Archive for November, 2011

At its Nov. 17, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board voted to affirm its position on the kind of advertising that it accepts for the sides of its buses by rejecting a proposed advertisement – in its current form – from local pro-Palestinian activist Blaine Coleman. The text of the proposed ad reads “Boycott ‘Israel’” and “Boycott Apartheid” and features an image of a spider-like creature with a skull for a head. [.pdf of image and text of proposed ad]

The board’s decision came in response to an Aug. 12, 2011 letter to the AATA from the American Civil Liberties Union that argues the AATA’s policy on accepting advertising is unconstitutional. The ACLU does concede that the proposed … [Full Story]

Ned Staebler, an Ann Arbor resident who’s vice president for economic development at Wayne State University, writes an entry for HuffPost Detroit that explains why he’s optimistic about the future of that city. “Search for ‘Detroit’ on Facebook and you’ll find hundreds of groups. Some have names that include words like ‘defend,’ ‘restore,’ or ‘save.’ But, increasingly there are more and more with other themes in their titles: ‘salsa,’ ‘young,’ ‘discover.’ Why is this important? Because, we’ll know Detroit is healthy again when we all have stopped focusing on saving it.” [Source]

As part of the written report from Ann Arbor Transportation Authority CEO Michael Ford to the AATA board for their Nov. 17, 2011 meeting, Ford describes a four-party agreement that is anticipated to be reached by the AATA, Washtenaw County, the city of Ypsilanti and the city of Ann Arbor. The agreement would be a step towards establishing a countywide transit authority under Michigan’s Act 196 of 1986, because it would provide part of the mechanism for a transition from the AATA’s governance (under Act 55 of 1963) to a new transit authority based on Act 196.

The agreement would establish an arrangement for Washtenaw County to incorporate a new transit authority under Act 196 and for the two cities (Ann … [Full Story]

At its Nov. 17, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board adopted a new set of guidelines for receiving input on future changes to routes and fare structures. The board is not currently contemplating changes to fares. However, in a separate action, the board authorized an increase in the frequency on Route #4 between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

The new public input policy replaces an older policy that is described in the resolution as “out of date” and not consistent with the way that AATA currently uses public input for decisions on routes and fares, even though the older policy meets the minimum standards required in order to receive federal assistance.

The policy identifies “major” service changes as those affecting more … [Full Story]

At its Nov. 17, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board authorized a service increase between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti along Washtenaw Avenue – the Route #4 service. The increase, effective Jan. 29, 2012, roughly doubles the frequency of buses traveling along the corridor. The new service levels include up to eight buses per hour during peak periods. [.pdf of Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti schedule] [.pdf of Ypsilanti to Ann Arbor schedule]

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the Ann Arbor District Library, where the AATA board holds its meetings. A detailed reported of the meeting will follow: [link]

At their Nov. 17, 2011 meeting, University of Michigan regents discussed then approved the university’s annual letter to the state budget director, John Nixon, outlining the 2013 budget needs of the Ann Arbor campus. [link to .pdf of budget development letter] The 12-page letter, officially from UM president Mary Sue Coleman, makes the case that UM needs state support, noting that the Ann Arbor campus receives 30% less in state funding than it did a decade ago. It also provides details of UM’s cost containment efforts and impact on the regional economy.

This year, the state asked universities to provide suggestions for “formula funding” – a mechanism that’s being considered as a way to standardize appropriations for higher education. Regent … [Full Story]

Items related to renovations of two University of Michigan dorms – Baits II and East Quad – were approved by UM regents at their Nov. 17, 2011 meeting.

Regents authorized an estimated $11.95 million renovation to Baits II, located on UM’s north campus. The work includes infrastructure updates and reconfiguration of community spaces. The 175,000-square-foot, five-building complex was built in 1967 and houses about 575 students. The project will be designed by UM’s department of architecture, engineering and construction, in collaboration with Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber Inc., a Grand Rapids firm. The work is expected to be completed in the summer of 2013. The nearby Baits I residence hall, which houses about 570 students, will be closed at the end of this … [Full Story]

At its Nov. 17, 2011 meeting, the University of Michigan board of regents authorized eight items that required disclosure under the state’s Conflict of Interest statute. The law requires that regents vote on potential conflict-of-interest disclosures related to university staff, faculty or students. Often, the items involve technology licensing agreements or leases. This month, the items included three lease agreements, three research option agreements and one licensing agreement.

Also authorized was a collaboration between The Ark, a downtown Ann Arbor concert venue, and the University Unions Arts and Programs. The event – an Oct. 7 concert by  Vienna Teng at UM’s Power Center – triggered the conflict-of-interest issue because The Ark’s board chair, Kathryn Huss, works for UM as deputy director and … [Full Story]

After holding a Nov. 14, 2011 work session on public art, the Ann Arbor city council will take up a proposed revision to the city’s ordinance on public art at its Nov. 21 meeting. The city’s Percent for Art program, supported by the local law, currently stipulates that 1% of the budget for any capital improvement project in the city (up to a $250,000 limit) be set aside for public art.

