Other board officers elected included John Mouat as vice chair, Keith Orr as secretary, and Roger Hewitt as treasurer.

One of Smith’s first challenges leading the board will be to resolve an outstanding issue over the way the DDA administers Chapter 7 of the city code of Ann Arbor – which regulates the DDA’s tax increment finance (TIF) capture. An effort led by Ann Arbor city councilmember Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) – which has taken different forms over the last year and a half – culminated earlier this spring in initial approval by the council of a revision to Chapter 7. The council’s action, if given final approval, would prevent the DDA from giving the code an interpretation that doesn’t recognize a cap on TIF revenue expressed in Chapter 7. The amendment to the ordinance would return several hundred thousand dollars a year to the other taxing authorities from which the DDA captures taxes. Those entities include the Ann Arbor District Library, Washtenaw Community College, Washtenaw County and the city of Ann Arbor.

The council has postponed final action on the matter until Sept. 3, 2013. Between now and then, the council’s expectation is that a joint DDA-council committee will meet and make recommendations on the Chapter 7 issue.

At its July 1 meeting, the city council appointed four members to its committee: Christopher Taylor (Ward 3), Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3), Jane Lumm (Ward 2) and Sally Petersen (Ward 2). And two days later, on July 3, outgoing DDA board chair Leah Gunn appointed Bob Guenzel, Roger Hewitt, Joan Lowenstein and Sandi Smith to the DDA’s committee.

Gunn’s current term on the DDA board expires on July 31 this year.

At the board’s July 3 meeting, the board bid farewell to Gunn and Newcombe Clark, whose term is also expiring at the end of July. First appointed in 2009, Clark served one four-year term. He’s making an employment-related move to Chicago.

Gunn served for nearly 22 years on the board starting in 1991. In 2011 she announced she would not to seek re-election in 2012 to a seat on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners. She had first been elected as a county commissioner in 1996. After redistricting of the county board seats, she decided to support fellow Democrat Yousef Rabhi, who was re-elected and now serves as chair of the Washtenaw County board. In her professional life Gunn served as a librarian in the University of Michigan graduate and law libraries.

The second term for Russ Collins is set to expire on July 31, with those of Gunn and Clark. However, Collins was nominated at the city council’s July 1 meeting by mayor John Hieftje for reappointment to the DDA board.

This brief was filed from the DDA offices at 150 S. Fifth Ave., Suite 301 where the DDA board holds its meetings. A more detailed report of the meeting will follow: [link]

Other board positions were also filled: vice president,  Christine Stead; secretary, Andy Thomas; and treasurer, Glenn Nelson. Mexicotte reappointed Simone Lightfoot as parliamentarian.

The length of term for the board officer positions is a year – from the board’s organizational meeting to the following year’s board organizational meeting, which is always the first meeting of the year.

This brief was filed from the board room of the Ann Arbor District Library in downtown Ann Arbor at Fifth and William. A more detailed report of the meeting will follow: [link]

Declan LaBarre, son of Andy and Megan LaBarre, was the youngest of many family members who attended the Jan. 2, 2013 meeting of the Washtenaw County board of commissioners to watch the new board get sworn in. Andy LaBarre is the newest Ann Arbor commissioner, elected on Nov. 6 to represent District 7. (Photos by the writer.)

After the swearing-in of commissioners – a ceremony officiated by county clerk Larry Kestenbaum – the two main agenda items were the election of board officers, and approval of revised board rules and regulations.

Two of the four new board officers are from Ann Arbor: Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8), who was elected chair of the board on an 8-1 vote, with Dan Smith (R-District 2) dissenting, and Andy LaBarre (D-District 7), who was unanimously elected chair of the board’s working sessions.

In explaining his vote against Rabhi later in the meeting, Dan Smith cited the previous tradition of rotating the chair position between Ann Arbor representatives and commissioners from the out-county area, to ensure that all voices are well-represented in all aspects of county business. Smith’s district covers some of the county’s more rural townships, including the townships of Webster, Northfield, Salem. The chair for the previous two years, Conan Smith (D-District 9), is also from Ann Arbor.

Dan Smith said it was especially troubling to have another Ann Arbor chair because Ann Arbor districts have declined proportionately to the rest of the districts – decreasing from four districts on an 11-district board to three districts on a 9-district board, because of redistricting.

Responding to those concerns, Conan Smith said he never liked the tradition of rotating chairs on the board, and felt they should choose the right person for the times. Rabhi said he hoped to set a tone of collaboration and cooperation, and looked forward to working with Dan Smith and other commissioners to help achieve their goals for the county.

Also elected were Alicia Ping of Saline (R-District 3) as vice chair and Felicia Brabec of Pittsfield Township (D-District 4) as chair of the board’s ways & means committee. Dan Smith also dissented on the election of Brabec.

The first meeting of each year includes a review of the rules and regulations that govern the board’s actions. The major change, on a 5-4 vote, was to remove the ability of a commissioner to abstain from a vote. The amendment to strike the rule was put forward by Conan Smith. Others voting in favor of the deletion were Kent Martinez-Kratz (D-District 1), Felicia Brabec (D-District 4), Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5), and Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8).

The question of abstaining from votes typically relates to resolutions on state or federal issues, over which the county board has no control. This year, the county board already appears to be moving to weigh in on at least one state-level issue. The board called a special working session for Jan. 3 to discuss the state’s new “right to work” law, which was passed during the legislature’s lame duck session late last year and signed into law by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. That meeting will be covered in a separate Chronicle report.

The Jan. 2 board meeting also included an update on negotiations about the county’s contract with the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV). The agreement, which hasn’t  yet been finalized, would pay HSHV $550,000 annually to provide animal control services to the county over four years. Of that, $460,000 would come from the county’s general fund. The remaining amount would be paid through contracts with other municipalities that have animal control ordinances: the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and the townships of Pittsfield, Superior and Ypsilanti. County administrator Verna McDaniel said she’s already had discussions with those entities, as well as with the city of Saline.

Some commissioners expressed concerns about the Humane Society contract. Rolland Sizemore Jr. objected to HSHV receiving amounts over $550,000 if new revenue is brought in – because he felt the revenue should come back to the county instead. Ronnie Peterson worried about the additional financial burden that just a few municipalities would bear, and wanted to see every municipality help pay for animal control services. The new contract with HSHV is expected to be finalized later this month, and does not require board approval.

Swearing In and Officer Elections

Because the new board had not yet been sworn in following the end of the 2012 terms, the Jan. 2 meeting was convened by county clerk Larry Kestenbaum. He began by noting his own experiences on county boards during a transition in the number of commissioners. When he was first elected to the board of commissioners in Ingham County – where the cities of Lansing and East Lansing are located – it was just decreasing in size from 21 commissioners to 20. Kestenbaum also was on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners in 2000 when redistricting reduced the number of seats from 15 to 11. [He decided not to run again for county commissioner, rather than compete against the other incumbent Democrat in that redrawn district – Leah Gunn. He then ran for county clerk in 2004, and was re-elected in 2008 and 2012.]

Washtenaw County clerk Larry Kestenbaum holds a meat tenderizer that was serving as a gavel during the Jan. 2 county board meeting. Outgoing chair Conan Smith brought the gavel as a joke for Yousef Rabhi, who was elected chair later in the meeting.

Kestenbaum was highlighting these transitions because the new county board has just nine districts, down from the 11 over the last decade. Kestenbaum was chair of a five-member Washtenaw County apportionment commission, which in May 2011 adopted the new redistricting plan. The change included a decrease in the number of Ann Arbor districts from four to three, and put incumbents Alicia Ping, a Republican, and Democrat Wes Prater into the same district – the new District 3, covering south and southwestern Washtenaw County, including the city of Saline. Ping, a former Saline city councilmember, won the Nov. 6 race against Prater.

Redistricting occurs every 10 years, based on population changes determined by the U.S. census. This is the fewest number of districts on the county board since the 1980s.

At the Jan. 2 meeting, Kestenbaum said that the former commissioners would be missed, and that changing even a few people on the board would create a different chemistry. Of the nine commissioners, all but two – Kent Martinez-Kratz (D-District 1) and Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) – are incumbents. The other commissioners are Dan Smith (R-District 2), Alicia Ping (R-District 3), Felicia Brabec (D-District 4), Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5), Ronnie Peterson (D-District 6), Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) and Conan Smith (D-District 9).

Kestenbaum implored the board to consider that the work product of the entire body is more important than their individual political gain. He asked them to consider scoring points for the county and the general public, rather than for themselves or their colleagues.

Kestenbaum then read the oath of office: “Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Michigan, and that you will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the Board of Commissioners in and for the County of Washtenaw, State of Michigan, according to the best of your ability.” Commissioners responded: “I do.”

After the swearing-in ceremony, commissioners introduced their family and friends who were attending. Also in the audience was former commissioner Barbara Bergman – and she was introduced by Rabhi as his “second mom.”

Officer Elections: Rabhi Chosen As Board Chair

Later in the meeting, the board also elected its officers for the coming year. Negotiations for these positions occurs privately in the weeks or even months before the actual officer elections are held, and in recent years there has not been more than one person nominated for each leadership role. This year, four positions were elected: Board chair and vice chair, and chairs for the board’s ways & means committee and working sessions. In past years, there were also vice chairs for ways & means and the working sessions, but those roles were eliminated this year.

As anticipated, Rabhi was elected as the new chair of the board, replacing fellow Ann Arbor resident Conan Smith, who has served in that role for the past two years. [Commissioners are elected by the general public to two-year terms.] Rabhi, who was chair of the board’s working session in 2011 and 2012, had announced last year his intent to run for the board chair. Although there was no previous substantive discussion about Rabhi’s candidacy, Smith referred to Rabhi as the “chair elect” in an announcement last month regarding a selection panel for the regional transit authority board appointments, and in subsequent communications had indicated an assumption that Rabhi would be the next chair.

At the Jan. 2 meeting, Conan Smith nominated Rabhi as chair, stating: “I rise from the new 9th district – the strongest, largest, most handsome, most prosperous place in Washtenaw County, and the most educated. And as the wisest in the county, we seek leadership that is kind, just, caring – the kind of leadership that can help us all as individuals succeed as a group, the kind of leadership that can keep our tempers even and keep our spirits high. It is my great honor to nominate for the chair of Washtenaw County commission [sic], Mr. Yousef Rabhi.”

Rabhi received a round of applause, and there were no other nominations.

Outcome: Yousef Rabhi was elected as board chair on an  8-1 vote, with dissent by Dan Smith.

Rabhi thanked commissioners for putting their faith in him to lead the board. “We have some tough issues ahead of us,” he said. “But I think by working all together, we can make some real positive change in this community.”

