Archive for June, 2013

Editor’s note: This marks the launch of a new column in The Chronicle, focused on Ann Arbor Public Schools and other educational issues. Readers might know Ruth Kraut from her commentary on Ann Arbor Schools Musings, where she’s been writing about these issues for several years. For recent background on The Chronicle’s coverage of AAPS, see “Milestone: Why You Keep Running a Marathon.”

Ruth Kraut

Next week, the board of the Ann Arbor Public Schools will need to cut about 5% from the district’s budget. That’s a reduction of about $8.6 million. Teachers have already taken a 3% pay cut.

Per-pupil funding for next year ($9,025) will be less than the per-pupil funding of 12 years ago in 2001-2002 ($9,034). So it’s no surprise that we’re at the point where cuts are painful. Cutting teachers, cutting programs – none of it is happy news. There will be consequences. The question is, what kind of consequences?

In the civil rights world, a “disparate impact” occurs when a policy is non-discriminatory in its intent but affects a “protected class” of people in a disproportionate way. In Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, for example, these protected classes include race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, and marital status.

AAPS is a district with a large achievement gap – between white students and African American and Hispanic/Latino students. And this gap has persisted for many years. Although in state civil rights law, income is not a protected status, income is highly correlated with race, age, and marital status. District-wide, there is also an achievement gap that is related to income: Poor kids are more likely to do poorly in school.

So it’s important to consider the AAPS budget from a perspective of potential disparate impacts. On the surface, the proposed budget cuts treat all students equally. But if we look deeper, would we find that certain budget cuts worsen – or perhaps improve – the achievement gap?

Three proposed budget cuts have raised a significant amount of opposition this year: (1) eliminating high school transportation; (2) cutting reading intervention teachers; and (3) cutting seventh hour or making it a tuition-only option. Together, these three account for just under $1.5 million of the $8.6 million in cuts. Do these cuts, in particular, have a disparate impact on any groups? [Full Story]

John U. Bacon

Ohio State University president Gordon Gee’s ability to put money in the bank – both his and his university’s – was equaled only by his ability to put his foot in his mouth. Well, this week he was finally fired – er, retired. Entirely voluntarily, of course. Not pushed at all. Nooooo.

Over his long career as president of West Virginia, Colorado, Brown, Vanderbilt and Ohio State – twice – Gee has raised billions of dollars, while delivering a seemingly endless stream of gaffes, slanders and just plain stupid comments, which culminated in his unexpected departure.

In politics, they say, when a man is shooting himself in the foot, don’t grab the gun. In that spirit, I’ll let the man’s words speak for themselves.

In 1992, when the Buckeyes ended their four-game losing streak against Michigan with a 13-13 tie, Gee said, “This tie is one of our greatest wins ever.” Ooo-kay.   [Full Story]

After a four-month pause in court action on a lawsuit filed against the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority – for its refusal to place an anti-Israel ad on its buses – a ruling came earlier this week. Federal judge Mark Goldsmith did not agree with Blaine Coleman and the ACLU’s argument that the preliminary injunctive relief to which they were entitled should take the form of placing the ad on AATA buses.

On the general motion for a preliminary injunction made by the ACLU, Goldsmith had earlier ruled in the case that the AATA’s policy – under which the advertisement had originally been rejected – was unconstitutional. In light of that ruling, the AATA then changed its advertising policy to remove a … [Full Story]

In a move that appeared to surprise many commissioners and staff, Washtenaw County commissioner Alicia Ping (R-District 3) formally proposed giving notice to eliminate a lump-sum budgeting approach for the Washtenaw County Trial Court. She made the proposal at the board’s June 5, 2013 meeting.

Washtenaw County commissioner Alicia Ping (R-District 3) at the board’s June 5, 2013 meeting.

After a lengthy and often heated debate, the board gave initial approval to give notice, but postponed final action until July 10. The approval was on a 5-4 vote.

Unlike other units of county government, which prepare line-item budgets authorized … [Full Story]

The Washtenaw County board of commissioners has held the first of two public hearings on a potential $345 million bond proposal, drawing four people who expressed caution about the possible action. The hearing was held at the board’s June 5, 2013 meeting. A second hearing is scheduled for July 10, when the board will likely take action on the proposal.

The proposed bond issue of up to $345 million, the largest in the county’s history, is intended to cover unfunded pension and retiree healthcare obligations from the Washtenaw County Employees’ Retirement System (WCERS) and Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association (VEBA) – the defined benefit pension and retiree healthcare plans. Those plans will be closed to employees hired after Jan. 1, 2014.

The proposal … [Full Story]

Washtenaw County’s 2013 general operating millage rate has been set at 4.5493 mills – unchanged from the current rate. The county board took a final vote on the rate at its June 5, 2013 meeting, after giving initial approval on May 15.

