Archive for May, 2010

Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education meeting (May 12, 2010): Last month, Andy Thomas made a report to the board as a member of the Parent Teacher Organization Council. Now, the PTOC will make those reports to a board that includes Thomas.

Andy Thomas, being sworn-in as the newest trustee of the Ann Arbor Public Schools board of education at its May 12 meeting. (Photos by the writer.)

Thomas replaces long-time member Randy Friedman, who resigned in April.  The selection of Thomas to the board during last Wednesday’s meeting marks the third change in board membership in the past six months. Thomas’ current term will end at the end of the year, and he – along with trustees Simone Lightfoot, Christine Stead, Deb Mexicotte, and Susan Baskett – will need to be re-elected in November to remain on the board.

Also at the meeting, the district’s achievement gap between white and minority students was addressed from multiple perspectives. The proposed Washtenaw Intermediate School District budget was reviewed, and the board was briefed on the district’s finances, sinking fund summer projects, policy updates, and human resources. [Full Story]

The Detroit Free Press reports that UM will publicly announce self-imposed penalties next week in response to an NCAA investigation of football rules violations. The article quotes UM athletic director David Brandon: “We want there to be total transparency. Within 24 hours after the material has been delivered to the (Committee on Infractions), we’re going to make them available to the general public. You’ll have the responses, you’ll have the self-imposed penalties, sanctions, that we believe are appropriate.” [Source]

The Michigan Messenger reports that 24-year-old, Iranian-born Mohammad Abdollahi of Ann Arbor is leading an immigration protest: “Today Abdollahi is staging a sit-in with three other undocumented youth in an attempt to focus attention on federal legislation called the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), which supporters say will reward hard work and civic responsibility while providing a path to citizenship for the thousands of undocumented youth who are in this country but have known no other home but the United States. The protest is taking place at the Tuscon, AZ offices of Republican Sen. John McCain, a former GOP presidential candidate.” [Source]

In a Michigan Daily op-ed piece, Ward 1 councilmember Sabra Briere gives her perspective on the city’s budget process. A concluding highlight: “We haven’t changed the fundamental way we look at the city or the way we do business. Playing chicken with unions and rescuing popular programs at the last minute with sudden budget changes haven’t helped.” [Source]

On her blog, Chloe Yelena Miller writes about the May 14-15 Ann Arbor Book Festival, where she was a presenter at the writer’s conference. She describes several sessions that she attended, including one by poet and author Rachel McKibbens: “As homework, she suggested that we create our own word banks for writing by listing 100 words that describe or represent a list of words related to a subject. A challenge that will surely break traditional connections between words and ideas! I encourage you to try them out and open the many doors in your long hallway of your mind, as she described our thoughts.” [Source]

A proposal to name a county building on Main Street in honor of recently retired Washtenaw County administrator Bob Guenzel is receiving pushback from one commissioner. At last week’s administrative briefing, Wes Prater told his fellow county commissioners that the resolution being presented at their May 19 board meeting “is going to cause some conversation.”

The Washtenaw County administration building at the northeast corner of Main and Ann streets might be renamed the Robert E. Guenzel Government Center. (Photo by the writer.)

Conan Smith defended the resolution, which would name the building at 200 N. Main St. the Robert E. Guenzel Government Center. He called Guenzel’s 37-year tenure “remarkable,” saying his length of service and number of accomplishments makes him worthy of the honor. But Prater questioned the process and fairness of the decision, asking, “Who’s being overlooked?”

Also at Wednesday’s briefing, incoming county administrator Verna McDaniel announced her decision to hire Bill Reynolds as deputy administrator. He was one of two finalists who’d been in town earlier this month for a full day of interviews. The board will be asked to approve the hire at its June 2 meeting.

To mark her promotion to county administrator, McDaniel will be honored at a reception prior to the May 19 board meeting, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at 220 N. Main St.

After last Wednesday’s briefing, commissioners also held a caucus to discuss appointments to nine county boards and commissions. They’ll vote on the appointments at their May 19 meeting, and if the consensus reached at caucus holds, it will result in turnover on the county’s historic district commission.

