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 Briggs was absent
CM Ghazi Edwin was absent for votes on DC-3 and DC-4
A2Council Update Video
Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary
Two resolutions related to municipalization of electrical power were defeated, after being postponed at two prior meetings.
- These resolutions were postponed at the Council meeting of January 6, 2025, until they could be discussed at a meeting of the Council Administration Committee. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-january-6-2025/
- These resolutions were discussed at the Council Administration Committee of February 11, 2025, and put on the Council agenda of February 18, 2025. https://a2council.com/council-administration-committee-february-11-2025/
- These items were postponed again at the Council meeting of February 18, 2025. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-february-18-2025/
DEFEATED: A $1,728,000 Electric Grid Asset Valuation and Municipalization Study for public municipal power would have estimated the value of DTE’s physical assets (poles and wires). (Legistar)
- In January, representatives from Ann Arbor For Public Power (A2P2) raised concerns that the study was inadequate. They argued that the study failed to measure stranded costs (the utility’s reduced return on power generation, if any) and ‘going concern’ (goodwill and the value of DTE’s franchise, if any). They further argued that it did not allocate enough funding to legal work. Since then, Mayor Taylor presented to a meeting of A2P2, and a narrow majority of members voted in favor of both this feasibility study and moving forward with a ballot question.
DEFEATED: By resolution, Council would direct City staff to prepare for the possible acquisition of DTE assets. The City administrator would be directed to find a funding source – including a possible millage – to cover legal expenses. The City attorney would be directed to use staff and hire outside consultants to recommend methodology for valuation of DTE assets, prepare ballot language for acquisition, and prepare for more ballot proposals and potential litigation. (Legistar)
- The resolution includes this resolved clause: “RESOLVED, That any ballot measure to authorize the initiation of the acquisition of DTE Assets shall be tie-barred to securing Adequate Funding.” In other words: any community vote on a ballot question re: acquisition of DTE assets will be ineffectual without separate approval of funding (presumably a millage). The term “Adequate funding” is pegged at not less than $3 million a year, with an earlier resolved clause referring to it as “significant expense.”
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/02/public-power-could-cost-ann-arbor-billions-raise-energy-rates-up-to-40-dte-study-says.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/02/dte-takeover-study-faces-another-delay-ann-arbor-officials-having-doubts.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/03/dump-dte-group-accuses-ann-arbor-officials-of-submitting-to-trump.html
Two resolutions related to sale of the “Library Lot” (aka “Center of the City”) to the Ann Arbor District Library were approved.
APPROVED: A ballot question (“Proposal A”) will be put to voters on August 5, 2025 to add language to the City charter permitting the City to sell 319 South Fifth Avenue to the Ann Arbor District Library. By friendly amendment, an additional parcel was added: 326 S. Division, which covers Library Lane and the ramps leading out of the parking garage. Under existing terms in the City charter, the sale of City property requires approval by a vote of eight members of City Council. The proposed charter amendment broadly permits the sale of “any” of the City’s interest at 319 South Fifth Avenue without further detail. (Legistar)
APPROVED: A ballot question (“Proposal B”) will be put to voters on August 5, 2025 in order to repeal a City Charter amendment approved in 2018. That City Charter amendment required that City-owned land bounded by Fifth Avenue, William, Division and Liberty Streets would remain under City ownership for the purpose of developing an urban park and civic commons, termed “Center of the City”. (Legistar)
- The proposed ballot caption language for Proposal A includes description and explanation not included in the charter amendment: that the sale would happen “for the purpose of building a mixed-use development that includes additional library services, housing, retail, and programmable open public space.” It also includes the statement: “This proposal does not authorize new taxes.”. It also explains that adoption of the charter amendment is conditioned on repeal of a previous charter amendment in Proposal B.
- The proposed ballot caption language for Proposal B explains that repeal is conditioned on the approval of Proposal A.
- On January 21, 2025, Council unanimously approved a resolution directing the City Administrator to negotiate with the AADL and share recommendations with Council. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-january-21-2025/
- On February 24, 2025 a City press release announced a plan for the sale of the property for $1. https://www.a2gov.org/news/posts/city-aadl-share-vision-for-the-surface-of-the-library-lane-parking-structure/
- Hours before the March 3, 2025 meeting, the City Administrator shared a memo with Council listing the terms of negotiations that had concluded at the end of February. https://a2gov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7248933&GUID=A47D6C30-A77B-4A96-B140-F0B0EC71BC25
- A2ELNEL: Election Denial and the Center of the City
- A2ELNEL: Low Turnout Elections & No Questions: The Library Lot Proposals
- https://www.mlive.com/business/2025/01/ann-arbor-officials-ponder-using-central-park-site-for-library-redevelopment.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/01/new-library-with-outdoor-plaza-could-transform-downtown-ann-arbor-officials-say.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/03/future-of-downtown-ann-arbor-library-block-to-be-decided-by-city-voters-in-august.html
APPROVED: A $4,384,077.17 construction contract will fund miscellaneous utility projects for water main and sewer work including new connections and drains. Projects cover areas at Harding, Wallingford, Morton, Glastonbury, Weldon, and South Fifth. Planned repaving work on Harding includes narrowing the intersection where it meets Wallingford, moving curbs and sidewalks. (Legistar)
- The resolution approving this contract was amended to add language directing further public engagement and collaboration with residents regarding proposed changes at Wallingford and Harding. Those changes faced significant opposition from the neighbors: 171 residents in 111 households signed a petition challenging it.
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/03/neighbors-complain-narrowing-ann-arbor-intersection-would-change-character-of-area.html
APPROVED: A 0.6 acre parcel at Dexter Road and Seybold Drive is rezoned from R1C (Single-Family Dwelling) to PL (Public Land) for a park. The park will benefit residents of a 4.8 acre community of affordable housing off North Maple— in 2014, the Ann Arbor Housing Commission property was rezoned for redevelopment, which doubled the number of affordable housing units. In redevelopment, the open space of a basketball court was lost and residents missed it. The land being rezoned this week was intentionally purchased to meet this need. (Legistar)
APPROVED (First Reading): An amendment to the Uniform Development Code (UDC) will relax the process for making alterations to “nonconforming structures.” A nonconforming structure does not meet zoning district standards because it was built prior to the existence of those standards; alterations are subject to review. When plans to alter a nonconforming structure include an increase in habitable floor area, number of dwelling units or expansion of exterior dimensions, it must be approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). The UDC amendment will eliminate the need for ZBA review/approval for changes to residential properties in cases where alterations do not extend closer to lot lines, does not create new nonconformities, and complies with all other height, setback, dimensional, and building code requirements. (Legistar)
A2ELNEL Voting Chart
