A2Council Meeting Summaries

Month: January 2021

Ann Arbor City Council: January 19, 2021

This was the twentieth regular Ann Arbor City Council meeting since Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency and stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting was held online via the Zoom application.

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Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary

APPROVED: Grant money of $14,000 will fund administrative staffing to support the Aging in Place Efficiently Program, helping low-income seniors age in a place of their choosing for longer by combining energy efficiency improvements with aging support and services. (Legistar)

APPROVED: The 2021 Sidewalk Gap Elimination Project Budget will appropriate $50,000 for initial projects at Barton Drive (Brede to Pontiac), Stimson Street (State to end of gaps), Boardwalk (Eisenhower to Oakbrook). Funds from the New Sidewalk Millage (approved by voters in Nov 2020) will not be available until July 1, 2021, so this is interim financing from the Street, Bridge, and Sidewalk Millage Fund to allow construction in the summer/fall of 2021. Once the revenue from the new millage is available, the Street, Bridge and Sidewalk Millage Fund will be reimbursed. (Legistar)

APPROVED: New parking standards will require new developments to equip a percentage of parking spaces with electric vehicle chargers and infrastructure to accommodate future chargers. (Legistar)

APPROVED: New poverty exemptions for property taxes on a principal residence will be set at 2.2 times the Federal Poverty Level income. The maximum asset level will be set at $50,000. (Legistar)

POSTPONED: A resolution to appoint three at-large members to the Council of the Commons was postponed to permit more coordination/communication between CM Hayner and CM Briggs. (Legistar)

APPROVED: Resolution to Rescind Council resolution R-19-139, requiring Council approval for lane reductions on major streets/corridors. City staff may now remove lanes of traffic on major streets and corridors without a vote of City Council. (Legistar)

APPROVED: Council directs Evan Pratt (County Drain Commissioner) to issue a Notice of Violation to Gelman Sciences, Inc. for causing the seepage of contaminated water into the Allen Creek Drain. (Legistar)

APPROVED: A budget amendment of $40,000 from the General Fund for design of a spring deployment of Healthy Streets for 2021. Additional funding will be requested in the future for implementation. Recommendations include “identifying locations where previous Healthy Streets reconfigurations could be made permanent.” (Legistar)

POSTPONED TO INDEFINITE DATE: Direction to the City Attorney to provide a memo appropriate for publication, on the topic of Council Rules and Constitutional First Amendment Rights (Legistar)

A2ELNEL Voting Chart

Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for January 19, 2021 Part 1
Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for January 19, 2021 Part 2
Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for January 19, 2021 Part 3

Ann Arbor City Council: January 4, 2021

This was the nineteenth regular Ann Arbor City Council meeting since Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency and stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting was held online via the Zoom application.

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Voting Chart

At the beginning of this meeting, City attorney Stephen Postema announced his planned retirement in 2021.

Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary

APPROVED: Twenty-six vacant parcels recently annexed into the city will be zoned R1C (Single-family dwelling) or R1D (Single-family dwelling), consistent with City staff recommendation. This proposed zoning is consistent with adjacent going, master plan, and principle use of each of the twenty-six parcels. (Legistar)

APPROVED: An overlay zoning district will regulate and restrict what can be built in the floodplain (two parts: flood way and flood fringe). Stricter guidelines will use the 0.2% Annual Chance (“500 year flood”) to measure compliance with Base Flood Elevation (BFE). New structures cannot be built on a floodway and redeveloped structures must be elevated one foot above the 0.2% BFE. Critical facilities are prohibited in the Flood Fringe, and other structures must be elevated one foot above the 0.2% BFE. (Legistar)

RECONSIDERED & APPROVED: A purchase order for the Ann Arbor Police Department to equip 28 vehicles with dashboard cameras. Also included in this purchase is data storage (to “offload” video) and software maintenance. (Legistar)

PULLED FROM AGENDA: A resolution directing the City Administrator to take the necessary steps for Ann Arbor to join the Washtenaw Regional Resource Management Authority (WRRMA). The current members of WRRMA are: Ann Arbor Township, the City of Dexter, Pittsfield Charter Township, the City of Saline, the Township of Scio, the City of Ypsilanti, and the Charter Township of Ypsilanti.

APPROVED: Distribution of the A2 Vision Zero Transportation plan to neighboring community planning commissions, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, DTE Energy Services, Norfolk/Southern Railroad, MDOT, Washtenaw County Road Commission, AAATA, Ann Arbor Public Schools and other local stakeholders in advance of public hearings. Outlined strategies are meant to support A2Zero climate goals, safety and accessibility (both regionally and across the city). The plan includes targets for lower speed limits, specific road treatments, sidewalk infrastructure, zoning for mixed use in residential areas, and enhanced transit options. (Legistar)

At the end of this meeting, public comment included loud and angry profanity and Council calls for order.

A2ELNEL Voting Chart

Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for January 4, 2021 Part 1
Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for January 4, 2021 Part 2

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My name is Elizabeth Nelson, and I believe that your local government should be accessible and transparent. Since 2018 , I have sent out a newsletter before every Council meeting with my summary of agenda items coming before City Council, plus news and events of interest to Ann Arbor residents.

After each Council meeting, I create and post voting charts so that you can easily see how Council voted, and update this website with meeting summaries that include links to the City’s Legistar website, CTN’s YouTube video, and articles published on MLive.

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