The proposed amendments to the public art ordinance were first considered by the council at its Sept. 19, 2011 meeting, with action postponed until Nov. 21. Key features of the amendment include: (1) exclusion of projects funded by street repair millage funds from the ordinance requirements; (2) addition of requirements that would return public art money to its fund of origin, if not expended within a specific time frame; (3) explicit exclusion of general fund dollars from ordinance requirements.

At the Nov. 14 work session, Sue McCormick – the city’s public services area administrator – provided city staff recommendations to the council that implicitly responded to the main elements of the currently proposed ordinance amendments. While specific mechanisms and alternatives for implementing (2) and (3) were provided, a general recommendation was made against narrowing the base of funding streams for public art, as (1) would do.

Staff recommendations also included a suggestion to increase the value of the contract for the public art administrator (not currently a city employee) by up to $35,000 a year.

Any changes the council makes to the ordinance on Nov. 21 will receive only initial approval. It’s possible that on Nov. 21, the council could consider approaches to amending the public art ordinance that are different from those currently proposed. For example, in the past, the council has contemplated, but rejected, a simple reduction in the amount of funding – from 1% to 0.5%.  [Full Story]

Ending a year-long process, the 2012-2013 general fund budget for Washtenaw County received final approval from the county board of commissioners at its Nov. 16, 2011 meeting. Commissioners had given initial approval to the $97 million budget at their Nov. 2 meeting.

Most of the focus of Wednesday’s nearly five-hour meeting (as it was on the initial consideration) was on a small subset of budget items: (1) animal control services – formerly a line item for the county’s contract with the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV); (2) coordinated funding of human services; and (3) Head Start.

The board heard from more than two dozen people who spoke during public commentary, most of them voicing support for HSHV, or … [Full Story]

Among the praise logged on MetaFilter for David Erik Nelson’s Chronicle column published Nov. 16, 2011, about having Bank of America as a neighbor is “I wish I could write like that,” and “Wow, what a great article: well written, humble and simple yet angry and direct.” [Source]  The context-sensitive ads on MetaFilter provide the irony of an ad for Bank of America highlighting its philanthropic endeavors, juxtaposed with Nelson’s statement: “Bank of America is a shitty neighbor.” [screenshot]

At its Nov. 16, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners gave initial approval to a resolution stating that the county will comply with Section 4 of the state’s Public Act 152 of 2011, also known as the “80/20″ rule regarding health care costs. A final vote is expected at the board’s Dec. 7 meeting.

On Jan. 1, 2012, public employers like Washtenaw County will be prohibited from paying more than $5,500 for health benefits annually for a single employee, $11,000 for an employee plus spouse, or $15,000 for family coverage. However, the law allows a public employer, by a majority vote of its governing body, to choose another option: to pay not more than 80% of the total annual … [Full Story]

At its Nov. 16, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners set two public hearings regarding brownfield plans for projects in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Township. Because Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Township are members of the Washtenaw County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, the brownfield plans require approval by the county board.

A public hearing for a brownfield redevelopment at Ford Motor Co’s Rawsonville plant was set for Wednesday, Dec. 7 during the county board meeting, which begins at 6:45 p.m. in the administration building at 220 N. Main St., Ann Arbor. The brownfield plan would allow Ford to apply for $625,000 in Michigan Business Tax credits. According to a staff memo, the plan – with the potential tax credits – would allow the … [Full Story]

At its Nov. 16, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners took a final vote to approve adjustments to the 2011 general fund budget – the current fiscal year’s budget.

An initial vote had been taken at the board’s Nov. 2 meeting. At that meeting, the board received a third-quarter budget update from the county’s finance staff. The total projected 2011 shortfall is $983,629. That includes a projected net revenue shortfall of $363,690 and a net of $619,939 in higher-than-budgeted expenses. The current projected general fund budget for 2011 is $101.26 million.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building at 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor, where the board of commissioners holds its meetings. A more … [Full Story]

At its Nov. 16, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners gave initial approval to issue up to $2.7 million in bonds – backed by the county’s full faith and credit – to help pay for a $3.2 million facility operated by the Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA). The board had approved a contract for this project at its Sept. 21, 2011 meeting. A final vote is expected at the board’s Dec. 7 meeting.

