Archive for December, 2011

Ann Arbor Public Schools Committee of the Whole meeting (December 7, 2011): At Wednesday’s board committee meeting, AAPS superintendent Patricia Green outlined her vision for addressing what she called the “discipline gap.” The board met as a committee of the whole (COTW).

Green sees closing the discipline gap as a gateway to eliminating the district’s achievement gap. Green’s presentation included a detailed breakdown of suspension data from the past eight years – a data set that shows a disproportionately high number of African-American students, special needs students, and economically disadvantaged students being suspended or otherwise removed from instructional time.

Trustees expressed optimism that Green’s comprehensive and integrated approach could ultimately be effective in addressing the achievement gap. Saying that while the board has had binders, spreadsheets, and plans before, board president Deb Mexicotte said she believes in Green’s leadership. “A lot of times in the past, the piecemeal bits have not been clear how they would work together … I now believe we can do this.”

Recalling a question Green asked the board during her interview process last spring, Mexicotte told Green, “You asked us what we would like to see in five years, and we said: Close the achievement gap. We are absolutely unified on this.”

Also discussed at the Dec. 7 COTW  meeting were the new “cut scores” being used to determine student proficiency on the annual state Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test and Michigan Merit Exam (MME). Under the new system, students will need to get approximately 65% of the answers correct to be labeled proficient or above; the previous proficiency level was set at 39%. The district is working to mitigate parents’ surprise and concern. This year’s student scores will in most cases likely register a significant drop.

Trustees also gave their assent to a proposal by top administrators to widen the range of students who are able to address the board at their regular meetings, heard a brief budget update, and reviewed their upcoming agenda. [Full Story]

Writing a guest column in Forbes magazine, University of Michigan engineering professor Peter Adriaens, who focuses on business entrepreneurship in clean technology, looks at whether the market is experiencing a social network “bubble,” in light of high valuations for Facebook, Groupon, LinkedIn and other companies. Adriaens writes: “We’re just at the beginning of this market disruption and what is happening with social networks bears only limited resemblance to the dot-com boom. The question is whether the business fundamentals have shifted value capture opportunities – PFC [positioning for value capture] analysis indicates they may have. Time will tell.” [Source]

Common Cycle, an Ann Arbor nonprofit, announces on its blog that it’s competing for a $1,000 grant from GOODMaker to help fund a bicycle sharing project that would allow you to “check out” a bicycle from your local library. Common Cycle is encouraging people to vote online for their project. [Source]

Ann Arbor city council meeting (Dec. 5, 2011): In a meeting that pushed well past midnight, the Ann Arbor city council backed off making a temporary reduction to the city’s public art funding.

At its Nov. 21 meeting, the council had given initial approval to ordinance revisions that included temporarily reducing the required 1% allocation to public art from all city capital improvement projects, dropping the amount to 0.5% for the period from 2012 to 2015. Neither that provision, nor one that would have required allocated funds to be spent on public art within a specific period of time, survived a final vote. What did survive was a prohibition against using general fund dollars for public art projects, as well as an exclusion of sidewalk repair from the definition of projects triggering the public art requirement.

Councilmembers who had previously argued for the temporary reduction, but changed their positions after intense lobbying by the arts community – both privately and at the lengthy public hearing – included Sandi Smith (Ward 1), Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) and mayor John Hieftje. All face possible re-election campaigns in 2012. Questions about the legal foundation of Ann Arbor’s public art program, which taps utility fees and dedicated millage funds to pay for public art, were raised again at the meeting by Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3).

In other significant business, the council gave final approval to an expansion of the area around Ann Arbor that is eligible for protection using funds from the voter-approved greenbelt millage.

The council also approved its side of a deal to contract out Ann Arbor police dispatching services to the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office – at an annual cost of $759,089. The city expects eventually to save $500,000 a year with the move, which will entail laying off all of the city’s current dispatchers, not all of whom would be able to obtain employment within the expanded sheriff’s office dispatch operation.