Also nominated were Alicia Ping as board vice chair, Felicia Brabec as chair of the board’s ways & means committee, and Andy LaBarre as chair of the working sessions. There were no competing nominations for these positions.

Outcome: Alicia Ping and Andy LaBarre were unanimously elected board vice chair and chair of the working sessions, respectively. Felicia Brabec was elected chair of the ways & means committee on an 8-1 vote, with Dan Smith  dissenting.

Officer elections are held each January. However, it’s been the board’s custom to elect commissioners to the same leadership roles for two consecutive years, starting with the first year of their two-year terms. So it’s likely that these officers will serve in 2013 and 2014.

From left: Washtenaw County commissioners Dan Smith (R-District 2) and Kent Martinez-Kratz (D-District 1) take the oath of office on Jan. 2, 2013.

Near the end of the meeting, Dan Smith explained his rationale for voting no. The board has several long-standing traditions that have served all areas of the county – rural and urban – very well, he said. One of those traditions is to ensure that all voices are well-represented in all aspects of county business. And part of that tradition is to alternate the chairship between Ann Arbor commissioners and commissioners from the out-county area. The board didn’t do that this year, he noted.

Smith said it was especially troubling to have another Ann Arbor chair because Ann Arbor districts have declined proportionately to the rest of the districts. Previously, there were four Ann Arbor districts on the 11-district board. Now there are three Ann Arbor districts out of nine total districts. Having another Ann Arbor chair makes it “much more difficult to see a benefit to the many rural areas of the county – the 20 different townships that are scattered throughout the county.”

Smith said it’s also troubling when there’s a collection of three chairs and a vice chair who can get together on their own and discuss county business, because four out of nine commissioners does not constitute a quorum. Previously, the leadership structure of three chairs and three vice chairs prevented the six from gathering separately, he said, because six members of the 11-member board represented a quorum. [Under Michigan's Open Meetings Act, meetings with a quorum must be open to the public.]

Smith observed that there’s nothing illegal about the four board officers getting together on their own, but “it creates a perception that I think is a bit troubling.” He said he wasn’t faulting the officers who had been elected that evening – he had nothing ill against them. But for people who are looking at it from a distance, there might be the perception that things are awry.

He again stated that he was sure everything would be conducted above board – it was simply a matter of perception. “So it’s disappointing to me that we’re starting out a new year and a new board with breaking some of these traditions.” Noting that there’s another tough budget to face with a significant shortfall, Smith said he was hopeful the board could face these challenges together “despite this rough start to the year.”

Conan Smith responded, saying he had a different perspective. He never liked the tradition of de facto rotating chairs on the board. He felt it was better to evaluate the quality of the board’s leadership against the times they were in, and pick people that the board felt would address the issues of the moment. “Really, that’s the appropriate way for this board to work,” he said.

Rabhi represents someone who’s particularly well-suited for the time, Smith contended, adding that it is a smaller board with a lot of new people. Smith told Rabhi: “You’ve been an excellent consensus builder during your two years on the board already, and I think you’re the kind of person that should be the chair.” [Regarding the number of new commissioners, seven of the nine commissioners are incumbents. There are only two newly elected commissioners – Andy LaBarre and Kent Martinez-Kratz. Three of the incumbents – Dan Smith, Alicia Ping and Yousef Rabhi – were elected to their first terms in 2010. Felicia Brabec was appointed in October of 2011 to fill a vacancy left by resigning commissioner Kristin Judge. The board's longest-serving members are Ronnie Peterson of Ypsilanti and Rolland Sizemore Jr. of Ypsilanti Township, who were both first elected in 2000. Conan Smith was first elected in 2004.]

Prior to the start of their Jan. 2, 2013 meeting, the new nine-member Washtenaw County board of commissioners posed for their official group photo, taken by Anne Keesor of Anne Keesor Photography. This photo was taken while commissioners were getting ready for Keesor’s shot. From left, standing: Conan Smith, Kent Martinez-Kratz, Dan Smith. Middle row: Alicia Ping, Rolland Sizemore Jr. Front row: Andy LaBarre, Yousef Rabhi, Felicia Brabec, Ronnie Peterson.

Even though they shared a common city and a friendship, Conan Smith said he didn’t support Rabhi because Rabhi was from Ann Arbor. If Rabhi wasn’t the right person for the job, “I’d support somebody else – and I think that’s the way we ought to be making decisions on board leadership.”

As for the issue about a quorum, Conan Smith said that what actually happened in the past four years while he was board chair is that the three chairs would get together separately – they wouldn’t meet with the vice chairs. Because of that, people who were elected as leadership were exempted from important conversations, he said, and that’s more of a problem.

The way that the leadership is structured now, he said, allows the three chairs and vice chair to meet, to set the direction of the board, to consider the variety of issues that are in front of them, and to bring those issues back to the board. The leadership isn’t empowered to make decisions on behalf of the board, but he expects the leadership team to regularly meet and to work with county administration. “In order to do that, sometimes you need to be able to meet off-line,” Smith said. “That is, frankly, an important consideration when trying to lead a board through complex and possibly contentious issues.”

Rabhi spoke next, saying that some people might perceive Dan Smith’s vote and comments as something personal against him. “Despite commissioner Dan Smith’s concerns of myself being chair, I intend to work with each and every commissioner to move this county forward,” Rabhi said. “That’s really the tone that I will set this year – a tone of collaboration and cooperation, because we all bring different sets of experiences to the table, and we all come from different backgrounds. And that’s a strength, not a weakness.”

Officer Elections: Compensation

Based on increases to compensation that were approved by the board at its Dec. 2, 2012 meeting, the three chairs – Rabhi, Brabec and LaBarre – will each earn a base salary of $18,750. That’s $3,000 more than other commissioners. None of the positions are considered to be full-time jobs.

Also starting this year, commissioners will receive stipend payments based on the number of meetings that a commissioner is likely to attend for a particular appointment. One or two meetings per year would pay $50, three or four meetings would pay $100, and the amounts increase based on the number of meetings. Each commissioner typically has several appointments, so the new system will likely add several hundred dollars to their compensation. Commissioners will be able to waive their stipends by giving written notice to the county clerk. In the past, commissioners were eligible for per diem payments for attending certain meetings, but had to file for those payments after the fact. The stipend payments will be made automatically.

Appointments to various boards, commissions and committees will be made at a future meeting. Rabhi has announced his intent to hold an appointments caucus in order to determine preferences for those appointments.

Revised Board Rules & Regulations

As part of the standard first-meeting-of-the-year action, commissioners discussed a revised set of board rules and regulations that are intended to govern their actions, meetings and other governance issues. [.pdf of revised board rules & regulations, with changes tracked. The document does not reflect amendments made at the Jan. 2, 2013 meeting.]

Commissioners suggested revisions to board chair Yousef Rabhi prior to Jan. 2 meeting, and he reviewed those changes during the meeting. This report highlights some of the main changes.

Revised Board Rules & Regulations: Compensation

At the board’s Dec. 5, 2012 meeting, commissioners approved several changes to their compensation. Those changes included increasing their base salaries from $15,500 to $15,750 annually, paying all three chairs an extra $3,000, replacing per diem payments with stipend payments – which will result in at least several hundred dollars of additional compensation each year – and eliminating the $3,550 flex accounts from which commissioners previously drew their per diem, travel and other expenses.

The board rules and regulations were revised to reflect those changes.

The stipends are based on the number of boards, committees and commissions on which a commissioner serves, and the number of meetings that commissioners are expected to attend. Stipend payments range from $50 per year for groups that meet only 1-2 times annually, up to $1,000 for groups that meet more than 24 times. There are 45 boards, committees and commissions to which commissioners are appointed.

Dan Smith pointed out that the changes to the rules and regulations eliminate the previous $3,550 spending cap that had been associated with each commissioner’s flex account. Now, there is no cap. However, “given the entirety of the rules and the other changes, I’m satisfied with them as they are currently drafted and presented,” he said.

Revised Board Rules & Regulations: Abstaining

A year ago, Dan Smith (R-District 2) successfully convinced a majority of commissioners to add to the board rules the ability to abstain from certain types of votes. The rule, added in February 2012, stated: “Commissioners may abstain from voting on resolutions that express support or opposition and otherwise take no action.” The question of abstaining from votes has related primarily to resolutions on state or federal issues, over which the county board has no control.

Dan Smith’s proposal had occurred in the wake of the board’s final meeting in December 2011, when Yousef Rabhi – a Democrat from Ann Arbor – brought forward a resolution urging state lawmakers to reject HB 4770, HB 4771 and “any legislation that codifies discrimination.” That state legislation, which was later signed by Gov. Rick Snyder, removed the ability to extend benefits to same-sex partners. During deliberations on that resolution, Smith and Rob Turner, another Republican commissioner who is no longer on the board, had objected to bringing forward resolutions that were not focused on Washtenaw County issues. They wanted the ability to abstain from voting on such resolutions.

Conan Smith (D-District 9).

At the Jan. 2, 2013 meeting, Conan Smith (D-District 9) proposed an amendment to delete the rule that allowed commissioners to abstain. After an extended silence, no other commissioner seconded the motion and Rabhi, the new board chair, declared the motion dead for lack of a second.

Rabhi then asked for any other comments on the rules and regulations. At this point, Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5) asked if the board had changed the rule regarding a commissioner’s obligation to vote. Rabhi noted that Conan Smith had just made a motion about that, but nobody had seconded it. He asked Sizemore whether Sizemore wanted to second the motion.

Sizemore asked Smith to restate his motion. Smith explained that he wanted to delete the section that “allows a commissioner not to vote.” His feeling was that when there’s an issue before the board, “the citizens expect you to say yes or no on something, and you should do that.” The board had an experiment with the abstention process, he said, and “I didn’t like the way it worked out. I think it would be better if we just had to vote.”

Rabhi then allowed Sizemore to second the motion.

Dan Smith spoke next, saying he had hoped this amendment “would go away.” He noted that he had done some research and could find only three times during the past year when he had abstained from voting. The first time was on April 4, 2012 regarding a resolution that asked state legislators to halt any bills that would eliminate the state’s personal property tax. “The resolution made some extremely broad statements in it,” he said. Rather than getting into a lengthy discussion and picking at the wording of the resolution, he said he simply abstained.

The second time was on May 2, 2012, on a resolution that expressed support for the U.S. Clean Air Act. Smith noted that it’s a complex piece of federal legislation that has many different ramifications and impacts. That’s why we send representatives and senators to Washington to sort out those issues, he said. The third time was on Sept. 5, 2012, regarding a resolution urging the city of Ann Arbor to use the proceeds from the sale of city-owned land to support affordable housing. He didn’t feel that it’s the county board’s place to direct another municipality on how to use its proceeds.

