A2Council Meeting Summaries

Month: May 2022

Ann Arbor City Planning Commission: May 17, 2022

This meeting was held in person at City Hall.

Commissioner Mills was absent.
Commissioner Sauve was absent.

APPROVED: Site plan for a five story building with 14 residential units at 330 Detroit Street. Two existing buildings will be removed and parcels at 303, 312, and 314 Detroit Street will be combined to make a 0.23 acre lot. The site plan includes 23 on-site parking places and 1,850 square feet of ground floor retail.
Amended to add direction for developer and City Staff to “work to minimize the negative impacts to the Kerrytown business district during construction.”

APPROVED: Recommendation that City Council approve amendments to the UDC code to eliminate parking requirements for Residential Occupancy, Adult Daycare Centers, Outdoor Recreation, Transit Corridor (TC-1) Development, and Nonprofit Corporations. The code would be amended to replace a whole section and address three types of parking – vehicles, bicycles, and EV’s (electric vehicles) – establishing maximums or vehicle parking and minimums for bicycle parking. Transit Corridor district will have a maximum of three parking spaces per 1000 square feet of floor area.

Legistar and Video Links

Legistar: https://a2gov.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=884163&GUID=9D4A76AD-6410-486D-A4F2-29361C3E9FDE

YouTube: https://youtu.be/6E7EJsAO5uU

CTN Video: https://ctnvideo.a2gov.org/CablecastPublicSite/show/6873

Meeting Length: 3h 10m

Ann Arbor City Council: May 16, 2022

This Ann Arbor City Council meeting was held in person at City Hall. Members of the public can participate in public hearings and public comment either in person or via phone.

CM Song was absent

Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary

APPROVED: An employment agreement with Milton Dohoney, Jr. to serve as the City Administrator. Mr. Dohoney will receive an annual base salary of $250,000, with no compensation adjustments for the first 24 months. (Legistar)

Two resolutions related to the South State Street reconstruction project:

  • APPROVED: A $6,727,358.01 contract with Fonson Company, Inc for the South State Street reconstruction project. Improvements are planned for the South State Street area from Huron to North University, including water main replacement, resurfacing, bicycle improvements, and street reconstruction with a curbless design. Total project cost is estimated at $9,083,000. (Legistar)
  • APPROVED: An agreement with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to share costs of the South State Street reconstruction project. The DDA’s portion of the cost allocation is an estimated $4,218,283. (Legistar)
  • The South State Street reconstruction project is split into two stages: Stage 1 in June-August 2022 (E. Liberty St. to E. William St), Stage 2 in March-August 2023 (E Liberty St. to E. Huron St.)
  • https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2022/05/ann-arbor-oks-deal-to-move-forward-with-9m-state-street-redesign.html

APPROVED: The City appropriates $374,738 of federal grant money toward funding “smart intersections.” A network of these intersections is part of a University of Michigan project to enable autonomous vehicles in our local community. (Legistar)

APPROVED: By resolution, City Council reaffirms its support for women and individuals to access abortion and other reproductive rights services. The City Administrator and City Attorney’s Office will take appropriate legal action, including but not limited to, filing amicus briefs in Planned Parenthood of Michigan v. Attorney General of the State of Michigan and Governor Whitmer’s legal challenge of Act 328. (Legistar)

APPROVED: The City Administrator will provide an opportunity for discussion between City Council members and U-M Regents to dialog about net zero energy Workforce Housing on U-M properties and elsewhere in the city, with the participation of stakeholder groups. The City Administrator will raise the issue of workforce housing at the quarterly U-M policy meetings and report progress to City Council, as appropriate, while soliciting the support of the Michigan Municipal League, the City’s lobbyist, the Chamber of Commerce, and any other local groups and leaders. (Legistar)

APPROVED: The City’s water rates will increase by 6% on July 1, 2022. (Legistar)

APPROVED: The City’s stormwater rates will increase by 4% on July 1, 2022. (Legistar)

APPROVED: $24.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are appropriated to the City’s Major Grants Program Fund, following allocations previously approved by Council on April 4, 2022. (Legistar)

  • Council approved the following APRA fund allocations at the April 4, 2022 meeting (Legistar)

    • $4,500,000 Solar on City Facilities
    • $3,500,000 Property Acquisition for Affordable Housing (including $500,000 allocation to residential support services)
    • $3,500,000 Unarmed Response
    • $2,300,000 Gallup Park Bridge
    • $2,000,000 Galvanized Water Service Line Replacement
    • $2,000,000 Vision Zero Plan Implementation
    • $1,682,630 Coordinated Funding Support
    • $1,600,000 Universal Basic Income
    • $1,000,000 City Clerk Election Center
    • $1,000,000 Housing for Homeless Households
    • $500,000 Community and Law Enforcement Data Platform
    • $500,000 Funding for the Arts (including $200,000 to “arts-based trauma response programs and workforce development”)
    • $100,000 Liberty Plaza

APPROVED: The City’s budget for FY 2023. General Fund recurring expenses have increased by 3.4% ($3,915,640) compared to FY 2022’s adopted budget; recurring revenues have increased by 4.5% ($5,075,679). The FY 2023 budget includes a total of 16 additional full time employees (FTE) in City departments: Parks & Recreation, Building & Rental, Public Services, City Attorney, Police, Fire, and Downtown Development Authority. Ten additional FTE’s will be permitted on a temporary basis as part of the workforce planning initiative. (Legistar)