The WWRA plans to use $500,000 from its reserves to fund part of the project. The $2.7 million in bonds will be repaid through special assessments on households in participating WWRA communities: the city of Chelsea, Dexter Township, Lima Township, Lyndon Township, and Manchester Township. Bridgewater Township is participating … [Full Story]

At its Nov. 16, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners gave initial approval to hire a director of nursing for the public health department at a salary above the midpoint for this non-union job. All hires above the midpoint must receive approval by the board. A final vote is expected at the board’s Dec. 7 meeting.

The requested salary of $83,000 is less than the $95,342 paid to the previous director of nursing – Susan Lee, who retired in September – but above the position’s $73,964 midpoint. The suggested salary range is between $59,641 and $88,285. According to a staff memo, the previous salary reflected an 8% increase because of a temporary assignment of duties – part of a restructuring in the … [Full Story]

Editor’s note: This column appears regularly in The Chronicle, roughly around the third Wednesday of the month. 

Listen: Bank of America is a shitty neighbor.

To clarify, I have no beef with any specific retail banking location. The folks on Main Street (where I tread water on my mortgage each month) seem like basically good folks serving their clients in good faith. I have no gripe with them. I don’t even really have much of a gripe with Bank of America as an institution [1].

But I live next door to a house owned by Bank of America, and they are the worst neighbors I’ve ever had.

The previous owner, Mike, was a good guy; he occasionally had loud parties, but we were always invited and the food was great. Then, an hour or so after daylight savings time began in March of 2008, he was killed on the job while towing a drunk up out of a ditch along the side of an on-ramp. He had been single and had no will, so his house swiftly defaulted to the lender, Countrywide Financial (at that time the largest mortgage packager in the United States). Soon thereafter Countrywide collapsed, and the house was transferred to Bank of America [2].

More than three years later, that house is still empty. [Full Story]

The University Record posts a message sent out on Tuesday by University of Michigan Mary Sue Coleman regarding the events at Penn State: ”This is a chance to remind one another that a community’s values are lived out in the actions of each of us as individuals. It is important for us to act immediately in suspected cases of abuse or other crimes, or in a circumstance where you find yourself either a victim or a witness to questionable activity.” [Source]

Editor’s note: On Nov. 5, 2011 the Ann Arbor branch of the NAACP held its annual Freedom Fund dinner to honor high-achieving black students. It was keynoted by Raymond Randolph Jr., who participated in the Freedom Rides during the summer of 1961.

Also addressing the audience was Ward 1 city councilmember Sabra Briere. Though The Chronicle did not attend the event, with Briere’s permission, we’re publishing the draft of her speech. We think it deserves a wider reading – as the calendar turns to the traditional season of giving, and as police in more than one city appear to be in a mood to move against Occupy demonstrators.

The official motto of the dinner was: “Building the Future on the Foundations of the Past” 

Tonight I’m filling in for the mayor of Ann Arbor, John Hieftje, and for the mayor pro tem, Marcia Higgins. It’s an honor to play your mayor this evening.

I’d like first to remind everyone that tonight we’re not just breaking bread together. We’re celebrating Ann Arbor’s NAACP day, the first Saturday in November. Each year we hold the dinner on this night to remind us of our need to work together.

There are several people in the audience tonight who currently hold office, who have held office in the past, or who would like to hold office in the near future.

If you are a current elected official, please stand. Those who’ve been elected in the past, please join them. And those who are running for office, could you stand too? Let’s applaud their willingness to serve.

I prepared a few remarks, and promise not to speak at length. Tonight’s topic indicates that we are building our future on the foundations of the past.

I take my texts from the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. [Full Story]

Two state grant applications made by the city of Ann Arbor – $300,000 for the proposed Ann Arbor skatepark at Veterans Memorial Park, and $300,000 for improvements at the Gallup Park canoe livery – ranked in the top 12 out of 100 applications statewide for funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. At the Nov. 15 meeting of the Ann Arbor park advisory commission, Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, told PAC members that he received the application scores in the mail earlier in the day.

The skatepark application ranked 12th out of the 100 applications, based on a scoring system used to evaluate the grants. The Gallup Park application ranked 2nd. Smith also reported that a … [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Public Schools budget forum (November 14, 2011): It was standing-room only in the Pioneer cafeteria annex as over 140 people gathered to hear an overview of how the school district is funded, and to add their ideas to the mix as the district faces an anticipated $14 million shortfall in 2012-13.

The district’s approved budget for 2011-12 is $183.62 million.

As staff scrambled to bring in more folding chairs and photocopy additional handouts, AAPS superintendent Patricia Green and AAPS deputy superintendent of operations Robert Allen opened with a presentation on funding and budget challenges.

The presentation had been tweaked since a similar forum held last week. [For the details from that forum, see previous Chronicle coverage: "AAPS Seeks Public Input on Budget"]

This report highlights some of the changes made to the budget presentation, but focuses on the questions and suggestions offered by the community members who attended Monday’s forum. [Full Story]