The council also formally tabled a proposed ordinance that would have provided residents with the ability to forbid the delivery of newspapers to their property – by posting a notice on their front doors. The city’s code already prohibits depositing newspapers onto sidewalks.

A sidewalk along Dexter Avenue, east of Maple Road, was the subject of a special tax authorized by the council to be applied to property owners there. The city will use the funds to construct a continuous sidewalk along that stretch, and make curb and gutter improvements.

The council took care of several housekeeping issues, including approving its set of rules for the coming year and making its committee appointments. Those included the appointment of Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) as the council representative to the board of the local development finance authority – replacing Stephen Rapundalo, who was defeated by Jane Lumm (Ward 2) in the Nov. 8 election. But Rapundalo was appointed as a citizen representative to the board and will thus continue to serve on that body. Council committee appointments were only slightly shuffled, because Lumm was assigned to a number of spots Rapundalo had previously filled.

At the end of the meeting, Hieftje announced a nomination to replace Sue McCormick on the board of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority – Eli Cooper. Cooper has previously served on the AATA board and is the city’s transportation program manager.

Highlights during public commentary included advocacy for a 24/7 warming shelter to be staffed by volunteers from the community, and support for 14-year Ann Arbor resident Lourdes Salazar Bautista, who faces deportation later this month. [Full Story]

A crime alert has been issued by the University of Michigan Dept. of Public Safety related to an unarmed robbery on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. on East University Avenue at Willard. ”A student was walking northbound on East University when she was approached by a male who was panhandling. He then grabbed her arm and demanded more money.” DPS described the suspect as a black male with medium complexion, in his late 20s to early 30s, 5’9″ to 6′, average build, close-cut hair and no facial hair, wearing light-colored sunglasses and a light-weight plaid shirt or jacket. Anyone with information on this incident should contact DPS at 734-763-1131 or dial 911. [Source]

Oprah.com lists the graphic novel “Feynmann,” by Ann Arbor’s Jim Ottaviani, on a list of “11 Books You Never Thought You’d Read (but Will Fall in Love with Instantly).” From the post: “This 248-page graphic bio will keep you entranced from start to finish, mostly because Ottaviani (writer) and [Leland] Myrick (illustrator) tell the very human story behind Feynman, who, it turns out, did everything from help create the atomic bomb to unearth the causes of the Challenger space shuttle disaster – all with a sense of humor so goofy and endearing that you can’t help falling in love with him.” [Source] In case you missed it, Ottaviani was also featured in a Teeter Talk interview in September. [Source]

Ann Arbor District Library board special meeting (Dec. 8, 2011): A 10-minute meeting wrapped up more than 18 months of negotiations, as the AADL board unanimously approved contracts with its two labor bargaining units.

The board had called a special meeting for Thursday to vote on these contracts, which run from Jan. 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015. The agreements are with the Ann Arbor District Library Staff Associates, which represents 30 employees, and the Ann Arbor District Librarians Association, which represents 14 AADL librarians. All but two of these 44 workers are full-time employees with benefits. The library employs a staff of nearly 200 at its five location throughout the district, including about 100 full-time workers.

The previous contracts expired on June 30, 2010. The main difference between the old and new contracts relates to a change in health insurance providers, plans and employee contributions, according to AADL director Josie Parker. She said she appreciated the hard work that both sides of the negotiations had done to reach an agreement.

The two AADL bargaining units are part of the Michigan Education Association, dating back to the years prior to 1996 when the library was still part of the Ann Arbor public schools system. Paul Morrison, executive director of the Ann Arbor Education Association – the local MEA unit – participated in negotiations and described the outcome as “not great for labor” but reasonable, given the economic circumstances.

