Neighbors,
City Council has its last meeting of the year on Monday, December 16 at 7pm. Here are some updates before my preview of our agenda.
New Traffic Safety Corridors Announced
The Ann Arbor Police Department recently announced an increased focus on enforcement of traffic laws on 3 corridors that have a high number of serious crashes and fatalities. They are the Washtenaw Corridor (from Geddes Avenue to Huron Parkway), the Packard Corridor (from Fifth Avenue to Turnberry Drive), and the Jackson Corridor (from Burwood Avenue to Gralake Avenue). Speeding and failure to yield are examples of illegal driving behaviors that put road users--especially vulnerable ones like people walking and biking--at risk. Just this week, in two separate instances, two vulnerable users were injured in crashes on Packard, highlighting not only the importance of focusing on these corridors, but also the limits of enforcement. This is why I will continue to push the City to implement policies and road designs that proactively reduce risks and decrease the severity of crashes for people. Unfortunately, the City currently has no control over the design of Washtenaw or Jackson as these are MDOT controlled trunklines (learn more about City Council's efforts to change that). Packard is under the City's control and has been listed as a priority for design-based speed management interventions that are part of our Safe Streets for All grant from the Federal Highway Administration). To read the City's announcement about safety corridors, visit https://www.a2gov.org/news/pages/article.aspx?i=1117.
Winter Compost Schedule and Christmas Tree Disposal
Regular, seasonal curbside composting pickups will end Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. In 2025, the city will offer winter pickup of compost carts as part of the monthly winter composting program. No bags or bundles will be collected during the winter composting program. Curbside compost cart pickups will take place the weeks of Jan. 6, Feb. 3, and March 3, 2025. Carts will be collected on residents' regular solid waste collection day.
The City will provide drop-off disposal locations for used, undecorated Christmas trees beginning Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, through Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. The city provides four free drop-off locations at city parks. To learn more, visit: https://www.a2gov.org/news/pages/article.aspx?i=1118
New City Snow Plow Map
Bookmark the City's new snow plow map for the next snow event. This map displays the movements of each plow as they service routes, shows routes that have been previously serviced and indicates a street’s service-priority level.
City Council Meeting, Monday, December 16 at 7pm
Responses to Council Member Questions. Topics include: Resolution to Appropriate Funding for One-Time Strategic Initiatives ($2,750,000) and Reallocate Bicentennial Funding to Legacy Projects ($200,000); and an ordinance amendment to change the City's snow emergency rules concerning street parking.
Agenda Highlights
Resolution to Approve Fuller Park Parking Lot and Border to Border Trail Improvements Project (CA-1). This project will reconstruct the deteriorating parking lot at Fuller Park and improve access to Fuller Park and its amenities. This project includes reconstruction and expansion of a 0.4-mile segment of the Border to Border (B2B) Trail that spans from Maiden Ln. to Cedar Bend Dr. south of Fuller Park. This project would expand the current 8' wide trail to 10' to meet national trail standards. This is a heavily utilized section of the B2B trail and key non-motorized transportation corridor, and its expansion and improvement will improve use by park users and non-motorized commuters.
Accept and Appropriate Election Headquarters Grant (CA-7). This State of Michigan grant was secured to provide interior renovation of the newly acquired City of Ann Arbor Election Headquarters. The renovation includes programming, planning, design, and construction, with special emphasis on the design to include sustainable systems with various City decarbonization goals
Resolution to Appropriate Funding for One-Time Strategic Initiatives (CA-8). City Council learned last week that the City saw revenue growth beyond what was previously anticipated. This is due in part to tax receipts from some of the development projects that have been taking place in the city. These revenues have enabled the City to solidify the General Fund fund balance at a level exceeding the required reserve policy minimum helping the City to maintain its hard earned AAA rating. The City Administrator proposes we appropriate one-time funding of the budget excess to the following:
$1,000,000 - Additional funding for the Municipal Energy Utility Phase II Study
$1,000,000 - Funding to be able to respond to potential negative or debilitating impacts at the local level due to the change in the federal government administration
$250,000 - Funding for the future Unarmed Response Program
$250,000 - Funding for future Economic Development Due Diligence
$250,000 - Funding to address Parking Equity
The City Administrator also proposes applying $100,000 of the Bicentennial funds in the FY25 General Fund to the Bicentennial Park project and $100,00 to the Elks Lodge repair and restoration project.
CM Briggs and I asked several questions about these proposed allocations, and you can read them and city staff's response in this week's memo. I continue to have concerns about a blanket $1M allocation to an as yet undefined--perhaps unknowable--set of scenarios that might come about as the result of the change in the federal administration. I'm also not eager to allocate money to address staff parking equity when we don't yet know the set of recommendations nor economic development due diligence when we don't yet have an office of economic development established.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this or any other agenda item.
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