Stories indexed with the term ‘ballot proposals’

The Ann Arbor city council has passed a resolution in support of a statewide Michigan ballot proposal that would require electric utilities to provide at least 25% of their annual retail sales of electricity from renewable energy sources by the year 2025. The action was taken at council’s Oct. 1, 2012 meeting.

Renewable energy sources are defined as wind, solar, biomass, and hydropower. Although it would change the state’s constitution, the proposal includes provisions that could extend the 2025 deadline into the indefinite future. An annual extension could be granted if it would prevent rate increases of more than 1% per year. The proposal would limit rate increases required to achieve the 25% standard to no more than 1% per year.

This brief was filed … [Full Story]

At the Ann Arbor city council’s July 2, 2012 meeting, Jane Lumm (Ward 2) told her colleagues that she would eventually propose a council resolution that would place a question on the Nov. 6 ballot about the sale, leasing and other long-term agreements involving city-owned parkland.

The Ann Arbor city attorney’s office has now forwarded the proposed charter and ballot language to the state attorney general’s office for informal review.

The question that voters may be asked to decide involves extending the current prohibition of a parkland sale without a voter referendum to cover leases or other contracts that have a practical effect similar to a sale. Lumm had previously indicated she expected to bring forward the resolution at the council’s … [Full Story]

A quick election summary:

• the countywide school millage was soundly defeated, though supported by a majority of Ann Arbor voters; [detail on WISD millage results]
• in the two contested Ann Arbor city council races, incumbent Democrats Sabra Briere in Ward 1 and Marcia Higgins in Ward 4 were re-elected by wide margins; [detail on Ward 1 council results; detail on Ward 4 council results]
• both Ann Arbor city charter amendments were approved by voters, changing publication requirements for the city’s ordinances. [detail on Proposal A results; detail on Proposal B results]

Complete election results from across the county are available on the Washtenaw County elections website. Later today we’ll have a behind-the-scenes report on election night at the … [Full Story]