Ypsilanti Township in AAATA on 11-0 Vote

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Ypsilanti Township is now a member of Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, as a result of Ann Arbor city council action taken on Nov. 18, 2013. The change to the articles of incorporation of the AAATA increases the board membership from 9 to 10 members so that the township can appoint a member. The council had postponed the decision at its Oct. 21, 2013 meeting.

Ypsilanti Township is now a member of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, pending consideration by the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti city councils.

Ypsilanti Township is now a member of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. (Solid green indicates the geographic area included by the AAATA.)

The vote to admit Ypsilanti Township as a member was unanimous, and followed a lengthy discussion. AAATA CEO Michael Ford and Karen Lovejoy Roe, the township’s clerk, were on hand to answer questions from councilmembers prior to the vote.

At its Sept. 26, 2013 meeting, the AAATA board already approved the membership of Ypsilanti Township. That action was contingent on approval by the Ann Arbor city council.

An earlier expansion in membership was given final approval by the AAATA board at its June 20, 2013 meeting. That’s when the city of Ypsilanti was admitted as a member of the AAATA and its board was increased from seven to nine members, one of whom is appointed by the city of Ypsilanti. The name of the authority was also changed at that time to add the word “area” – making it the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. [Amendment 3 of the AAATA articles of incorporation]

The expansion of the AAATA’s geographic footprint to include some jurisdictions geographically close to the city of Ann Arbor – and with whom the AAATA has historically had purchase-of-service agreements (POSAs) – would set the stage for a possible request of voters in the expanded geographic area to approve additional transportation funding to pay for increased service frequencies and times.

The AAATA could place a millage request on the ballot in May 2014, probably at the level of 0.7 mills, to support a 5-year service improvement plan that the AAATA has developed. AAATA had held a series of public meetings to introduce that plan, which ran through mid-November.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]