He noted that he’d spent more time now explaining his reasons for abstaining than the time he’d taken over the course of the year on these items. He felt the rule should remain unchanged.

Sizemore responded, saying that commissioners represent the residents of this county. They were elected to make a stand, “one way or the other,” he said, regardless of whether the issue was local, state or federal.

Conan Smith said that while he believed the commissioners shouldn’t be abstaining, he agreed with Dan Smith that some of the resolutions aren’t germane to county business and don’t affect the county’s budget or operations. It’s important to be hyper-vigilant about those kinds of things coming before the board, he said, because commissioners often don’t take the time to really understand the complexity of the issues. But when there are issues of direct import to county business, he said – if the state legislature or Congress are considering new laws and rules that could impact county operations – “it is important that commissioners make their stances on these things known.”

As an example, he cited the state’s 2011 legislation regarding domestic partner benefits. Washtenaw County was one of the first in the state to adopt benefits for domestic partners, he said, and it’s been a signature characteristic of the county. “Making sure that there’s an on-the-record stance about issues like that is relevant and important to our constituency.” He said if a resolution is not directly related to county business, he’d be one of the first people to ask the board to table it. But if it does affect the county, commissioners should vote on it, he concluded.

Outcome: The rule allowing a commissioner to abstain from a vote was amended out, on a 5-4 vote. Voting in favor of the deletion were Conan Smith (D-District 9), Kent Martinez-Kratz (D-District 1), Felicia Brabec (D-District 4), Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5), and Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8).

Revised Board Rules & Regulations: Committee Appointments

A new rule was proposed to be added to the section on board committees:

C. STATUTORY COMMITTEES AND BOARDS:

The Chair of the Board shall appoint and the Board shall confirm all individuals appointed to statutory committees and boards, except as otherwise directed by the laws of the State of Michigan.

Curt Hedger, the county’s corporation counsel, explained that this codifies the practice of the board, although it had not previously been written into the board rules and regulations.

Ronnie Peterson pointed out that although he couldn’t recall a nomination that wasn’t confirmed by the board, he felt the language “shall confirm” was too strong. All commissioners are equally elected, he observed, but this language gives the rest of the board no flexibility. He said it had nothing to do with the current chair, but he did not want to give any board chair a rubber stamp on their nominations.

Hedger recommended altering the phrase to “shall confirm by majority vote,” which was agreeable to Peterson and met with no objections from the rest of the board. There was no vote on this change.

Revised Board Rules & Regulations: Oversight of Chair in Directing County Employees

The section on board procedures includes a rule noting that ”Individual members of the Board of Commissioners do not have the authority to direct the work of County employees; only the Board as a collective body speaks for the County and provides policy direction to the County Administrator and employees.”

Another rule in that section addressed how violations of this rule would be handled. The item was revised to include language that clarifies how a violation by the board chair would be handled [added language in italics]:

Concerns with violations of this rule shall be addressed by the Chair of the Board of Commissioners, unless the alleged violation involves the Chair, in which case the matter will be brought to the attention of the County Administrator who shall work with Board leadership to resolve the issue.

Revised Board Rules & Regulations: Overall Vote

Outcome: The vote on approval of the overall board rules and regulations, as amended, was unanimous.

Humane Society Contract Update

Conan Smith asked county administrator Verna McDaniel for an update on the county’s contract with the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV).

From left: County administrator Verna McDaniel and Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8). He has not yet ended his fundraiser, which will result in cutting off his long hair to raise money for charity. That’s likely to happen later this month.

McDaniel said she felt the county had reached an agreement with HSHV, which would provide animal control to the county for $550,000 annually over four years. Of that, $460,000 would come from the county’s general fund. The remaining amount would be paid through contracts with other municipalities that have animal control ordinances: the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and the townships of Pittsfield, Superior and Ypsilanti. McDaniel said she’s already had discussions with those entities, as well as with the city of Saline. No formal contracts have yet been finalized, however.

McDaniel reported that she had been interviewed earlier in the day on this topic by Lucy Ann Lance on Lance’s radio talk show, which airs on WLBY AM-1290. [The interview is also available online.]

Curt Hedger, the county’s corporation counsel who has also been working on these negotiations, clarified that there has been no gap in service, even though HSHV’s previous contract with the county expired on Dec. 31. The two parties agreed to extend the current contract with a letter of intent, to serve as a stopgap until a new contract is finalized. That gave them more time to draft “a more meaty contract that will make sure we cover all the nuances,” he said.

Conan Smith thanked McDaniel and Hedger for handling the negotiations. He noted that last year, the board had discussed several options for raising revenues related to animal control. Saying he didn’t want to let up on pursuing those options, he asked Andy LaBarre, as the new chair of the working sessions, to consider adding those to future agendas. One option relates to civil infractions – setting up fines for residents who don’t buy licenses for their animals.

Felicia Brabec asked what would happen if other municipalities pay more, and the total amount is greater than $550,000 – would those extra revenues go to the county, or to HSHV? The Humane Society would get those extra revenues, McDaniel said.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. expressed some concern. He didn’t understand why additional money would be given to HSHV. Previously, he said, the board had been told that $500,000 was the amount that would be paid to HSHV – now it’s $550,000 over four years.

McDaniel noted that the county is obligated for no more than $500,000 – that’s all the county would pay, even if there were no other available revenues from other sources. That’s the amount that commissioners authorized the county to spend, in a vote taken at the board’s Nov. 7, 2012 meeting. McDaniel also said the county didn’t give up the revenues it might receive from a civil infractions ordinance.

The civil infractions ordinance was also approved by the board at the Nov. 7 meeting. It gives the county more flexibility to designate violations of other county ordinances as a civil infraction, rather than a criminal misdemeanor. [.pdf of ordinance] In the context of animal control, enforcement of the county’s dog licensing ordinance is low because the current penalty – a criminal misdemeanor of 90 days in jail or a $500 fine – is relatively harsh. The idea is that enforcement would improve if a lesser civil infraction could be used.

Sizemore said that his concern over a four-year contract is that the county will be negotiating a new contract with the unions that represent county employees. [Current union contracts end on Dec. 31, 2013.] His implication was that union negotiations would be more difficult if so much is being paid to HSHV.

McDaniel reported that the HSHV contract will include an out clause, allowing either the county or HSHV to get out of the contract after the first year.

Ronnie Peterson, whose district covers the Ypsilanti area, said he hoped that the contracts with other municipalities hadn’t been set in stone, and that the agreements would be brought to commissioners for review. Many of these communities are struggling financially, he noted, and now they would be faced with an additional burden. He hoped that the discussion about payments to HSHV would include all the communities in the county, not just those that had been mentioned.

The contentious debate about how to pay for mandated and non-mandated animal control services has been going on since 2011. For background in addition to the extended board discussion on Nov. 7, 2012, see Chronicle coverage: “Task Force: Negotiate with Humane Society,” ”Next Steps on Animal Control Policy,” “Work Continues on Animal Control Policy,” and ”Revenue Options Eyed for Animal Control.” More information related to this process is also posted on the county’s website.

Outcome: This was not a voting item.

Special Working Session on “Right to Work” Law

As newly elected chair of the board’s working sessions, Andy LaBarre proposed holding a special working session on Thursday, Jan. 3 to discuss how “right to work” legislation will affect the county. The legislation was passed by the lame duck state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder in mid-December.

Peggy Rabhi, the mother of commissioner Yousef Rabhi, talks with commissioner Andy LaBarre, who is holding his son Declan prior to the start of the county board’s Jan. 2 meeting.

In an email sent to commissioners and commissioners-elect on Dec. 30, Yousef Rabhi – who was elected board chair earlier at the Jan. 2 meeting – announced the intent to call a special session: “Second, there is a group of Commissioners (myself included) that wish to call a Special Working Session on January 3rd at 6:00 p.m. Technically, this could have been done last year as there was more than 1/3 of the Board that desired to call the meeting. However, Curt [Hedger, the county's corporation counsel] advised that it would be best to call the meeting from the floor of the BOC meeting. The meeting would be for the purpose of discussing the implications of the ‘Right to Work’ legislation on the County.”

The state law – supported by the Republican-controlled House and Senate and the Republican governor – made it illegal to require employees to financially support unions as a condition of their employment. It’s viewed by Democrats as a way to undercut support for labor organizations that have historically backed the Democratic Party. The legislation, which will take effect in March of 2013, received national attention. It followed a failed ballot initiative by labor to protect collective bargaining rights in the state Constitution. That effort – Proposal 12-2 – was not supported by a majority of voters in the Nov. 6 election. [links to Public Act 348 of 2012 and Public Act 349 of 2012]

The majority of the county government’s 1,321 employees are represented by labor unions. All but two of the nine county commissioners are Democrats. The Republican commissioners are Dan Smith (District 2) and Alicia Ping (District 3). During the Jan. 2 meeting, both Smith and Ping told their fellow commissioners that they were interested in focusing on how the county might be affected, both in terms of the county government employees as well as the impact on the local economy. However, both also indicated that they did not want the board to advocate for the repeal of the legislation – Ping characterized such an effort as “a big waste of time.”

LaBarre, an Ann Arbor Democrat, said the session was intended to be broad based, but could include a discussion about how the board would like to voice the sentiment of the county on this legislation.

Outcome: The board unanimously voted to hold a special working session on Jan. 3 to discuss the impact of right-to-work legislation.

The working session will be covered in a separate Chronicle report.

Resolutions of Appreciation

Alicia Ping, a former Saline city councilmember who represents District 3, brought forward two resolutions of appreciation for Saline officials: (1) Gretchen Driskell, who had served as Saline mayor for 14 years, and (2) Allan Grossman, who recently retired as Saline’s city attorney after 52 years of service. [.pdf of Driskell resolution] [.pdf of Grossman resolution]

Driskell, a Democrat, was elected on Nov. 6 to the state House of Representatives in District 52, defeating incumbent Republican Mark Ouimet, a former Washtenaw County commissioner. Ping is also a Republican.

Neither Driskell nor Grossman attended the Jan. 2 meeting.

Outcome: Without discussion, both resolutions of appreciation were passed unanimously.

Present: Felicia Brabec, Andy LaBarre, Kent Martinez-Kratz, Ronnie Peterson, Alicia Ping, Yousef Rabhi, Rolland Sizemore Jr., Conan Smith, Dan Smith.

Next regular board meeting: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at the county administration building, 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. The ways & means committee meets first, followed immediately by the regular board meeting. [Check Chronicle event listings to confirm date.] (Though the agenda states that the regular board meeting begins at 6:45 p.m., it usually starts much later – times vary depending on what’s on the agenda.) Public commentary is held at the beginning of each meeting, and no advance sign-up is required.