Several other county millages were authorized and are levied separately: emergency communications (0.2000 mills), the Huron Clinton Metroparks Authority (0.2146 mills), two for county parks and recreation (0.2353 mills and 0.2367 mills) and for the natural areas preservation program (0.2409 mills). That brings the total county millage rate to 5.6768 mills, a rate that’s also unchanged from 2012.

This is an annual procedural action, not a vote to levy new taxes. With a few minor exceptions, the county board does not have authority to … [Full Story]

Jarvis Stone School in Salem Township – a former one-room schoolhouse built in 1857 and located at 7991 North Territorial Road – will be designated as an historic district, following action at the June 5, 2013 meeting of the Washtenaw County board of commissioners. [.pdf of ordinance]

The board approved an ordinance that designates the 1.42-acre property as an historic district under the jurisdiction of the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission. The property is owned by the Salem Area Historical Society, which uses the school as its headquarters. It would be the second historic district in Salem Township. The first one is Conant Farm on Napier Road.

The Salem Township board had granted a request to consider the … [Full Story]

At its June 5, 2013 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners approved an annual community corrections plan with a $1,042,468 budget for FY 2013-14 – from Oct. 1, 2013 through Sept. 30, 2014. [.pdf of community corrections plan]

The community corrections division is a unit of the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office, with an emphasis on programs and services aimed at keeping people out of jail by providing sentencing options for the Washtenaw County Trial Court – including pre-trial services, drug testing, electronic monitoring, and social education. The funding comes from several sources: (1) $421,900 in state revenue; (2) $260,890 in program-generated fees; (3) $240,983 in appropriations from the county’s general fund; and (4) $118,703 from fund balance.

According to … [Full Story]

Public hearings for two brownfield redevelopment projects in Ann Arbor – at Packard Square (the former Georgetown Mall), and 544 Detroit St. – will be held at the Washtenaw County board of commissioners meeting on July 10, 2013. The board set the hearings at its June 5 meeting in two separate votes. The board’s two Republican commissioners – Alicia Ping and Dan Smith – cast the only votes of dissent. They voted against the public hearing on the 544 Detroit St. proposal. They did not publicly state their reasons for voting against the hearing on that project.

Since the city of Ann Arbor joined the Washtenaw County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (WCBRA) in 2002, brownfield projects located in the city must … [Full Story]

At its June 5, 2013 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners passed a resolution declaring June 2013 as Gun and Societal Violence Awareness Month.

The resolution states that the board “supports President Barack Obama’s continued efforts to reduce gun violence through enhanced background checks, restricted sales of some types of ammunition and high capacity magazines; and … further supports the reduction of societal violence through the development of proactive programs that will educate citizens on non-violent conflict resolution and allow physicians to prevent firearm and other violence related injuries through health screening, patient counseling, and referral to mental health services for those with behavioral or emotional medical conditions.”

According to county records, applications for concealed pistol licenses in Washtenaw County have … [Full Story]

A public hearing is set for July 10, 2013 regarding the annexation of land from Scio Township into the village of Dexter. The hearing will take place at the July 10 meeting of the Washtenaw County board of commissioners, which must vote on the annexation. Commissioners set the hearing at their June 5 meeting.

According to the county’s corporation counsel, Curtis Hedger, the annexation of township property into a village is one of the few instances that requires county board approval. Generally, annexation is handled by the individual municipalities where the annexation occurs.

A letter to the county from Dexter village manager Donna Dettling states that the annexation request – for a 16.66-acre property – was made by the property owner, … [Full Story]

A range of infrastructure projects totaling about $5 million are being proposed for Washtenaw County government facilities, including redeveloping the Platt Road site where the old juvenile center was located. The county board of commissioners gave initial approval to the overall proposal – called the “strategic space plan” – at its June 5, 2013 meeting. A final vote is expected on July 10.

Projects include:

• Demolish the former juvenile center and explore redeveloping the site at 2260 and 2270 Platt Road for affordable housing, alternative energy solutions, and county offices.
• At 200 N. Main in Ann Arbor, consolidate the land records from the building’s lower level to the 1st floor, and remodel the lower level to accommodate administrative offices.
• At 220 N. Main in … [Full Story]
  

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board has re-adopted its FY 2014 budget, after it was approved, with changes, by the city council on May 20, 2013. The DDA board action came on June 5, 2013.

The decision came over dissent from two board members – John Mouat and Sandi Smith, who perceived the city council’s changes to the budget as arbitrary. They criticized the process – which is set forth by the state’s enabling legislation for downtown development authorities.

During the council’s debate on the city’s budget, of which the DDA is a component unit, councilmembers had argued about how to handle the additional tax increment finance (TIF) revenue that will be captured by the DDA this year. In the … [Full Story]

The Varsity, a residential high-rise building at 425 E. Washington St. in downtown Ann Arbor, has been granted the right to purchase five additional monthly parking permits in the public parking system, bringing its total to seven.

The right to purchase monthly parking permits – under the city’s “contribution in lieu” program – is administered by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. The action came at the DDA board’s June 5, 2013 meeting.

