This was the twenty fifth 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. Michigan Open Meetings Act changes effective April 1, 2021 require all Council Members to state their location.
APPROVED: Repairs to concrete pavement at S. Industrial (Eisenhower to Stadium). The $1,071,197.58 project will include re-striping to add north and south bound bike lanes throughout the corridor. (Legistar)
APPROVED: Sidewalk gaps will be filled at Newport/Sunset. The $120,000 project will be paid for with the Street, Bridge, and Sidewalk Millage. (Legistar)
APPROVED: Fair Chance Access to Housing – Criminal history will not be permitted as a determining factor in access to rental housing. An application for rental housing shall not require an applicant to disclose criminal history or authorize release of criminal history. (Legistar)
- A2ELNEL: Additional Thoughts (Feb 27, 2021) – Fair Chance & Early Leasing Ordinances
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/04/despite-pushback-from-landlords-ann-arbor-bans-criminal-background-checks.html
APPROVED: The City of Ann Arbor condemns hate crimes, hateful rhetoric, hateful acts against Asians and Asian Americans, white terrorism and white supremacism in all forms. The City encourages Asians and Asian Americans to report harassment, hate crimes, and discrimination to the Ann Arbor Police Department, the City’s Human Rights Commission, and/or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. (Legistar)
APPROVED: This resolution expresses support for recommendations from the University of Michigan President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality (PCCN). Recommendations include reductions in emissions and goals for carbon neutrality (exclusive of offsets) by 2040. (Legistar)
APPROVED: For the first citation of a season, the penalty for failure to comply with our snow removal ordinance is reduced from $100 to $60. (The snow removal ordinance requires making sidewalks, walks, and ramps free of snow and ice for their entire constructed width and length within 24 hours of a snowfall greater than one inch.) (Legistar)
APPROVED: The City Administrator will either establish a program of Subject Matter Expert response for public safety (in collaboration with Washtenaw County, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s office, “Subject Matter Agencies” and in consultation with the Independent Community Police Oversight Commission) or report on obstacles and ideas for overcoming them by December 31, 2021. The City Administrator may hire a consultant to help in this process and he is directed to include this endeavor in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, while identifying sources of funding. (Legistar)
APPROVED: The City Attorney will review criminal ordinances that are enforced by the Ann Arbor Police Department and identify ordinance amendments that would be consistent with goals of the 2021 State Criminal Justice Reform Legislation and the general “spirit of progressive criminal justice reform.” Recommended ordinance amendments will be presented to Council before November 15, 2021. (Legistar)
APPROVED (First Reading): Amendments to an ordinance regulating Short term rentals, removing language that restricts location by zoning district. Short term rental is a newly defined use, added to the City zoning code. This change creates a new class of “legal non-conforming use,” permitting all current investment properties – non-owner occupied short term rentals established prior to March 1, 2021 – to continue operating indefinitely in residential areas. New investment properties would be prohibited in residential areas moving forward. (Legistar) (Legistar)
- These proposed ordinance amendments will have a second reading on April 19, 2021
- A2ELNEL: Taking A Stand: Short Term Rentals
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/04/ann-arbor-mayor-urges-council-to-cut-losses-on-short-term-rentals-and-move-on.html
POSTPONED: Amendments to our early leasing ordinance will change a standard from 70 days to 240 days. A landlord would not be permitted to enter a leased premises for the purpose of showing it to prospective tenants or enter into a contract for a subsequent lease sooner than 240 days into a current lease. This agenda item was postponed to consider improved strategies for enforcement. (Legistar)
- A2ELNEL: Additional Thoughts (Feb 27, 2021) – Fair Chance & Early Leasing Ordinances
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/04/proposed-law-gives-ann-arbor-renters-240-days-before-landlords-can-show-occupied-apartments.html
A2ELNEL Voting Chart