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Griffith is climate & energy program director for the Ecology Center. He has already served for six years on the board, and his current appointment lasts another four years. He was re-appointed to the board on May 2, 2011 to another five-year term after first being appointed on Sept. 19, 2006. Members of the current seven-member AATA board will likely become members of the new Washtenaw Ride countywide authority’s 15-member board – which is not yet incorporated.

But the AATA board has called a special meeting for Oct. 2, 2012 to make a formal request of Washtenaw County to file the articles of incorporation for the new authority – under Act 196 of 1986. The incorporation of the new authority has statutory as well as contractual implications.

On the statutory side – because the incorporation by Washtenaw County of a new transit authority will include by default all the jurisdictions in Washtenaw County – the filing of the articles opens a 30-day window for jurisdictions to opt out of the arrangement. That can be accomplished through a vote of a jurisdiction’s governing body.

The contractual side would already be reflected in the filing of the articles. That is, the request made by AATA to Washtenaw County to file the articles of incorporation would be handled under a four-party agreement – which was ratified earlier this year by the AATA, Washtenaw County, the city of Ann Arbor, and the city of Ypsilanti. That same contractual agreement would then govern the transition from the current AATA to The Washtenaw Ride. The transition would potentially not take place at all, unless a voter-approved funding source for the expanded services were identified by the end of 2014.

The AATA has indicated that a possible scenario is to ask voters in Washtenaw County to fund the new transit authority with a property tax of 0.584 mills – in an election that could come as early as May 2013. For a house worth $200,000, with a state-equalized value of $100,000, an 0.584 mill transit tax would cost that property owner about $58 per year. For an Ann Arbor resident with a $200,000 house, adding the 0.584 mill tax to the existing city transit tax of roughly 2 mills works out to a transportation tax burden of about $258 a year. Under the four-party agreement, the city of Ypsilanti’s transit tax would also be a part of The Washtenaw Ride’s funding.

The idea of putting a transit millage question before voters as early as May 2013 was not met with a universally positive reaction at a Sept. 25 meeting of Ann Arbor’s district advisory committee (DAC), which helps advise the as-yet-unincorporated authority. Tom Heywood, director of the State Street Area Association, feared that a millage would not pass if voted on that soon – because he thought there would not be adequate lead time to mount an effective millage campaign.

At the Sept. 25 meeting, DAC committee member Terri Blackmore, who’s executive director of the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study, was more sanguine than Heywood about the May 2013 timing. Also more positively inclined toward that timeframe was current AATA board chair Jesse Bernstein, whom Griffith is replacing as chair.

Bernstein has served the past two years as the board’s chair. His appointment to the board goes through May 1, 2013.

Other officers elected at the AATA board’s Sept. 27 meeting included David Nacht (treasurer) and Anya Dale (secretary). Determining membership on the planning and development committee and the performance monitoring and external relations committee was put off for the time being.

This brief was filed from the downtown location of the Ann Arbor District Library, where the AATA board holds its meetings. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Before the unanimous vote, Ilitch read a statement, highlighting her appreciation for UM president Mary Sue Coleman and each regent. She showed a short film that was produced by the student-run Filmic Productions, showing key campus events over the past year, including the January 2012 speech given on the Ann Arbor campus by U.S. president Barack Obama.

Ilitch also said she knew that tradition was important at UM, and she wanted to start a new one. She then presented a gavel to Deitch, telling him: “Do with it what you will.”

This brief was filed from the Michigan Union Ballroom on the Ann Arbor campus, where regents held their June meeting.

Celeste Choate, AADL associate director of services, collections and access, holds up a replica of a fossilized wooly mammoth tooth and a wooly mammoth model – items that are included in Science to Go kits available from the AADL. Choate was giving a presentation on the library's realia collections. (Photos by the writer.)

Among the most popular is AADL’s art print collection, which includes work by local artists, according to Celeste Choate, AADL associate director of services, collections and access. Meter readers to gauge the energy efficiency of home appliances and electronics are also popular.

Science to Go kits are the newest addition to AADL’s realia collection. Each kit focuses on a theme – prehistoric mammals, for example – and contains materials that include books, DVDs, Fandex educational cards, and objects like a replica of a fossilized wooly mammoth molar. The kits have only been available for about a month, but are all checked out, each with a long wait list. The realia collections are listed in “Unusual Stuff to Borrow” on AADL’s website.

Other agenda items for Monday’s meeting were less show and more tell. The board re-elected its current slate of officers for another year, with president Margaret Leary noting that the board faces several important decisions in the coming year – she indicated that continuity of leadership would help the board in that context. Though she did not mention it explicitly, Leary likely was alluding to plans discussed by the board in November to restart the process for determining the future of the AADL’s downtown location.

In a formal address at the start of Monday’s meeting, Leary reviewed the library’s accomplishments for 2011. Among other things, she mentioned the board’s decision to keep its millage rate down, while still balancing its budget. AADL’s millage rate for the current fiscal year is 1.55 mills – below the 1.92 mills that the district is authorized to levy. However, she cautioned that if the state eliminates the personal property tax and no replacement funding is found, the library would lose about $600,000 annually in revenues out of a $12 million budget.

Later in the meeting, the board was briefed by Eli Neiburger, AADL’s associate director of IT and product development, on a draft terms-of-use policy for the library’s website. The decision to develop the policy was driven in large part because of issues related to the library’s digitization of the former Ann Arbor News archives – AADL will be putting a lot of material online for which it doesn’t hold the copyright. The board is expected to vote on the policy at its Feb. 20 meeting.

Also at Monday’s meeting, the board voted to approve a two-year lease renewal with Westgate Enterprises LLC for the location of AADL’s branch at the Westgate Shopping Center, at Jackson and South Maple roads. The annual lease rate is $82,260, beginning Feb. 1.

Election of Officers & President’s Remarks

In the meeting’s first action item, the board re-elected its slate of officers for 2012. The board’s president for a second one-year term is Margaret Leary. Other officers re-elected were Prue Rosenthal (vice president), Barbara Murphy (treasurer) and Jan Barney Newman (secretary). There were no competing nominations, and all the votes were unanimous. Board member Rebecca Head was absent.

Following the election, Leary commented that it’s a good thing to have the same officers in place because the board faces important decisions in the coming year, and it’s nice to have a smooth transition. She indicated her preference to keep the committee membership unchanged as well, but asked board members to contact her if they’re interested in changing committee assignments.

Outcome: The board unanimously re-elected its previous slate of officers. Later, in a separate vote, the board also unanimously approved its 2012 schedule of meeting dates, and will continue to meet on the third Monday of each month.

Before the election, Leary addressed the board, saying it was important to pay attention to what the board and the library accomplished in 2011. She noted that in November, AADL received the Library Journal’s five-star rating for the fourth year, and was the only Michigan library to achieve five stars – the highest possible rating.

In October, board member Ed Surovell had received the Michigan Library Association’s Trustee Citation of Merit, Leary continued. It was awarded for his contributions in promoting library cooperation, working toward state legislation and funding that benefits libraries, and for outstanding work in developing local library services. She read from a statement issued by the MLA: ”One of his contributions has been to push his fellow trustees to break new ground architecturally and programmatically, and to understand the political, financial, historical, and strategic factors when considering a decision, whether the decision is large or small.”

Directing her comment to Surovell, Leary said: “Ed, I hope you’ll continue to push us in that direction.”

AADL board president Margaret Leary was re-elected to another term in that board office at the Jan. 16 meeting. In this photo, she's signing attendance sheets for local high school students who attended Monday's meeting.

Among other awards, Leary cited the four ADDYs for marketing and promotional materials that AADL received in 2011, including a gold award for materials related to AADL’s summer reading program. The awards are given by the Ann Arbor Ad Club.

Leary also highlighted the recognition of associate director Eli Neiburger, named by Library Journal as one of its 2011 Movers & Shakers, in the category of tech leaders.

The Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library have continued their generous support of AADL, Leary said, especially for the summer reading program. In May, the library and FAADL renewed the space use agreement that allows FAADL to operate a bookstore in the lower level of the downtown library building. In June, FAADL’s annual meeting was hosted at the site that the library leases for its digitization project of the former Ann Arbor News archives, she noted. And while the AADL and FAADL are separate organizations, they are building increasingly tight symbiotic relationships that benefit both groups, she said.

In July, Leary noted, AADL director Josie Parker addressed the Ann Arbor city council, a report that included data on the impact of the library’s Fifth Avenue location on the downtown. Parker will continue to participate in discussions at the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority regarding downtown development, Leary said. Parker’s involvement helps the AADL board understand those issues, she said, and Parker has a lot to contribute to the DDA discussions.

Leary listed several examples of AADL involvement in national and international projects during the year. Tim Grimes, AADL’s community relations and marketing manager, helped develop a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)-funded project titled “Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Worlds.” That effort resulted in AADL being selected as one of six libraries chosen to serve as focus groups for the project. Also, Grimes and Neiburger are advisors on another NEH-funded project: “From Bluegrass to Broadway: A Film History of America’s Popular Music.”

Parker was also involved in national and international projects. Leary cited Parker’s participation, by invitation, in a small working group that helped launch the Digital Public Library of America project. Parker was also invited to serve on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation‘s public access technology benchmarks program, and was asked to speak at the second UNESCO Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries, held in June 2011 in Milan, Italy with the theme “The Book Tomorrow: The Future of the Written Word.”

The board’s own education about library services continued during 2011, Leary said, with presentations from staff on eBooks in April, the Old News project in October, and the Play@AADL game in November.

Regarding the library’s finances, Leary said AADL continues to be a fiscal success – levying less of the millage than it’s authorized to use, running a balanced budget, and getting a clean audit. In May, the board adopted its $12 million budget for fiscal 2011-2012, which kept AADL’s millage rate unchanged at 1.55 mills – below the 1.92 mills that the district is authorized to levy.

Leary gave an example that she said showed how the library is remaining fiscally responsible and alert. In 2004, the library changed the vendor it uses to collect overdue fines. The library’s return on investment for that service is over $7 for every dollar it pays the collection company, she noted. Since 2004, about $600,000 in cash has been recovered, plus more than $100,000 in materials.

The year ended with the board approving labor agreements with two unions representing library staff, Leary reported.

Looking ahead, Leary pointed to the possibility that the state would eliminate the personal property tax, which she said would have a very negative effect on the library. If no replacement funding were found, eliminating the PPT would result in a loss of about $600,000 annually to AADL, she said – or about 5% of its budget.

Leary concluded her remarks by thanking Parker and her husband Robert Parker for their generous financial contribution to the library.[Responding to a follow-up query from The Chronicle, Parker indicated that the contribution – an undisclosed amount – was made in honor of the board and is designated for the Marcy Westerman Fund, which supports youth programs.]