The board took two other actions at its meeting on Thursday: (1) a vote to cancel its Dec. 15 meeting, because there are no pressing agenda items; and (2) a vote to call an executive session for its Jan. 16, 2012 meeting, to discuss the written opinion of its legal counsel. [Full Story]

The relatively heavy agenda of the Ann Arbor city council’s Dec. 12 work session includes: (1) a demonstration of the city’s new automatic vehicle location (AVL) snow plow tracking system; (2) the annual report of the local development finance authority (LDFA); (3) a presentation on countywide transit from the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority; and (4) a review of pedestrian safety issues at crosswalks.

The AVL snow plow tracking system is supposed to provide residents with real-time information on the status of plowing activity, through GPS devices mounted on the trucks. The devices monitor not only a vehicle’s location, but also whether the plow is deployed, along with other vehicle performance information. The city’s snow plow status page currently requires … [Full Story]

The Detroit Free Press reports that the University of Michigan has purchased 21 .xxx domain names to prevent others from using those URLs for adult websites. The .xxx sites were open for sale to the general public on Tuesday by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. According to the report, UM owns about 470 domain names overall, including 50 that were bought to protect the sites, with no plans to use them. [Source]

Nation’s Restaurant News published a report on the first anniversary of Frita Batidos, an Ann Arbor restaurant opened last year by chef Eve Aronoff. The article quotes Aronoff about her plans for expansion: “My dream is to have multiple locations situated in urban areas/university towns surrounded by great agriculture so we can work with local farmers and follow the seasons.” [Source]

Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board meeting (Dec. 7, 2011): At its last monthly meeting of the year, the DDA board continued a public hearing on proposed parking rate changes that it had begun at its November meeting. Only two people appeared for the continued hearing on Wednesday – nine people had addressed the board for its Nov. 2, 2011 meeting.

The board will not vote on the rate increases until its Jan. 4, 2012 meeting. Some of the rate changes are scheduled for implementation in February 2012, but the increases affecting most downtown Ann Arbor parkers would not be implemented until September 2012. The September changes include an increase from $1.40 to $1.50 per hour for on-street metered spaces and an increase from $1.10 to $1.20 per hour for spaces in parking structures.

Some insight into the DDA’s interest in raising parking rates can be found in the DDA’s finances, as reflected in its annual audit. Acceptance of its annual audit report was the one action item on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting. The board voted to accept its audit report done by the firm Abraham & Gaffney, P.C. for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011.

Auditor Alan Panter had presented the report to a subset of DDA board members at a Nov. 30 meeting of the DDA’s operations committee.

The report notes an instance of expenditures exceeding the amount of funds appropriated that is inconsistent with Michigan’s Uniform Budgeting and Accounting Act (UBAA) of 1968. At Wednesday’s meeting, DDA board members characterized it as a “technical violation.” At the operations committee meeting, the $337,478 overage was attributed by DDA staff to the submission of a bill forwarded to the DDA in June by its construction management consultant (Park Avenue Consultants Inc.) – connected to the underground parking garage and streetscape improvement projects currently under construction.

For the fiscal year 2011, the DDA showed $18,806,765 in revenues against $20,796,665 in expenses, drawing $1,989,900 from the fund balance reserve. The planned draw on fund balance is related to the underground parking garage construction payments as well as a new contract, signed this year, under which the DDA operates the city’s public parking system. That contract assigns 17% of gross parking revenues to the city of Ann Arbor. At the Nov. 30 committee meeting, DDA board member Newcombe Clark was keen to confirm the inclusion of the new contract as a note in the audit.

In his presentation to the operations committee on Nov. 30, Panter highlighted the fund balance reserve for the parking fund as a concern, saying that the fund was near deficit – it shows a fund balance reserve of less than 1% of operating expenses. A recommended fund balance level, said Panter, is 15-20%.

Another still outstanding issue for the DDA’s finances is the correct interpretation of the city’s ordinance (Chapter 7) specifying how the DDA tax increment finance (TIF) capture works. At Wednesday’s meeting, the board held its third closed session on the topic since July, to discuss the written opinion of its legal counsel on the issue. Taxing authorities that have their taxes captured under the Ann Arbor DDA TIF district have questioned the DDA’s legal position – the DDA contends that Chapter 7 does not place limits on its TIF capture. Depending on how the issue is resolved, it could mean as much as $600,000 less per year in TIF capture, compared with the budget planning the DDA is currently doing.