And a dearth of applications for the workforce development board prompted a discussion of the importance of that group, which helps oversee the county’s Employment Training and Community Services (ETCS) department. Among other things, ETCS is handling roughly $4 million in stimulus funds to weatherize local homes, and commissioner Ken Schwartz raised concerns over the effectiveness of that effort. [Full Story]

In advocating to address the problem of bullying, local radio talk show host Lucy Ann Lance writes on her blog about her own experiences as a child: “While many girls and women growing up in the 1960s and ’70s found freedom by shedding their nylons and pulling on pants, I was coordinating my dresses and bows. I’ve never felt the need to assimilate, to be like all of the others. I am at my best when I am true to myself. Perhaps that’s why as a student at Ann Arbor’s Pittsfield Elementary School I was often taunted and teased. Oh, yeah, I was even beat up one day on the playground.” [Source]

Ann Arbor City Council Sunday caucus (May 16, 2010): On Monday night, the city council will deliberate on several amendments to the proposed city administrator’s budget that, if approved, would significantly alter the assumed revenue picture for that proposed budget. [Chronicle coverage: "Ann Arbor Budget Deliberations Preview"]

From left to right: mayor John Hieftje, Sabra Briere (Ward 1) and Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3). Briere looked up various facts in the FY 2011 budget book during the course of the caucus. (Photo by the writer.)

The city council’s regular Sunday night caucus, which again enjoyed only sparse attendance – from four out of eleven councilmembers – gave a glimpse into how part of the city council is thinking of the possible changes in revenue items. One of those changes to revenue items is certain – the DDA agreed at its May 3 meeting to pay the city $2 million to help cover general expenses at the city.

Two other revenue changes are based on projections, not payments – an additional $625,000 in parking fine revenues, plus almost $1 million in statutory state shared revenues. The additional state shared revenue is an amount that the city administrator assumed for his budget would not be forthcoming from the state.

During the Sunday caucus, mayor John Hieftje attributed the difference in outlook on state shared revenues to a difference in political perspective. He said that Roger Fraser, the city administrator, is “not as plugged in” to the political considerations in Lansing as he and the rest of the city council are.

Questions were raised among residents about the certainty of the extra $625,000 in parking fine revenues. Those questions were raised in the context of the DDA’s interest – as expressed in the term sheet produced recently by a “working group” of city councilmembers and DDA board members – in moving towards a parking enforcement system managed by the DDA and designed to reduce the number of parking tickets.

The revenue items are key to budget amendments that would result in eliminating five firefighter positions – instead of the 20 firefighters and 15 police officers that the city administrator’s budget calls for.

At the caucus, Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) gave some insight into an amendment he’ll be bringing forward to reduce the tax administration fee from 1% to .81%. When the fee was increased from .81% to 1% in 2007 for the FY 2008 budget, explained Kunselman, it had not come as a request in the administrator’s budget. The increase, he concluded, had not been made in order cover costs of administering the property tax – they were already covered.

Councilmembers at caucus had no information on the possibility of moving maintenance costs for Argo Dam out of the city’s water fund. Indications from city official on multiple occasions through the fall of 2009 and winter of 2010 were that those maintenance costs would be moved from the water fund to the parks fund. [Full Story]

A Detroit News article looks at how legislation to restructure the state’s teacher retirement system – a move opposed by the Michigan Education Association – might affect the upcoming elections: “It remains to be seen how that plays out in legislative campaigns. For example, Rep. Pam Byrnes, D-Chelsea, and Rep. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, will oppose each other in a state Senate primary. Byrnes voted for the reform, Warren voted against it. Will Warren’s vote translate into MEA money and foot soldiers that will help her in August or will Byrnes get credit from voters for backing spending reform?” [Source]

A Detroit Free Press article describes how laid-off professionals are transforming into entrepreneurs. The article quotes Diane Durance, executive director of Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest in Ann Arbor, who talks about coping with a lack of corporate support in technology and other areas: “All those things get harder to keep up with when you’re a single individual, whereas when you’re in a larger corporation there’s someone who takes care of that for you. So that becomes a little bit more difficult and challenging.” [Source]

On the Michigan League of Conservation Voters website, board president Bob Martel describes an attempt to reach last week’s gubernatorial forum at Central Michigan University, organized by the MLCV. A bus carrying 22 people from Ann Arbor didn’t quite make it: “Somewhere between Brighton and Holly, and after Fran [Alexander] had administered the environmental quiz that taught us all that Asian carp can weigh as much as a fourth-grader, we heard a sound from underneath the bus that can only be described as a very large person swinging a very large baseball bat at the bus’ undercarriage.” [Source]

On Monday, May 17, the Ann Arbor city council will deliberate on the city budget and adopt it with any amendments they agree to make. If they fail to reach agreement on amendments, the city budget proposed by city administrator Roger Fraser will be adopted “as is,” as stipulated in the city charter.

Orange juice is not just a healthy drink. Unlike clear liquids, it's also great for illustrating the classic glass as half empty or half full contrast between optimists and pessimists. Possible budget amendments may depend on how optimistic councilmembers are about state shared revenue. (Photo by the writer.)