Parker responded briefly, thanking the board on behalf of the administration and staff.

Westgate Lease Renewal

The board approved a two-year lease renewal with Westgate Enterprises LLC for the location of AADL’s branch at the Westgate Shopping Center, at Jackson and South Maple roads. The annual lease rate is $82,260, beginning Feb. 1. That’s unchanged from the current rate, according to AADL director Josie Parker. The new agreement also includes two one-year renewal options.

Known as the West Branch, the 5,900-square-foot library branch has been open there since 1977. It’s the only branch of AADL that operates in leased space.

Margaret Leary clarified with library staff that the lease renewal options mean that if both the owner and the library agree, the lease could remain in place at this rate for a total of four years. AADL director Josie Parker said this is the same agreement the library has had with Westgate for the previous two leasing periods.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the lease renewal at for the branch at Westgate.

Director’s Report

AADL director Josie Parker’s report focused on upcoming participation by library staff at professional events.

AADL director Josie Parker.

Erin Helmrich, a teen services librarian at AADL, is chair of the American Library Association committee that selects the Michael L. Printz award, given for excellence in young adult literature. It’s an award on par with the ALA’s Newbery Medal and Caldecott Medal awards, Parker said, and the selection committee is a prestigious group. Helmrich is traveling to Dallas this week for the award’s final selection process.

In February, Eli Neiburger – AADL’s associate director of IT and product development – will represent AADL and the U.S. at an upcoming conference in Australia, Parker said. He’ll be giving a presentation on information technology and digital access in public libraries. [Neiburger later clarified for The Chronicle that he'll be giving the talk at VALA, a group originally known as the Victorian Association for Library Automation, which is now an independent nonprofit that conducts tech education and support conferences. He'll also be speaking at the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney. Neiburger noted that expenses for these professional trips are paid for by the conference organizers, not AADL.]

In March, Celeste Choate  – associate director of services, collections and access – and DeAnn Doll, manager of human resources, will be speaking at the Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia. They’ll be on a panel about the development of the next generation of librarians, and talking about a partnership between AADL and the University of Michigan’s School of Information. The library recruits UM students twice a year to fill public library associate (PLA) positions.

Parker said she wanted the board to know that library staff are out there in many ways and many places.

Financial Report

Ken Nieman – AADL associate director of finance, HR and operations – noted that because the board didn’t meet in December, the Jan. 16 meeting packet included financial reports from both November and December. [The board held a special meeting on Dec. 8 to approve labor agreements, but canceled its regular Dec. 15 meeting.]

Nieman focused his brief report on the December financial statement. [.pdf of December 2011 financials] The library’s unrestricted cash balance was about $13 million, and AADL has received about 96% of its budgeted tax receipts. Three items that are over budget are expected to come back in line with the budget by the end of the fiscal year, he said. [AADL's fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30. The over-budget items are in communications, software licenses and postage.]

Nieman noted that $44,168 in the line item for grants/memorials reflects a donation from the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library.

Board members had no questions regarding the financial report.

Website Terms-of-Use Policy

Eli Neiburger, AADL’s associate director of IT and product development, briefed board members about a proposed website terms-of-use policy that the board is expected to vote on at its Feb. 20 meeting. [.pdf of draft terms-of-use policy]

AADL director Josie Parker introduced the topic by saying that the need for such a policy reflects the success of the library’s online services. She noted that the policy has been reviewed by the board’s policy committee and the library’s legal counsel.

Eli Neiburger, AADL associate director of IT and product development.

Neiburger described the policy as a fairly standard attribute of corporate websites. It defines the legal relationship between the website’s users and its owner, and is put in place in case there is any problem regarding the website’s use or content.

Users won’t need to click on an “Accept” button to agree to the terms. Recent case law has indicated that if a link to the terms-of-use policy is included in a website’s footer, by simply using the site you are agreeing to be bound by those terms, Neiburger said. The library retains the right to revise the terms, he noted – the document is not set in stone.

Neiburger briefly described the different sections included in the five-page document. The website privacy policy defers to the library’s existing general privacy policy. The content on the site is licensed under the Creative Commons license for non-commercial use. This means that most content is available to use for free for non-commercial purposes – such as educational, personal or research uses. Credit must be given to the library if content is used.

However, the site does include material that is protected by copyright – such as digitized content from the former Ann Arbor News archives. The AADL policy states that the onus is on the user to obtain permission from the copyright holder to use this kind of material.

Other sections of the policy cover guidelines for user-generated content; how copyright complaints will be handled; the policy for website registration, accounts and passwords; issues related to points awarded by the library for its summer reading game and other activities; spamming; external site links; termination of use; disclaimers; and indemnity.

Website Terms-of-Use Policy: Board Questions

Margaret Leary asked whether any aspects of the policy might be considered controversial or unique. Neiburger replied that it’s fairly unique for a library to put its website content into the Creative Commons, and that the item related to library points was also unique because the point-system approach is relatively unique. Also the fact that the policy is brief and clear is somewhat unusual, he said.

Leary asked whether it’s typical for a library to have this kind of policy. It’s typical for corporate sites and large libraries to have a terms-of-use policy, Neiburger said. The decision to develop one for AADL was driven in large part because of issues related to the library’s digitization of the former Ann Arbor News archives, he said, since AADL will be putting a lot of material online for which it doesn’t hold the copyright. Neiburger said that the policy being reviewed by the board differed only slightly from the draft that was prepared by the library’s legal counsel.

Jan Barney Newman, who chairs the board’s policy committee, said the committee was fascinated by the policy’s scope and felt it was important to “get ahead of the game” in implementing this kind of policy. The board anticipates voting on the policy at its Feb. 20 meeting.

AADL Realia Collections

AADL director Josie Parker introduced this agenda item by saying it was prompted by conversations regarding a recent Michigan Radio report on bicycle rentals, which indicated that AADL might start a bike-sharing program. In that context, she felt that the staff should share with the board the types of realia items that the library does circulate, adding “and we don’t circulate bicycles!”

The presentation was given by Celeste Choate, AADL associate director of services, collections and access. Choate noted that the most popular realia collection is the art print collection, which the library has been circulating for over 20 years. Over 500 prints are circulating, and new prints are added every year. Typically 80-90% of that collection is checked out, she said. Each item can be checked out for an eight-week period.

In the past couple of years, the focus has been on acquiring work by local artists, Choate said. It’s possible to search the collection by artist name or the name of the print, or patrons can browse thumbnail images of the prints online.

Another realia collection – of energy meter readers – began with a partnership with the city of Ann Arbor. The city originally gave the library 10 meter readers to distribute, enabling residents to check the amount of energy used by different home appliances. The city later added to the collection to bring the total to 19 meter readers. Most recently, 10 outlet energy meter readers – which resemble a power strip – were added to the collection. [As of Jan. 17, all of the new outlet meter readers were checked out, with 56 holds placed on the items.]

Celeste Choate holds up a set of Fandex cards with information about famous painters.

Choate said that in the context of the library’s strategic plan, staff began thinking about how they could increase current realia collections – the art prints and energy meter readers – as well as adding different items that would address the library’s strategic goals of serving the needs of educators and students.

She highlighted some of the newest additions to the collection, including Brain Quest and Fandex educational cards. The 22 Fandex sets include information on dinosaurs, painters, birds, Washington D.C., Africa, the Civil War and a range of other topics. There are 20 Brain Quest sets available, on topics ranging from math and reading basics to general quizzes that “challenge the mind.”

The library also recently added new Science To Go kits to its realia collection. The kits are an outgrowth of Stories to Go kits that were started several years ago with funding from Pfizer, Choate said.

Each Science to Go kit has a theme – prehistoric mammals, for example – with supporting materials that include books, DVDs, Fandex cards, and objects like a replica of a fossilized wooly mammoth tooth and a small-scale model of a wooly mammoth.

Seven topics are available, with two identical kits per topic. They’ve proven to be popular – all kits are checked out, with multiple holds on each, Choate said.

AADL Realia Collections: Board Questions

Jan Barney Newman asked if the AADL staff puts together the science kits. Yes, Choate said. For example, AADL librarian Jody Harnish compiled the materials used in the life cycles kit, which includes examples – preserved in lucite blocks – of bean germination, dragonfly development and other life cycles. Those materials were purchased separately, but Harnish decided what should be included in the kit. AADL director Josie Parker noted that Harnish was also the librarian who designed the popular exhibit of Cecropia moth caterpillars this summer. Kids and families would return to the Traverwood branch multiple times to watch the caterpillars grow through their life cycle, she said.

In response to a question about how the items in the kits are tracked, Choate said that each kit contains a tag that lists all of the items in the kit.

Prue Rosenthal said she was curious about the art prints. What kind of people check out the prints – are they primarily students? Choate replied that a range of people are interested in the prints, including students but also families and businesses. Newman noted that the art print collection was started by the Ladies Library Association.

Barbara Murphy asked about the renewal policy. Choate explained that art prints can’t be renewed, but they circulate for a longer period – eight weeks. Generally, though, there’s no limit to renewals unless other patrons have reserved the item.

Margaret Leary asked Choate to comment on what kinds of realia collections work well for the library, and what might not work. One criteria would be what users want to borrow, for example. Leary ventured that another criteria might be whether the library’s existing infrastructure would support circulation of the collection. However, Leary speculated that some items – like lawnmowers, for instance – wouldn’t be something the library would want to circulate.

Cost is one factor, Choate replied, including how often someone might purchase the item themselves, or how often they might use it. Is it a high-cost item that someone might want to try first, before they buy it – or need to use only one time?

Another factor is how easily the library can move the item through its existing circulation system, including how many copies the library would need and how much space would be required for storage. It sounds mundane, Choate said, but the library isn’t equipped, for example, to provide lawnmower storage. Parker added other factors, including maintenance, parts replacement and how often items are broken.

As for circulation infrastructure, Choate said the goal is that it won’t take longer to check out realia than it does to check out a book or DVD. That’s why the library isn’t circulating chemistry sets, she joked.

Leary said that an item’s potential to do harm might be another consideration, in the context of liability to the library.

Nancy Kaplan asked whether the Science to Go kits are being requested by educators. Choate said the kits have been available starting only about a month ago, so she’s not sure that many teachers know about them yet. One kit per topic is located at the downtown branch, and the second copies of the kits are distributed throughout the branches. For the Brain Quest and Fandex cards, one set of each is available at each branch.

Several board members praised the staff’s efforts, and the board gave Choate a round of applause.