Also at the Dec. 7 meeting, during the opportunity for public commentary, the DDA board heard from Jim Kosteva –University of Michigan director of community relations – about a request to eliminate two on-street parking spaces on Monroe Street. With the imminent opening of the newly constructed South Hall, on the south side of Monroe, it’s anticipated that students will attempt to cross mid-block. The elimination of the parking spaces would be intended to make students who are crossing mid-block more visible to motorists. Based on the verbal exchange with Kosteva at the podium, it appears possible, but not guaranteed, that some kind of arrangement could be reached before the start of the next semester. [Full Story]

Writing on her “View from the cube” blog, Lisa Rudgers – vice president for global communications at the University of Michigan – describes the class “22 Ways To Think About Food,” taught by LSA associate dean Phil Deloria: “As he spoke, Phil showed the next PowerPoint slide: a picture of a green field and a white bucket filled with strawberries. ‘When I was a kid, I picked strawberries in the summer to earn a few bucks. We’d fill six or seven buckets a day in between goofing around and throwing berries at one another. But I remember the migrant workers who slept in their cars, picking alongside us. They could pick 35 buckets a day, because that income was all … [Full Story]

A video clip posted on YouTube shows vintage footage of a marching band and football game, possibly shot at Michigan Stadium in the 1930s. A note with the video states: “Help us solve a mini-mystery. In converting some 16 mm home movies, we came across this snippet of what appears to be a Michigan football game. We think it may be from the mid to late 30s. Anybody want to disagree or try to pinpoint the exact year?” [Source]

At their Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, Washtenaw County commissioners were briefed on negotiations between the county and the Humane Society of Huron Valley, over a new contract for animal control services. It was not an item on the agenda, but commissioner Ronnie Peterson requested an update during the meeting.

Board chair Conan Smith reported that HSHV board chair Mike Walsh had been sent a draft RFP, including a “scope of work” for animal control services that the county believes are mandated by the state. [.pdf of draft RFP] Representatives from the county and HSHV are planning to meet soon to continue negotiations, Smith said. HSHV’s current contract, for $500,000 annually, ends on Dec. 31. The county has budgeted a total of … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners – on a 10-1 vote – increased the county’s budget allocation for human services nonprofits that are supported through the coordinated funding model in 2012-2013. The two-year budget approved by commissioners on Nov. 16 had included $128,538 in cuts each year to coordinated funding. That amount is now restored. In total, the line item for coordinated funding is $1.015 million in 2012 and 2013, the same amount that was budgeted for 2011.

Voting against the increase was Dan Smith (R-District 2). He noted that the board had just approved the budget at its last meeting, and it was premature to increase funding at this point, especially since the county asked … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners gave final 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. Initial approval was given at the board’s Nov. 16 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 costs … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners voted to accept the county’s apportionment report, which gives details of the 2011 taxable valuations for property in the county, by municipality. The report also includes the amount of millages levied and the dollar amounts collected in taxes. December tax bills have already been mailed out to property owners, based on these calculations.

Every April, the county’s equalization department produces an annual report describing Washtenaw County’s total equalized (assessed) value of property. The report – part of the state-mandated equalization process – gives an indication of how much revenue the county will receive from property taxes in the coming year. [See Chronicle coverage: "Washtenaw County's Taxable Value Falls"]

In … [Full Story]

The Washtenaw County board of commissioners passed a resolution at its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting that urges state lawmakers to reject HB 4770, HB 4771 and “any legislation that codifies discrimination.” The proposed state legislation – which has been passed by the House, and was passed by the Senate earlier in the day – would remove the ability to extend benefits to same-sex partners. Currently, Washtenaw County offers benefits to same-sex partners of its employees. The legislation will be sent back to the House for ratification, then forwarded for Gov. Rick Snyder to sign into law.