Among the amendments that will be brought forward is one that calls for fewer layoffs in the police and fire departments. Instead of eliminating 35 total safety services positions, the amendment would eliminate five firefighters.

The police and fire positions would be maintained through a combination of extra revenue items. One of those is the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority’s $2 million payment to the city, which the DDA board approved on May 5.

A second additional revenue item is simply a more optimistic assessment of the prospects that state revenue sharing will remain at current levels next year. The third major additional revenue item comes from increased revenue from parking fines, which the council will also vote on at its Monday meeting. The projected increases in parking fine revenue had not been included in the budget proposed in April by Fraser.

Another budget amendment would tap the additional revenues to maintain human services funding at last year’s levels – right now, there’s a cut in human services amounting to $260,000 in the proposed budget.

The additional revenues would also be used to fund another budget amendment, which would eliminate the proposed football Saturday parking in Allmendinger and Frisinger parks, plus make the mowing cycles in parks more frequent than they would be in the currently proposed budget.

Other amendments that might be brought forward would make changes that would decrease revenue, compared to what is currently proposed, by (i) eliminating an increase in contractor registration fees, (ii) eliminating an increase in rental housing inspection fees, and (iii) reducing the general fund tax administration fee from its current maximum of 1%. A final amendment that might be proposed would eliminate the proposed loading zone permit program, replacing it with increased fines for parking in loading zones, for a small net gain in revenue. [Full Story]

The Wall Street Journal is among several media outlets reporting on the aftermath of decisions by regulators in four states to close troubled banks. From the report: “Michigan regulators closed Plymouth-based New Liberty Bank, which had roughly $109.1 million in assets and $101.8 million in deposits. Bank of Ann Arbor, based in Ann Arbor, assumed all of the deposits and agreed to buy nearly all of the assets. It didn’t pay a premium for the deposits.” [Source] Bank of Ann Arbor also issued a press release on the transaction. [Source]

The blog for the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS) provides a link to an interactive map for the county that helps show the true cost of housing, when transportation costs are factored in. [Source]

Marianne Rzepka

Tomm Becker hasn’t been afraid of a spring frost killing the lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, kale and chard he’s growing at Sunseed Farm.

That’s because he’s growing them under the plastic cover of a 30-by-96-foot hoop house, which since last fall has been a source of vegetables through most of the winter.

Hoop houses let the sun in, and the solar-powered heat warms up the soil and keeps tender plants from freezing in early and late frosts. When a strong wind flapped the hoop house cover at Sunseed Farm last week, it blew through the openings where the plastic had been hoisted to provide ventilation. The day before had brought cold temperatures and heavy rains that flooded the nearby rye field, so the side flaps had been down to keep the heat in.

“The great thing (about hoop houses) is you can control everything,” Becker says.

Hoop houses aren’t just for farms – a backyard hoop house can give anyone a head start on the season. Then even into the winter, you can grow some cold weather crops – like lettuce – or store root crops, like carrots.

But like anything else in your garden – ponds, chickens, a compost pile – a hoop house is a project that never stops. [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Public Art Commission meeting (May 11, 2010): The Ann Arbor Public Art Commission touched on several projects at their monthly meeting on Tuesday, including plans for a June 23 open house, responses to an online survey, and the decision not to accept a bronze horse sculpture that’s been offered as a gift to the city.

The partially dismantled Sun Dragon sculpture at Fuller Pool – it's the colored plastic on the roof that extends (in red) toward the pool. Previously, it extended to the end of the beam that juts out over the pool. City maintenance workers took it apart to repair the beam, which had rotted, and some parts of the sculpture broke. (Photo by the writer.)

The group discussed another sculpture – the Sun Dragon, designed by AAPAC chair Margaret Parker and located at Fuller Pool – which was damaged during recent repair work. The hope is to restore the piece before the pool opens on May 29.

Parker reported that Herbert Dreiseitl was in town last month and used bamboo poles to build a temporary full-scale mock-up of the large water sculpture that’s commissioned for the exterior of the new police/courts building on Fifth and Huron. But the German artist still hasn’t provided additional information regarding two interior pieces for the building, prompting one commissioner to ask, “He’s lost interest, maybe?”

And in reporting on a potential new member to the commission – Lee Doyle, who’s director of the UM Film Office – commissioner Elaine Sims noted that Pierce Brosnan will be making art in public (shooting a film) outside the Law Quad on the afternoon of May 18. The actor is part of the cast for Salvation Boulevard, which is already in town shooting at various sites on campus.

Much of the meeting dealt with more prosaic topics, however: governance, planning and PR. [Full Story]