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Detroit council votes down proposed restaurant grade ordinance

Posted at 6:51 AM, Nov 02, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-02 06:51:03-04

Detroit restaurants will not have to post health grades in their windows after the city council voted down the proposed plan on Tuesday.

The council rejected the plan from Councilman Scott Benson with a 6-3 vote Tuesday afternoon in a meeting that saw dozens of residents speak against the ordinance.

Under the proposed plan, restaurants would have had to display cards in their window.

Displaying a green card would be in compliance, displaying a white card would indicate some pending health violations and displaying yellow would mean an enforcement action is pending. Red would mean the restaurant is closed because of serious health issues.

“This is all about public education, transparency and health and safety,” Benson previously told 7 Action News.

The Detroit Health Department would have overseen the program and told city council they have enough staff to make it work.

Benson, angela Whitfield-Calloway and Mary Waters voted to approve the ordinance, while President Mary Sheffield, Pro-Tem James Tate, and members Fred Durhal II, Latisha Johnson, Gabriela Santiago-Romero and Coleman A. Young II were against it.

During the hearing on Tuesday, Benson mentioned Lafayette Coney Island as a reason to pass the ordinance. The popular Detroit spot was shut down for a month after video showed a rat infestation. They opened back up in October.