Neighbors,
City Council meets on Monday, September 16 at 7pm. Here are some updates before my preview of our agenda.
Ward 4 Coffee Hour, Tomorrow
I'm hosting a constituent coffee hour, tomorrow, Sunday, September 15 from 11-12 at York Food and Drink (1928 Packard St.). Please RSVP or just swing by.
A2Zero Green Fair, Friday, Sept. 20
The A2ZERO Green Fair returns to downtown Ann Arbor along Main Street 5-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. In addition to live music and a bike parade (at 6 p.m.), nearly 100 exhibitors will be on hand to answer questions and highlight ways we all can incorporate sustainability, and stainable actions, into our everyday lives. Hands-on fun for all ages will also be included during the free event. Learn more.
Proposal D Conflicts with State Law According to Attorney General's Office
As reported in MLive this past week, Proposal D, which aims to provide a 9:1 donation match from the City's general fund to political candidates, was found by the Michigan Attorney's General Office to conflict with state law. You can read that full letter attached to this week's Council agenda. In short, the ballot conflicts with state law in that it mandates "calling for specific annual appropriations." This is "contrary to the requirements of the Uniform Budgeting and Accounting Act," where the responsibility for appropriating city funds has been assigned by statute to City Council. Perhaps even more problematic, the ballot language does not inform voters that the ballot measure they have before them conflicts with state law.
City Council Meeting, Monday, September 14 at 7pm
Responses to Council Member Questions. Topics include:
Traffic calming on Arella
Ordinance amendments to home energy rating disclosure
Agenda Highlights
Resolution to Approve PILOT for Robin Crest 2040 and 2060 West Stadium Blvd (CA-2).Part of one of our newly rezoned TC-1 districts, Woda Cooper Companies, Inc. plans to acquire and develop the property at 2040 and 2060 West Stadium Blvd for the purpose of building 84 affordable homes, with an average household income at or below 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). They seek exemption from property taxes and to instead pay an annual service charge in lieu of taxes equal to one dollar ($1.00) for each eligible housing unit in the housing project, as provided by Chapter 19 of City Code and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority Act.
Removal of On-street Parking on Pauline (CA-5). Pauline Blvd, between South Seventh and Main Street will be reconstructed in 2025. City staff developed a design that includes bike lanes along Pauline between Main and Seventh, consistent with the all ages all abilities bike network established in the City's transportation plan. In order to accommodate this, on-street parking will need to be eliminated on the north side of Pauline Boulevard within the project limits. The proposed pavement layout on Pauline Boulevard will allow for a separated bike lane on the north side, 10-foot wide vehicle lanes in each direction, and a striped bike lane and parking lane along the south side.
Traffic Calming Arella Bvd (Stadium to Pauline) (CA-6). This resolution is for the installation of traffic calming devices on Arella Blvd between Stadium Blvd and Pauline Blvd. The construction is anticipated to take place during the 2025 construction season. The traffic calming plan includes three (3) devices - (2) speed humps and (1) curb extension as shown on the attached final plan. In accordance with the Resolution to Adopt an Improved Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program passed by Council last year, which removed the previous Traffic Calming Program requirement of City Council approval for individual calming project plans, this will be the last final plan that comes to Council for approval. Our aim is to get traffic calming devices where they're needed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
County Millage Rebate Resolution (DC-3). In November, Washtenaw County voters will decide on a ballot measure renew the County's Public Health and Safety Millage. The millage proposal would allocate: 37% of the total millage to the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Department (whether constituted as an agency or an authority) to be used for mental health crisis, stabilization and prevention efforts and to prevent unnecessary incarceration of individuals with mental health needs; 38% of the total millage to the Washtenaw County Sheriff to ensure continued operations and greater cooperation with the mental health community; and 24% of the total millage (the “General Fund Rebate”) to those jurisdictions within the County that maintain their own police force (the Cities of Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Milan, Saline, and Ypsilanti, and Pittsfield and Northfield Townships). For Ann Arbor, that will likely mean a return of $3M+ per year beginning in FY26. This resolution establishes how Council will spend the returned portion of these funds:
40% to fund, support, perform, evaluate, administer, and/or do all things useful to realize and provide a program to provide for the response by unarmed personnel to requests for assistance from members of the public, provided, however, that until such a program exists, the City may retain General Fund Rebate monies in anticipation of the creation of such a program;
40% to fund supportive services for residents of Ann Arbor Housing Commission properties, including but not limited to services related to mental health, physical health, finances, job skills, employment, daily living skills, crisis management and conflict resolution, youth programming, criminal legal system harm mitigation, addiction treatment, and community building; and
20% to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety through the installation, replacement, and/or maintenance of street lighting in accordance with approved plans, installation, replacement, and/or maintenance of pedestrian-activated signals, filling of sidewalk gaps, construction of protected and/or buffered bicycle facilities (in accordance with approved Transportation and Non-Motorized Comprehensive Plans), and funding of trail and other off-road active transportation connections.
Note: I and the other co-sponsors plan to postpone this resolution in the meeting to allow community members and other members of Council more time to consider it before voting on it. (Sponsors: Taylor, Akmon, Harrison, Song, Watson)
Please reach out if you have questions, concerns, or thoughts on any of the agenda items. Email: DAkmon@A2gov.org | Phone/text: 734-492-5866
You can also communicate your thoughts via:
Email City Council: CityCouncil@a2gov.org
Comment at the meeting (remote 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 during a "public hearing (PH)" item.
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