Detroit city council votes down paying for 6 murals already painted around

DETROIT (FOX 2) - If an artist was in charge of painting a mural that encapsulated both Detroit and the NFL Draft coming to the city, what would it be?

Sheefy McFly, a familiar face in the street art scene in Detroit, knows what he would do: it would pull from the city, the sport, and an inspiring figure in the local lore.

"I would try an abstract sculpture of Barry Sanders," he said.

The city is in the process of beautifying its buildings and structures ahead of the draft, which is scheduled to kick off in late April. But according to the city's attorney, the paintings are intended to stick around much longer.

"It’s part of an overall beautification effort that's going to be here well after 400,000 people leave the city on that Sunday or Monday in late April," said Conrad Mallett.

The murals are colorful and vibrant, pulling from themes the city is known for. 

But a bump in the road emerged Tuesday with the Detroit City Council unanimously voted down a motion to pay a vendor for six murals that were painted in the city. Crafted by Street Art For Mankind, a nonprofit that connected international artists to their canvases in the city before the April event in Campus Martius.

And according to Mallettt, until the city council says ‘yes’, they cannot reimburse for the work.

"Absent city council authorization, we cannot pay," he said. "There certainly is going to be an argument on the part of the vendor that the city of Detroit has already received the benefit."

It appears someone within the Detroit planning department approved the payment before the city council did.

The controversy around the unpaid $215,000 contract will likely be settled out of court if the city is sued. which will pay for artists but not change the art.

McFly takes another issue with the brouhaha - they didn't consult Detroit artists when the murals were painted.

"I feel like other artists that come in just to get money, they’re not thinking about our surroundings, they’re not thinking about our city," he said, before adding he sees the city's local art scene is the best in the world.

"We’re changing the world right here from our soil," he said.