The resolution was brought forward by Washtenaw County commissioner Yousef Rabhi (D-District 11). [.pdf of resolution] Rabhi described the situation as an issue … [Full Story]

Action was taken on two brownfield plans during the Dec. 7, 2011 meeting of the Washtenaw County board of commissioners.

The board gave final approval to a brownfield plan for Ford Motor Co’s Rawsonville plant, after holding a public hearing on the plan earlier in the meeting. The 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 company to retain 260 jobs by bringing back work that’s currently done in China and Mexico. Investment in 2012 would be about $20 million, with total jobs stabilized at about 700 workers.

Commissioners also give initial approval to a brownfield plan for Arbor Hills … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners gave final 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, and taken an initial vote on the bonds at its Nov. 16 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 … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners gave final 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. Initial approval was given at the board’s Nov. 16 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 public … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners voted to create an energy policy subcommittee, and appointed commissioners Rob Turner, Alicia Ping, Wes Prater and Yousef Rabhi as members. The subcommittee’s purpose is to help develop a county energy policy. Such a policy is required in order to receive federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants.

At its Aug. 3, 2011 meeting, the board had held a public hearing and subsequently approved an interlocal agreement with the Southeast Michigan Energy Office Community Alliance (SEMRO). The Ferndale-based nonprofit (SEMRO) provides technical services to the county in identifying and implementing federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant projects. [.pdf of interlocal agreement]

The energy office is a division of the Michigan … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners authorized the county’s full faith and credit to back the payment of bonds used to repair sinkholes and replace broken tile in a drain along Saline-Milan Road in York Township. [.pdf of map showing project area]

The amount of the bonds is not to exceed $235,000, and will be retired in part through special assessments against the property owners in that area’s drainage district. Money from assessments will account for 69.16% of the project cost, with remaining project costs prepaid by York Township (20%), and Washtenaw County (10.84%). The Wasthenaw County road commission will pay half of the county’s portion of this project, which is being managed by the county … [Full Story]

At a hearing before Ann Arbor’s zoning board of appeals (ZBA), the board voted to reject an appeal made by nearby neighbors of the City Place project. The residential project would construct two apartment buildings separated by a parking lot, offering a total of 24 units and 144 bedrooms.

The three-point appeal challenged two decisions made by the city council and one made by the city planning manager in connection with the City Place project. The council decisions that were challenged in the appeal were made at the Oct. 17, 2011 meeting and were subsequently reconsidered with the same outcome at the Oct. 24, 2011 meeting.

One council decision involved the waiver of a landscaping buffer requirement. The other … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners voted to reject a proposal from the Washtenaw County road commission that included a variety of road improvement projects, and the possibility of a countywide millage to pay for them. [See Chronicle coverage: "County Board Poised to Reject Road Millage"]

The proposal had been discussed at length by the board in October, when commissioners ultimately decided to defer additional action until the Dec. 7 meeting. At a Nov. 29 agenda briefing, several commissioners had indicated that they didn’t support the proposal in part because of uncertainty related to pending state legislation that would, if passed, allow the county to take over operation of the road commission.

The board had … [Full Story]

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the board of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority voted to accept its annual audit for the year ending June 30, 2011.

The report from the auditing firm Abraham & Gaffney, P.C. notes an instance of expenditures exceeding the amount of funds appropriated that is inconsistent with Michigan’s Uniform Budgeting and Accounting Act (UBAA) of 1968. Auditor Alan Panter presented the report to a subset of DDA board members at a Nov. 30 meeting of the DDA’s operations committee. At that meeting, the $337,478 overage was attributed by DDA staff to the submission of a bill forwarded to the DDA in June by its construction management consultant (Park Avenue Consultants Inc.) for the underground parking garage … [Full Story]