Ped Safety Task Force: Deadline Now Dec. 16

The deadline to apply for an appointment to an Ann Arbor pedestrian safety task force has been extended until Dec. 16, 2013. Appointments are now scheduled to take place at the council’s Jan. 6, 2014 meeting. [.pdf of standard city board and commission task force application]

Action to extend the deadline took place at a special meeting of the city council at 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9. The initial purpose of the special meeting was to hold a closed session on written attorney-client privileged communication and land acquisition. The item extending the task force deadline was added later.

The council voted to establish the pedestrian safety task force on Nov. 18, 2013. The pedestrian safety task force would consist of nine residents, including “representatives from organizations that address the needs of school-aged youth, senior citizens, pedestrian safety, and people with mobility impairments.” The original deadline for applications was Dec. 2, with the council originally expected to appoint the task force members on Dec. 16.

The task force is supposed to deliver a report by February 2015. That report would include recommendations for “improvements in the development and application of the Complete Streets model, using best practices, sound data and objective analysis.”

To add the item extending the task force deadline, the council needed a unanimous vote of all councilmembers under the city charter. The charter reads in relevant part: “Except by unanimous consent of all members of the Council, a matter shall not be acted upon at any special meeting unless it has been included in the notice of the meeting.” The council met that requirement.