Closed Session Set

At the end of each monthly meeting, the AADL board typically votes to schedule a closed session at its next month’s meeting. On Monday, board members voted to hold a closed session at its Feb. 20 meeting for the purpose of getting the opinion of legal counsel.

Present: Nancy Kaplan, Margaret Leary, Barbara Murphy, Jan Barney Newman, Prue Rosenthal, Ed Surovell. Also AADL director Josie Parker.

Absent: Rebecca Head

Next meeting: Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 at 7 p.m. in the library’s fourth floor meeting room, 343 S. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]

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This brief was filed from the fourth-floor boardroom of the downtown library at 343 S. Fifth Ave. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

County commissioner Yousef Rabhi, who was re-elected chair of the working session and successfully lobbied to keep public commentary time unchanged at those sessions. (Photos by the writer.)

Unchanged were the board officers – as is its custom, the board re-elected the same leaders from the previous year. Conan Smith retained his position as board chair, but did not use the meeting to continue the discussion he’d started in December regarding strategic planning for the county. Smith has proposed focusing county efforts on shoring up the county’s east side, an area that he has said is facing a “perfect storm of despair,” including high unemployment, low graduation rates and poor health.

Rather, the main action of the Jan. 4 meeting focused on significant changes regarding public commentary, as part of revisions to the board’s rules and regulations. The majority of commissioners voted to shorten the time available per speaking turn – from five to three minutes – and to eliminate one of two agenda slots for public commentary at its bi-monthly meetings. Commissioners Rolland Sizemore Jr., Ronnie Peterson and Felicia Brabec voted against the changes, but were in the minority.

Yousef Rabhi, who was re-elected chair of the working session, proposed an amendment to keep both public commentary slots in place at the working sessions. His amendment – which was supported unanimously by the board – also kept the five minutes alloted per speaker for public commentary at the working sessions.

An amendment to the rules proposed by Dan Smith was tabled. The change would give commissioners the option of abstaining from a vote. Wes Prater questioned the amendment, arguing that state law requires commissioners to vote on resolutions unless there’s a conflict of interest. It was eventually tabled until the second meeting in February, allowing the county attorney to research the legality of the proposed rule. In a follow-up query from The Chronicle, Smith indicated that he doesn’t intend to pursue the amendment.

Dan Smith was successful in another effort, however – an amendment he proposed to the board’s 2012 calendar. Commissioners voted to change the start time of working sessions to 6 p.m. and add the administrative briefing as the first agenda item. Previously, administrative briefings – held to review the board’s upcoming agenda – were held at 4 p.m. the week prior to a regular board meeting. It had been a difficult time of day for some commissioners, including Smith, to attend.

An issue not addressed at the Jan. 4 meeting was the status of the county’s negotiations with the Humane Society of Huron Valley. After the meeting, deputy county administrator Kelly Belknap told The Chronicle that the county had signed a one-month extension – at $29,000 – for HSHV to continue providing mandated animal control services for the county through January. The county’s previous contract with HSHV expired Dec. 31, and Belknap said negotiations continue to try to reach a longer-term agreement. Belknap said she was optimistic the two sides could reach a resolution, even if it required another temporary extension. Reached by email later in the week, HSHV executive director Tanya Hilgendorf indicated that she shared that optimism.

The Jan. 4 meeting was initially officiated by the Washtenaw County clerk, Larry Kestenbaum, who presided until the election of the board chair. Kestenbaum took the opportunity to give some tips on campaign finance reporting to commissioners and other potential candidates in the upcoming 2012 election. 

County Clerk: Tips for an Election Year

The Washtenaw County clerk – currently Larry Kestenbaum – leads the first meeting of each year for the board of commissioners, before officer elections are held.

Kestenbaum began the Jan. 4 meeting by noting that 2012 is an election year, and that all county commissioners and other county-level elected officials – including himself – would be up for re-election. The county has a fantastic roster of city and township clerks who’ll handle the process, he said, starting with the presidential primary in February.

There’s always tension between campaigning and governance, he said, adding that everyone around the board table had experience with that situation. [The exception would be Felicia Brabec, who was appointed to her seat in District 7 last October after the resignation of Kristin Judge.]

Washtenaw County commissioner Felicia Brabec (D-District 7) talks with county clerk Larry Kestenbaum before the Jan. 4, 2012 county board of commissioners meeting.

For anyone who’s running for office, Kestenbaum said he wanted to underline the importance of paying attention to campaign finance reporting, which is handled locally by his office. For example, he said, if a previous campaign has more than $1,000 in the bank, an annual statement is due at the end of this month.

Kestenbaum also clarified the reporting requirements for late contributions. If $200 or more is contributed to a campaign between the last campaign finance filing and the election, then it must be reported. This is the most frequently sanctioned violation of campaign finance law, he said. The fine accumulates daily, to a maximum of $2,000. Kestenbaum said that in the past, he has used his discretion and sometimes waived the fine. However, he said, he’s been informed that he doesn’t have the authority to do that.

Every time candidates file to run for office, they must sign a statement saying that they’re up to date with their campaign finance filings. If you haven’t reported some contributions, but sign the statement, you’re committing perjury, Kestenbaum said.

His final piece of advice related to a campaign’s treasurer. It’s possible for candidates to serve as treasurer of their own campaigns, “but it’s not a good idea,” Kestenbaum said. He added that he speaks with some experience on this issue, but did not elaborate.

[More information about campaign finance can be found on the county's website or on the state's campaign finance website. All commissioners have active campaign committees, as do several former candidates and candidates who have declared their intent to run in 2012. The latter category includes Democrats Andy Labarre and Christina Montague, who both plan to run for the seat in the new District 7, which covers an area on the east side of Ann Arbor, which is now represented by Democrat Barbara Bergman. Bergman is not seeking re-election.]

Officer Elections

Washtenaw County commissioners are elected to two-year terms, with elections for all 11 districts held in even-numbered years. [Redistricting, which was completed last year, will shrink the number of county districts to 9 for the upcoming election cycle and take effect at the start of the 2013 term.] The first meeting of each year is an organizational meeting, when the board’s primary business is electing officers and approving the board rules and regulations.

It’s been the board’s custom to elect commissioners to the same leadership roles for two consecutive years, starting with the first year of their two-year terms. This year was no exception, and all previous officers were re-elected unanimously. There were no competing nominations, and only congratulatory discussion.

The board unanimously re-elected Conan Smith (D-District 10) as board chair and Alicia Ping (R-District 3) as vice chair. Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5) was re-elected chair of the board’s ways & means committee, with Dan Smith (R-District 2) re-elected vice chair. The working session chair is Yousef Rabhi (D-District 11), with Rob Turner (R-District 1) to serve as vice chair.

Before the officer elections but not during the official public commentary time, Thomas Partridge stood up and demanded an answer to a question he’d asked, saying it was pertinent to the election. He has frequently lobbied for the chair of the board to be elected by a vote of the general public, not by the board itself.

Curtis Hedger, the county’s corporation counsel, informed commissioners that according to the board’s rules and regulations, the chair must be elected from among the commissioners. From the relevant section of the board’s rules and regulations [emphasis added]:

D. ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING:  At the first or regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners held in January of each year the Clerk/Register of the County shall call the meeting to order then shall call the roll of all elected Commissioners. The members of the Board elect shall take the oath of office as their first order of business, If a quorum is found to be present, the Board shall proceed to elect by ballot one of the Commissioners, elected and serving, as Chair. The Commissioner receiving six (6) votes of the members, elected and serving shall be the Chair of the Board.

Outcome: By a series of unanimous votes, all 2011 officers were re-elected to leadership roles on the board.

Board Rules & Regulations

At the first meeting of each year, the board approves its rules and regulations with revisions, if any. This year, three changes were proposed. [.pdf of original draft revisions to board rules & regulations]

One of the rule changes was uncontroversial, and yielded no discussion. It related to the eligibility of county employees for claiming per diem payments and mileage. Under previous rules adopted in 2011, no county employee could claim a per diem or mileage reimbursement for service on a county board, committee or commission. The rules adopted on Jan. 4, 2012 now apply that rule only to regular, benefitted county employees. This allows part-time county employees who receive no county benefits to receive a per diem and mileage payment. The rule does not apply to county commissioners – their per diem and mileage are handled under separate flex accounts, which were not changed.

Commissioner Dan Smith holds up his hand to indicate the number of minutes available per speaker for public commentary. He was helping out county clerk Larry Kestenbaum, who officiated the start of the board of commissioners first meeting in 2012. By the end of the meeting, the board majority had voted to reduce public commentary time to three minutes.

The other two proposed rule changes considered at the Jan. 4 meeting dealt with public commentary. Commissioners spent much of their meeting discussing those changes to public commentary. The revisions shortened the time available per speaking turn and eliminated some of the agenda slots for public commentary.

Most significantly, the second of two opportunities for public commentary was proposed to be eliminated at three different meetings: the board meetings, the ways & means committee meetings and the working sessions. The corresponding times slated for commissioner response to public commentary at the end of those meetings were also proposed to be eliminated. Previously, public commentary and commissioner response were provided near the start and end of each meeting. The ways & means committee meetings and regular board meetings are held back-to-back, currently providing four opportunities for public commentary during the same evening.

In other revisions to the board’s rules and regulations, the five minutes alloted per speaker during general public commentary at the board meeting and working session was proposed to be reduced to three minutes each. The time alloted for commentary at public hearings (held on a specific topic) was proposed to be cut from five to three minutes per speaker.

Three minutes is already the current time alloted for public commentary at the board’s ways & means committee, where the bulk of the board’s business is conducted. Prior to 2009, ways & means public commentary was also five minutes. But at the board’s Jan. 7, 2009 meeting, commissioner Conan Smith proposed reducing it to three minutes. He won support for that resolution from the majority of the board, with dissent from commissioners Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5) and Jeff Irwin, a Democrat from Ann Arbor who now serves in the state legislature.

At that same January 2009 meeting, Conan Smith also proposed a change requiring that public commentary during ways & means address only items on the agenda. That change also won support from the board, with dissent from Sizemore and Irwin. Previously, there had been no such limitations. A year later, at the board’s Jan. 6, 2010 meeting, Irwin won support from his board colleagues to remove the topic limitations on public commentary.

Board Rules & Regulations: Working Session Amendment

Yousef Rabhi began the discussion by saying he opposed putting new limits on public commentary. He didn’t believe it was the right move, but he realized that many other commissioners supported it. As a compromise, he proposed an amendment to keep both public commentary slots in place at the working sessions. [Rabhi has chaired those sessions for the past year, and was re-elected chair of the working sessions at the Jan. 4 meeting.] His amendment also kept the five minutes alloted per speaker for public commentary at the working sessions.

