Comments on: Transit Group Adopts New Name, Work Plan

By: John Floyd

John Floyd — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 04:48:56 +0000

it’s unfortunate that we have a public agency whose acronym – AAATA – looks like a typo.

By: Mark Koroi

Mark Koroi — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 01:05:40 +0000

The AATA for a second meeting has failed to mention the AATA settlement with the ACLU and Blaine Coleman which made national news. Previously, when the lawsuit was discussed in closed session, the fact it was bieng discussed was reported in the press. Also, on June 27, 2013, the Washtenaw County Legal News published a Jo Mathis interview of of AATA defense attorney Kate Klaus: "Asked and Answered: Kathleen Klaus on AATA Advertisement Cases"; see [link] On July 25, 2013, the Arab-American News published a Samer Hijazi interview of ACLU counsel Dan Korobkin: "Ann Arbor Transit System Bans Political Messages on Buses, After Rejecting Anti-Israel Ad"; see: [link] The Hijazi interview confirms payment to the ACLU by the AATA.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 22:58:17 +0000

As I commented at the PDC meeting, the City of Ypsilanti brought a charter millage with it into the AAATA. (That millage had been used to pay the cost of the POSA for service into the city. Later, the amount raised by the millage became inadequate to pay the POSA, and in addition, a new service level was introduced for Route 4 that the city could not pay for. That service is now being supported in part by Ann Arbor millage proceeds.) (The amount budgeted as POSA payments for the City of Ypsilanti has now been moved into a column of millage proceeds for budget purposes.)

If Ypsilanti Township petitions to be added to the AAATA, will it also ask its voters to approve a charter millage? Currently their general fund pays for a POSA, but as members of the authority they would no longer pay a POSA. From remarks made by Karen Lovejoy Roe at urban core meetings, she was contemplating that her voters might approve a 0.5 mill levy for the overall authority and that this would replace the general fund POSA charge. But what is now being discussed is an authority-wide millage to pay for the current expanded authority. Both the City of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor voters would (will?) be asked to pay an additional millage, over and above their current charter millages.

In my opinion, more discussion is needed as to criteria and requirements for additional members of the AAATA. It does not appear equitable to me that new members should be added and excused from POSA payments without bringing additional revenue into the authority as well. Otherwise the balance will be made up from existing millage payers.

Also, if the authority-wide millage does not pass, how will that be reconciled with demands for additional service, not covered by POSAs?