Hello Neighbors,
This week's meeting is the first for the newly elected incoming council members. We spent all day Thursday and Friday at new councilmember orientation meeting staff from a variety of departments and learning about the City's services, operations, boards, and commissions. The breadth of what our city does is impressive, and I look forward to learning more in the coming weeks and months.
I'm holding my first Ward 4 constituent coffee hour tomorrow (Sunday, 11/20) from 11am-12pm at York. I plan to have these on the 3rd Sunday of each month. Coffee hours are an opportunity for us to discuss local issues and for me to hear what matters to you.
Our first council meeting is Monday, November 21st at 7pm. Below I provide information on our upcoming meeting, including links to the agenda and materials and information on how to participate.
Please reach out if there are items on the agenda that raise questions, concerns, or thoughts for you. Email: DAkmon@A2gov.org. Phone/text: 734-492-5866.
Wishing you a warm, safe Thanksgiving with family and friends,
-Dharma
Meeting Information
Monday, November 21, 2022, 7pm
This meeting will be broadcast live on CTN Cable Channel 16, ATT Channel 99, and online at a2gov.org/watchCTN
City Council Meeting Materials
Agenda (with links to materials associated with each agenda item)
There are a few ways to share your thoughts on items on the agenda:
The online eComment tool
Email City Council: CityCouncil@a2gov.org
Comment at the meeting (online or in person):
Call the city clerk's office at 734.794.6140 beginning at 8 a.m. on the day of the meeting to reserve a public speaking time. NOTE: you do not need to reserve time to speak at a "public hearing."
Agenda Highlights
Consent Agenda (all of the items in the consent agenda are voted on at once, unless a council member requests that a specific item gets pulled for discussion and voting)
Appropriation of $492,218.00 from the County Mental Health Millage Fund fund Balance to Amend the FY23 Budget for pass-through Tenant Supportive Services Contracts (CA-5). This appropriation and budget amendment will provide funding to 6 non-profit agencies that currently provide direct services to Ann Arbor Housing Commission residents and voucher participants in order to increase housing stability, increase family health and increase financial independence. Look over the Ann Arbor Housing Commission's Supportive Services Report (2021-2022) to read about the types of services that these partners provide to residents and their impact.
Approve a $72,000 contract with the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County for the 2022-2023 Winter Emergency Shelter and Warming Center (CA-9). City Council approved this amount for this purpose in the FY 2023 budget. This resolution is for the approval of the contract with the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County to provide safe, warm space.
Approve and Appropriate FY 23 Budget and Allocations ($164,903.48) for 1-Year Mini-Grants as Part of the New Human Service Partnership (CA-9). The Washtenaw Coordinated Funding Partnership endedIn 2021, and Washtenaw County, the City of Ann Arbor, and the Washtenaw Urban County created the New Human Services Partnership to replace it. City Council approved $1,207,529 annually to support 3 funding rounds of this partnership. This resolution is to approve the funding recommendations for mini-grant funding to Washtenaw County Housing Alliance, Coalition for Re-envisioning Our Safety, FedUp Ministries, Buenos Vecinos, Peer Support Network, A Brighter Way, Black Men Read, Michigan Itinerant Shelter System Interdependent Out of Necessity (MISSION), Community Resource Center, Inc., and Fair Housing Center for RFP 8358 as well as $20,000 for Barrier Busters for unmet needs funding from the City of Ann Arbor.
Public Hearings and Ordinances
Authorize Access by Commercial Users to the City of Ann Arbor's Fiber Optic Network (PH-2). The City of Ann Arbor has constructed a Fiber Optic network and will construct two more, all of which will be connected together. The City seeks to make the non-active part of the network available for purchase by commercial enterprises or organizations for their use, and/or to provide telecommunication services to the community at large (e.g., internet service providers). The City would use the funds generated to fund the maintenance of the Network, connect additional City sites to the Network, and fund future community infrastructure projects. A 3-year cost-benefit analysis has been provided.
Council Business
Resolution to Direct the Exploration of Alternative Uses for GSA Site (200 E. Liberty Street) (DC-2), Sponsored by Briggs and Disch. This is the federal building that houses the Post Office, and it currently does not conform to downtown zoning requirements. This resolution directs the City Administrator to conduct exploratory conversations with the federal government to determine if the building would provide greater benefit to the community (e.g. greater housing density in our urban core, and a more activated street level experience for Ann Arborites and visitors to our downtown, etc.) if it were programmed for different uses (e.g. housing, retail, office, public space, etc.).
How Council Voted
The Ann Arbor Voting Charts Project is a community-maintained for voting history for City Council. Check out the November 10, 2022 Voting Chart.
Comments