Outcome on amendment: Rabhi’s amendment to retain two opportunities for five-minute public commentary at working sessions was approved unanimously.

Board Rules & Regulations: Abstaining Amendment

Dan Smith proposed an amendment to the rule relating to board resolutions. The current section states:

VI. RESOLUTIONS
Where a resolution proposes to amend a prior board resolution, County policy or County ordinance, the resolution shall conform to the style set forth below:
1. The section of the existing resolution to be changed shall be presented in its entirety, including any language proposed to be deleted by the resolution/motion such deletion shall be indicated by a horizontal line running through the deleted language.
2. New language shall be indicated by being presented in bold and italic.

Smith said he wanted to give commissioners the option of abstaining from a vote. His amendment would add the following statement: “Members may abstain from voting on any resolution expressing support (or opposition), but otherwise taking no action.”

Smith did not elaborate on his reasons for proposing the change, but the issue was relevant at the board’s last meeting in December 2011. A resolution brought forward then by Yousef Rabhi urged state lawmakers to reject HB 4770, HB 4771 and “any legislation that codifies discrimination.” The state legislation, which was later signed by Gov. Rick Snyder, removed the ability to extend benefits to same-sex partners. During deliberations on that resolution, commissioners Dan Smith and Rob Turner had objected to bringing forward resolutions that were not focused on Washtenaw County issues – both commissioners ultimately voted against it.

At the Jan. 4 meeting, Wes Prater questioned Dan Smith’s amendment, stating that state law requires commissioners to vote on resolutions unless there’s a conflict of interest. He asked the county’s corporation counsel, Curtis Hedger, to weigh in on the issue.

Hedger’s initial thought was that since the amendment pertained to resolutions that were advisory in nature, it would be permissible to allow commissioners to abstain. Hedger took a few minutes to try to find the applicable law but was unable to locate it, so he proposed tabling the amendment to a future meeting. He noted that the board’s rules and regulations can be voted on at any time throughout the year.

Barbara Bergman said she didn’t care what Hedger found – she’d be against the amendment, even if it were allowed by law. Commissioners are elected to govern, she said. Even on non-action item, their votes are important because they indicate the board’s direction and philosophy. To not have an opinion is very sad, she said. It might protect a commissioner in future elections if the vote is controversial, she added, but commissioners have a responsibility to vote on any resolution before the board. She said she’d be ashamed to be so concerned about getting elected. “If you’re here, vote,” she concluded.

Leah Gunn proposed tabling the amendment until the board’s second meeting in February, which falls on Feb. 15.

Outcome on tabling Dan Smith’s amendment: Commissioners voted unanimously to table the amendment until the second meeting in February.

Responding to a follow-up email query from The Chronicle, Dan Smith stated that he believes he’s made his point, and he doesn’t intend to pursue the amendment. He wrote: “My contention would be that a resolution saying ‘we support (or oppose) …’ does not constitute ‘act’ as contemplated by the law. Furthermore, the list of lawful actions does not specifically include ‘voting on resolutions of support’ or something similar. To underscore his argument, Smith pointed to three sections of relevant state law in Act 156 of 1851, which pertains to the state’s county boards of commissioners:

Act 156 of 1851 – Section 46.3: ”The county board of commissioners of a county shall act by the votes of a majority of the members present. However, the final passage or adoption of a measure or resolution or the allowance of a claim against the county shall be determined by a majority of the members elected and serving. …”

Act 156 of 1851 – Section 46.3a: “The names and votes of members shall be recorded on an action taken by the board of county commissioners …”

Act 156 of 1851 – Section 46.11: “A county board of commissioners, at a lawfully held meeting, may do 1 or more of the following: …”

Smith also wrote that if the issue is simply a matter of following Robert’s Rules of Order, then the board’s own rules and regulations supersede that, and could be changed.

Board Rules & Regulations: Public Commentary

Ronnie Peterson spoke at length about the proposal to reduce opportunities for citizen participation. He opposed eliminating the number of slots, and also opposed cutting the time limit. He said he got into government because of citizen participation, “from the audience to the election box.” Not everyone gets off work at the same time, he noted, so it might not be possible for citizens to make it to the start of the meeting for the first public commentary.

As for cutting the time limit from five minutes to three minutes, Peterson said he understood why city councils usually limited their public commentary to three minutes per speaker – there are usually far more people speaking at city council meetings than at board of commissioners meetings, he contended. Typically, there are only one or two people who show up to public commentary, he said, so he didn’t see the importance of limiting it. Also, people speak at different speeds, Peterson said – for people who speak more slowly, they might need the full five minutes.

Peterson also objected to eliminating the time for commissioners to respond, saying he’d feel uncomfortable if he couldn’t say a word. Overall, he said he saw no rationale for these changes to public commentary.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. agreed with Peterson. The community already feels a disconnect between the public and elected officials, he said. Noting that he’s the kind of person who likes to ask others what they think, Sizemore said he didn’t want to prevent the public from asking him. The public should have the right to tell commissioners what they think.

Rob Turner clarified that the proposed changes wouldn’t eliminate all public commentary or commissioner response. They would just be eliminating one of the two current opportunities at each meeting.

Yousef Rabhi thanked commissioners for supporting his amendment earlier in the meeting, and said that keeping working sessions the way they currently are made him more comfortable with the other changes.

Outcome on main resolution regarding the board’s rules & regulations: There was only one resolution and one vote taken on the overall changes to the board’s rules & regulations. It passed on a 10-1 vote, with dissent from Rolland Sizemore Jr. However, Felicia Brabec and Ronnie Peterson wanted the record to reflect that they were voting against eliminating public commentary. Peterson also voted against reducing the time allotment to three minutes. The changes mean that there will be only one opportunity for public commentary at the start of each board meeting and at each ways & means committee meeting, followed by a time for commissioner response. Public speakers will have three minutes each for their remarks during public commentary and at public hearings.

Board Rules & Regulations: Public Commentary

Speaking during the last opportunity for public commentary, Thomas Partridge said there’s a “cabal” on the board that’s imposed restrictions on citizen participation, even for the disabled and elderly. He called it unethical, and said it indicated corruption. The decision calls into question the integrity of each commissioner, he said. There should be a legal challenge to the change, he said. Even though many people on the board run as progressives, Partridge said, they behave and speak like conservatives in the Tea Party. [Eight of the 11 commissioners are Democrats.]

Board Meeting Calendar: Administrative Briefings

Dan Smith noted that since the last board meeting on Dec. 7, when commissioners had approved their 2012 meeting calendar, he had circulated via email some proposals to modify the times for administrative briefings.

Administrative briefings are informal meetings that have been held the week prior to the board’s regular meetings, to review the upcoming agenda. They are public meetings and are noticed in accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act. They are held in a small conference room and unlike the regular board meetings, ways & means committee meetings and working sessions, they are not televised.

By way of background, in March 2011 the board voted to eliminate the briefings entirely. That decision was made in the wake of criticisms by commissioner Ronnie Peterson, who did not attend the briefings because of his objections to the format. He called the briefings “backroom” meetings where deliberations occur that he believed were too far out of the public eye. After that March 2011 vote, a weekly agenda-setting meeting took the place of briefings, attended by senior staff and just three commissioners: Smith, as board chair; Rolland Sizemore Jr., chair of the ways & means committee; and Yousef Rabhi, chair of the working sessions. Because the meetings did not involve a quorum of commissioners, they were not be required to be open to the public.

Later in the year, the briefings were re-instituted. The 2012 calendar approved by the board at its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting included administrative briefings scheduled at 4 p.m. on the Tuesday during the week prior to the board’s regular Wednesday meetings. The time – prior to the end of a typical work day – has been difficult for some commissioners, including Dan Smith, who has often been unable to attend.

At the board’s Jan. 4 meeting, Dan Smith proposed amending the calendar schedule so that administrative briefings would be held at 6 p.m. prior to the 6:30 p.m. working sessions, which are typically held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Because board meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, this change would mean a nearly two-week span between the tentative agenda being reviewed at the briefing and the next board meeting.

Conan Smith suggested that the briefings could simply be listed as the first agenda item at the working sessions, rather than holding separate meetings.

Barbara Bergman noted that commissioners have an informal goal of ending the working sessions by 8:30 p.m. She recommended that they consider pushing the time back to 9 p.m., to accommodate the briefings. Leah Gunn proposed a possible solution: Starting the working sessions at 6 p.m. and adding the administrative briefing as the first agenda item.

Dan Smith agreed to Gunn’s proposal as a friendly amendment.

Outcome: The amendment changing the start time of working sessions to 6 p.m. and adding the administrative briefing as the first agenda item passed unanimously.

Communications & Commentary

There were several opportunities for communications during the Jan. 4 meeting, and two slots for public commentary.

Thomas Partridge spoke during both opportunities for public commentary. In addition to the commentary reported above, Partridge also advocated for an expansion of services for the homeless in Washtenaw County, specifically citing the conditions of Camp Take Notice. He called for more affordable housing and access to public transportation. Partridge also demanded more transparency in local government, asking that meetings of all public boards, commissions and committees be held in locations where the meetings can be recorded for broadcast on the Community Television Network.

From left: Orian Zakai and Alexandra Hoffman talk with county commissioner Conan Smith after the Jan. 4 board of commissioners meeting. Zakai and Hoffman are organizing a daytime warming and community center for people who are homeless.

Orian Zakai told commissioners that she was a University of Michigan graduate student who was speaking on behalf of organizers of an all-day winter community center. The idea emerged from conversations in the Occupy Ann Arbor camp at Liberty Plaza. It’s become clear that there’s an urgent need for a warm, safe place to gather, she said, where people could feel empowered. But local officials have been discouraging of the effort. Organizers have been told that the Delonis Center – a homeless shelter on West Huron Street – serves that purpose, but Zakai noted that the shelter isn’t open during the day.

People who are supposedly served by the Delonis Center see it as disconnected from their needs, Zakai said. One man characterized it to her as like living in an institution, either a prison or a hospital, and said that he was neither a criminal or sick. It’s the opposite of an empowering place, she said. Delonis Center officials had said they want people to be put into housing and to find jobs. But there are no jobs or housing, Zakai said, so people just spend their days walking around outside. Instead, they could be building community by spending time at a community center, where they could watch movies, do art or music, read books, or help each other look for jobs.

Organizers are having difficulty finding space for the center, she said. The biggest obstacles are prejudice and fear of change, she concluded, and she hoped commissioners could help find space for the center and support its formation.

During the time available for commissioners to respond to public commentary, Conan Smith thanked Zakai for speaking out on this issue. He said the county has a long-standing commitment to working on homeless issues. The board could direct Zakai and her fellow organizers to county staff and other resources that might help break through the bureaucracy, Smith said. The issue of empowerment that Zakai raised is an important one, he said. It’s an issue that he hadn’t previously given much thought to, and he thanked her for raising it.

