AATA Board Sets April 26 Special Meeting

A special meeting of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board set for Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 4:30 p.m was announced by AATA board chair Jesse Bernstein at the board’s monthly meeting last night. The special meeting will be held at AATA headquarters, 2700 South Industrial Highway.

The purpose of the meeting is to receive formally a detailed five-year service plan that has been developed by the AATA as part of its plan to expand its governance and transportation service to a countywide area. The service plan is part of a key step specified in a four-party agreement – between the AATA, the city of Ann Arbor, the city of Ypsilanti, and Washtenaw County – that would establish a framework for a possible transition to a new governance structure. From the agreement: “… AATA will publish details of the service and funding plan in newspaper(s) of general circulation in the Washtenaw County.”

Of the four parties to the agreement, the city of Ann Arbor is the only entity so far to ratify it. The Ann Arbor city council voted to approve the four-party agreement at its March 5, 2012 meeting.

Bernstein indicated that it’s hoped the AATA board members will receive copies of the service plan by Monday, April 23, before voting on it on April 26.

Also at April’s monthly board meeting, AATA’s CEO Michael Ford indicated that the working name for the new transportation authority, if one is formed through the four-party agreement, is “Washtenaw Area Transportation Authority.”