The DDA had previously approved two permits for The Varsity, which is a 13-story, 173-unit, 178,380-square-foot apartment building for approximately 418 people. Construction is nearing completion, with plans to open by the fall.

The project needs to provide a total of 76 parking spaces. That parking is required in … [Full Story]

The University of Michigan Hospital is holding a contest to name the four peregrine falcon chicks that were born recently on the hospital’s roof. A similar contest for last year’s brood yielded these names: Lloyd, Bo, Fritz and Yost. [Source]

An article about the May 20, 2013 Ann Arbor city council meeting mischaracterized Ellen Rabinowitz’s role with the Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI). Rabinowitz, who is executive director of the Washtenaw Health Plan, is not WHI’s co-chair. She is chair of a WHI work group on Community Outreach and Dental Services, and co-chairs the Medicaid Outreach and Enrollment work group. We note the error here, and have corrected the original article.

The city of Ypsilanti’s membership in the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority has been approved by the city of Ann Arbor in action taken by the Ann Arbor city council on June 3, 2013.

The specific action taken by the council was to approve changes to AATA’s articles of incorporation. The AATA itself and the Ypsilanti city council will also need to approve the document. Given the unanimous vote of the Ypsilanti city council requesting membership – and the AATA board’s generally positive response to the request – it’s expected those two bodies will also vote to approve the revised articles of incorporation. [.pdf of proposed AAATA articles of incorporation][.pdf of existing AATA articles of incorporation]

Ypsilanti’s request for membership came in … [Full Story]

The Ann Arbor city council has taken the final step toward changing the city’s public art ordinance, so that capital improvement projects are no longer required to set aside 1% of their budgets for public art. The action eliminating the Percent for Art approach came on June 3, 2013. The council had given initial approval to the ordinance change at its May 13, 2013 session.

In separate action, the council also voted to return to its funds of origin some of the money that had previously been set aside for public art.

The main change to the ordinance is to eliminate any reference to a specific percentage for art in a capital project budget. Also, art funds would not be pooled … [Full Story]

The Ann Arbor city council has taken steps to convert the city’s public housing stock to a public/private system in a effort to address a roughly $520,000 deficit in capital improvements funding each year for the next 15 years. Key among those steps was a transfer of ownership from the city of Ann Arbor to the Ann Arbor Housing Commission, which currently manages but does not own the 355 units of public housing in the city.

The action came at the council’s June 3, 2013 meeting. AAHC executive director Jennifer Hall had briefed the council on the issue at a Feb. 11, 2013 work session.

At its June 3 meeting, the council approved a total of four resolutions affecting the AAHC. … [Full Story]

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority has now been encouraged through a formal resolution of the city council to consider paying for three police officers to be assigned to the downtown. The total annual cost would be about $270,000.

The council’s action came at its June 3, 2013 meeting, two weeks after the council set its FY 2014 budget – during a May 20, 2013 debate that ultimately rejected funding for three additional police officers. The proposed budget amendment, which failed on a 5-6 vote, had been brought forward by Jane Lumm (Ward 2). The amendment would have reduced the budget of the 15th District Court by $270,000.

The resolution on June 3 was brought forward by Lumm and Sumi Kailasapathy … [Full Story]

A “sidewalk” could mean something different in Ann Arbor if the city council eventually gives final approval to change that definition. Initial approval of the change came at the council’s June 3, 2013 meeting.

The new definition of “sidewalk” would expand the existing definition to include non-motorized paths that are [emphasis added] “designed particularly for pedestrian, bicycle, or other nonmotorized travel and that is constructed (1) in the public right of way or (2) within or upon an easement or strip of land taken or accepted by the city or dedicated to and accepted by the city for public use by pedestrians, bicycles, or other nonmotorized travel, …”

When the ordinance change comes to the council for a second and final approval, … [Full Story]

A roof replacement has been approved for the city of Ann Arbor’s Mack indoor pool, located within the Ann Arbor Open school near the corner of Miller and Brooks. The action came at the city council’s June 3, 2013 meeting.

At its May 21, 2013 meeting, the Ann Arbor park advisory commission had recommended awarding a contract to Pranam GlobalTech Inc. for $193,000 to cover the roof replacement and painting refurbishment. A 10% construction contingency brings the project’s budget to $212,300.

Pranam provided the lowest of two bids. The other bidder was Wm. Molnar Roofing Co. Inc., which bid $271,319 for the work. Pranam was previously selected to replace the roof at Veterans Memorial Park Ice Arena. The contract … [Full Story]

An amendment to the city of Ann Arbor’s pension ordinance has been given final approval by the city council. The change would potentially affect a single person – a former city dispatcher.

When dispatch operations for the city were contracted out to the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office, the pension benefit change was negotiated as part of the consolidation with the Ann Arbor Police Officers Association, which represented the city dispatchers. The amendment allows a former dispatcher to collect city pension benefits at the same time they would have if they’d remained employees with the city.

The action came at the council’s June 3, 2013 meeting.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at … [Full Story]