subject of government corruption which has historically plagued Detroit, especially in City Council, Durhal didn’t shy away. "You gotta lead by example and you gotta build the trust." He said that "over the past 4 years," he’s been "rebuilding trust in his district.
"When asked whether City Council undercut DDOT buses, Durhal says no: "If you look at this last budget cycle the department that got the largest increase it was DDOT." He added that he’s committed to doubling DDOT’s budget by 2030 and wants to raise driver pay.
Looking ahead to 2026, Durhal also supports the regional transit millage. "I think we’ve got an opportunity to connect all our communities together."
Durhal has been endorsed by the Detroit Regional Chamber, and he touts longstanding ties to the city’s corporate and business leaders."Expand into neighborhoods and commercial corridors and make sure quality of life is good," he said. "We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go."
All of the mayoral candidates in Detroit were offered the chance for 1-on-1 interviews. Many of them will be featured in the days leading up to the election.