  • AMENDMENT: Allocations for $935,336 in FY23 Marijuana Excise Tax Revenue:

    • $572,000 to City Attorney’s Office for Deflection Program
    • $100,000 to Public Works department for an apprenticeship program to fund 10 commercial driver’s licenses
    • $100,000 to Washtenaw County to fund Utility Support for low income residents through Barrier Busters
    • $75,000 to Ann Arbor Housing Commission for A BIPOC small business development space at 121 E. Catherine
    • $60,000 to Office of Sustainability & Innovations for low income sustainability grants
    • $28,336 to Washtenaw County for Child Savings Accounts
    • DEFEATED: Amendment to remove $100,000 from the Public Works Apprenticeship program and re-direct it to Dawn Farms (long-term addiction treatment services).
    • DEFEATED: Amendment to remove $60,000 from low income sustainability grants and re-direct it to Home of New Vision (substance use disorder treatment) and A Brighter Way (support for formerly incarcerated).
  • AMENDMENT: An additional $240,000 to the Office of Sustainability & Innovations for low income sustainability grants
  • AMENDMENT: Additional funding to support the City Attorney’s office:

    • $165,252 for an additional full time employee (FTE)
    • $20,000 to replace CityLaw software
    • $48,000 to fund annual maintenance for new software
  • A2ELNEL: Proposed City Budget Amendments for FY2023
  • https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2022/05/ann-arbor-oks-525m-budget-after-heated-debate-over-marijuana-money.html

A2ELNEL Voting Chart

Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for May 16, 2022 Part 1
Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for May 16, 2022 Part 2
Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for May 16, 2022 Part 3
Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for May 16, 2022 Part 4

Ann Arbor City Council: May 5, 2022

This Ann Arbor City Council meeting was held in person at City Hall. Members of the public can participate in public hearings and public comment either in person or via phone.

Mayor Taylor was absent
CM Briggs was absent
CM Radina was absent

Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary

PUBLIC HEARING: There was a public hearing at this meeting related to the proposed FY23 budget, which will be voted on at the May 16, 2022 Council meeting. The proposed budget (and previously approved annual budgets) can be viewed here: https://www.a2gov.org/departments/finance-admin-services/financial-reporting/Pages/default.aspx#annualbudgets

APPROVED: The City’s Non-Discrimination ordinance is amended to clarify that “religion” may include hairstyles and religious head coverings. Definitions related to Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sexual Orientation will change in order to match language in the Conversion Therapy Ban Ordinance. Amendments also lift the requirement that complaints be filed within 180 days. (Legistar)

APPROVED: An Industrial Facilities Exemption certificate for Sartorius BioAnalytical Instruments allows a 12-year abatement of local taxes up to $54,587,000 of real property site improvements and up to $8,943,000 of personal property. An Industrial Development District was previously established for Sartorius at 3874 Research Park Drive, making them eligible for local tax abatement. (Legistar)

APPROVED: This resolution addresses the Michigan No-Fault Auto Insurance Reform Act of 2019 that was implemented last July. That legislation reduced the required rate of reimbursement to long-term care and post-acute rehabilitation facilities for victims of motor vehicle crashes. New reimbursement caps have made it impossible for Michigan residents with severe brain, spinal cord, and other catastrophic injuries to find necessary care. This resolution endorses the efforts of our own State Representative Yousef Rabhi (State House Bill 5931) to fully repeal the 2019 law in anticipation of further reforms that enable the continued care of auto crash survivors and would address other discriminatory aspects of the law. (Legistar)

APPROVED: A $446,858.15 contract with Doan Construction for the “2022 Sidewalk Gap Elimination Project”, building sidewalks at Nixon Road and Travel Boulevard (leading to Logan Elementary), 2231 Platt Road, 1121 Saunders Crescent, 710 W. Stadium (Hutchins frontage), 2900 S. Main Street, and 1320 and 1330 Prescott Avenue. (Legistar)

APPROVED: A $1,722,742.98 contract with Bailey Excavating for utility projects in 2022.  Planned projects include: water main looping from Maple Road to Dicken Drive with a solid waste turnaround at the end of Dicken Drive, water main replacement and solid waste turnaround on Eighth Street, water main replacement on Sunrise Court, new storm sewer on Hiscock and a new sidewalk south of Summit. (Legistar)

APPROVED: A $6,930,000 contract with Cadillac Asphalt will resurface five miles on 31 local streets, improve 7000 feet of asphalt paths and sidewalks, including a location in Arbor Hills nature area. Also funded: previously approved traffic calming measures on Longman Lane/Fairview Drive and Northside Avenue. (Legistar)

A2ELNEL Voting Chart

Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for May 5, 2022 Part 1
Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for May 5, 2022 Part 2
Ann Arbor City Council Voting Chart for May 5, 2022 Part 3

Ann Arbor City Planning Commission: May 4, 2022

This meeting was held in person at City Hall.

Commissioner Mills was absent.

APPROVED: Site plan for an 8-unit multi-family residential building on a .20 acre parcel at 212 Miller Avenue. The project has 13,934 square feet of living space; total 16,875 square feet, including garages. In response to accessibility concerns, a sidewalk and recommendations for a lift have been added to the site plan.

Legistar and Video Links

Legistar: https://a2gov.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=884162&GUID=5EC8A4C2-940D-447F-8682-279CADDB0AD4

YouTube: https://youtu.be/53z9bIVbCxU

CTN Video: https://ctnvideo.a2gov.org/CablecastPublicSite/show/6822

Meeting Length: 1h 59m

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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.