Communications & Commentary: Road Commission

Rob Turner, who serves as a liaison to the Washtenaw County road commission, reported that earlier in the week he had attended a WCRC meeting – the first one since Roy Townsend had been selected as the new executive director late last year. Townsend previously served as WCRC’s director of engineering. Turner reported that for the year’s budget through November, the road commission was about 1.4% ahead of budgeted revenues for the year. Because it’s been a mild winter, they’ve had to spend less on salt and snow removal, he said, and that bodes well for their budget.

Later in the meeting, Rolland Sizemore Jr. expressed frustration that the board hadn’t been briefed on changes at the state level, as he said he had previously requested. State legislation affecting the road commission is one example of changes that will be coming fast, he said.

Yousef Rabhi, who chairs the board’s working sessions, responded by saying he could schedule a session on that topic and invite the county’s lobbyist, Kirk Profit, to brief the commissioners. Barbara Bergman pointed out that commissioners regularly receive email updates from Profit regarding state-level issues. Sizemore replied that these are issues the board needs to discuss – simply reading emails isn’t enough.

Communications & Commentary: Courthouse Renovation

Rob Turner reported that he’s been regularly attending meetings regarding the renovation of the Washtenaw County trial court in downtown Ann Arbor, at the corner of Huron and Main. The trial court is an entity that includes the 22nd Circuit Court, juvenile court, probate court and Friend of the Court program. Phase two is now completed and the project is back on schedule, after giving the contractors a little prodding, he said. Turner said the hallways still look like vintage 1960s, but the customer service areas and offices are bright and up-to-date.

Jason Fee with the county facilities unit would like to give commissioners an update on the project, Turner said, perhaps at a working session in February. Rolland Sizemore Jr. suggested that the topic be scheduled at the same working session when Greg Dill gives the board a report on county-owned facilities and space use. Dill is the county’s director of infrastructure management.

In response to a query from Barbara Bergman, Turner elaborated on the different phases of the project. The board had been briefed on the renovations nearly a year ago – at its Jan. 19, 2011 board meeting– by Donald Shelton, chief judge of the Washtenew County trial court. And at their July 6, 2011 meeting, commissioners had authorized $1 million for the second phase of the project, which entailed renovation of the first floor of the courthouse.

Sizemore noted that Turner had failed to answer the most important question: “Is Judge Shelton happy?” Turner indicated that he was.

Communications & Commentary: Farmland Preservation

Yousef Rabhi, who serves on the county’s agricultural lands preservation advisory committee (ALPAC), reported that the group met in late December and looked at the scoring of farm applications for the county’s natural areas preservation program. The applications were from owners of farms who are seeking to sell development rights to the county. The county has about $1 million available for the purchase of development rights, Rabhi said, and the committee narrowed the set of applications to 10. “We’re hoping to keep some farmers in business,” he said. ALPAC makes recommendations to the county park & recreation commission, which will make the final decision on these applications.

A 10-year millage renewal to support the county’s natural areas preservation program (NAPP) was approved by voters in November 2010. Earlier that year, commissioners had approved changes to the ballot language that allowed a portion of NAPP funds to be used for the purchase of development rights (PDR) for farmland. For additional background, see Chronicle coverage: “Washtenaw Natural Areas Tweaked for Ballot.”

Communications & Commentary: Retirements & Staff Reorganization

Wes Prater reported that he had asked for the number of county employees who had retired at the end of 2011 – there were 117 retirements, he said. The board needs to take a close look at these positions, he said, to see which of them could be eliminated. The county needs some structural changes to its organization, Prater said. He suggested instituting a hiring freeze until the board could hold a working session on the issue. He noted that a new purchasing agent has recently been hired, and his concern is that the administration is actively trying to fill these vacant positions without reviewing whether the jobs are necessary.

Leah Gunn argued that it’s not the board’s purview to look at the organization job-by-job. The administration knows that structural changes are needed, Gunn said, and so the administration should bring a plan to the board. Commissioners don’t know which positions should be eliminated or kept.  The budget in 2014 and 2015 will be difficult, but Gunn said she relies on the staff’s expertise. The department heads did heroic work in cutting their budgets for 2012 and 2013, she noted. The staff is working hard, and commissioners should respect that, she concluded.

Deputy county administrator Kelly Belknap responded. [County administrator Verna McDaniel had traveled to New Orleans to attend the Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl, and was not present at the Jan. 4 meeting.] Belknap told commissioners that before any job is posted, the position goes through a review to determine if it should be filled or not. In some departments, six or seven people retired, she said. Some of those jobs need to be filled in order to continue providing services to residents, she said.

Prater took issue with Gunn’s opinion that the board doesn’t have purview over the positions. The board does have authority to eliminate or create jobs, he said. The administration makes recommendations, but it’s the board that decides. Prater noted that four years ago, the county employed about 1,360 people, and about the same number are employed today, he said. And every year, the county hires hundreds of temporary workers too, he said.

Prater said he’s concerned that the county needs to use its fund balance to balance the budget, and “once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.” The county needs to make structural changes, he said, or it will be in big trouble.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. circled back to the issue of the newly hired purchasing agent, saying that person should have come to the board to be introduced. Belknap indicated that she would make sure the new employee attended an upcoming meeting.

Present: Barbara Bergman, Felicia Brabec, Leah Gunn, Ronnie Peterson, Alicia Ping, Wes Prater, Yousef Rabhi, Rolland Sizemore Jr., Conan Smith, Dan Smith, Rob Turner.

Next regular board meeting: Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the county administration building, 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. The ways & means committee meets first, followed immediately by the regular board meeting. [confirm date] (Though the agenda states that the regular board meeting begins at 6:45 p.m., it usually starts much later – times vary depending on what’s on the agenda.) Public commentary is held at the beginning of each meeting, and no advance sign-up is required.

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At right: Michael Ford, CEO of the AATA, shows the board a map depicting locations of meetings he's had and meetings that are scheduled in connection with development of the transportation master plan. (Photos by the writer.)

The AATA will be taking advantage of the videotaping facilities at the library. Moving the meeting location is part of an effort to make the board and the organization more accessible as the AATA begins engaging the community about developing a transportation master plan (TMP).

A presentation on the countywide TMP from the AATA’s consultant and its own staff who are working on the project was a highlight of the board meeting. Board members focused on the need to have a vision of what the community would like in 30 years, and to start taking the short-term steps to get there, instead of dismissing a 30-year vision as impossible because there is no funding available now. The completed TMP document is expected by early 2011.

One of those short-term steps – which won’t necessarily wait for the development of the completed TMP document – could be improved service between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. During a media roundtable held before the board meeting, Michael Ford, CEO of the AATA, indicated that Ypsilanti will be part of the focus of a board retreat, which will take place on July 19 at Weber’s Inn. [July 6 update: The retreat has been canceled, possibly to be rescheduled in early August.]

Mary Stasiak, AATA’s manager of community relations, said at the roundtable the AATA supported the millage proposal that will be put before Ypsilanti voters in the fall. [The proposal will also appear on the primary ballot, but the state attorney general has ruled that a millage proposal must be authorized at a general election.]

The board marked a transition to its new composition by honoring Ted Annis and Paul Ajegba, who were recently replaced on the AATA board by Roger Kerson and Anya Dale. The board also elected new officers to replace Ajegba and Annis as chair and treasurer of the board, respectively. Sue McCormick was elected treasurer. The board will be led by its new chair, Jesse Bernstein.

TMP: Media Roundtable and Board Presentation

At a media roundtable before the June 23 board meeting, AATA staff briefed representatives of the media on the development of the transportation master plan for Washtenaw County. The presentation they made to the media was essentially the same material that they presented to the board an hour later.

Among the staff were Michael Benham – originally brought on board at AATA to manage the WALLY project, a proposed Howell-to-Ann Arbor commuter rail. The TMP is also part of his responsibility. He was joined by Juliet Edmonson, a planner with Steer Davies Gleeve, the consulting firm hired to help develop the countywide plan. Mary Stasiak, manager of community relations for AATA, also made part of the presentation. CEO Michael Ford was on hand to answer questions as well.

Stasiak began by ticking through some of the recent background to the current effort to develop a plan for expanded countywide transportation service throughout Washtenaw County. One general theme reflected in Stasiak’s remarks was one where momentum had been building for a countywide initiative, but that the board had taken a step back.

Consistent with Stasiak’s theme is The Chronicle’s reporting over the last year. In 2008, the AATA board had active conversations about a countywide millage proposal to be placed on the ballot possibly as soon as the fall of 2009. [Currently the AATA's local funding comes from a millage levied in the city of Ann Arbor, plus purchase of service agreements with other municipalities.]

From The Chronicle’s report of the AATA’s Oct. 15, 2008 meeting:

Reporting out from the AATA board’s planning and development committee, [Ted] Annis continued with the theme of making the vision of an authority to run WALLY a concrete reality. He made the following committee recommendations to the board. The AATA should:

• re-form itself as an entity under the Public Transportation Authority Act 196
• take on the WALLY project as it blends in with the 196 authority
• allocate staff resources for this additional work
• specify a service plan for an expanded transportation system that includes WALLY

On this last point, board chair David Nacht stressed its importance to a millage on the ballot: “What are we selling that new taxes would buy?” Board member Sue McCormick echoed this sentiment, stressing the need to describe what would be delivered and at what price.

The board then essentially paused the countywide initiative until it had filled the vacant CEO position, which it accomplished in June of 2009.

Stasiak ticked through some important milestones over the last several months that had led the AATA to the present point of development of a TMP.

• June 2009: Michael Ford was hired as CEO [Chronicle coverage: "AATA, CEO Candidate Start Talks"]
• October 2009: Michael Ford presents vision for AATA as countywide service provider ["AATA Plans for Countywide System"]
• November 2009: AATA board adopts vision for countywide service ["AATA Adopts Vision: Countywide Service"]
• December 2009: AATA invites attorneys and leaders of other transit authorities in Michigan to a meeting at Washtenaw Community College to get advice on various forms of governance for transit authorities ["AATA Gets Advice on Countywide Transit"]
• January 2010: Survey results indicate only modest support for a millage – there was no specific plan presented with the survey. Board adopts strategy of first developing a plan ["AATA on County Transit: READY, Aim, Fire"]
• April 2010: AATA board approves consultant, Steer Davies Gleave (SDG), to help develop a countywide plan ["Transit Board Approves Consultant for Countywide Vision"]

A significant result from the survey that had been conducted, Stasiak said, was that 40% of people in Washtnenaw County had actually used AATA services in the last year. The survey firm was really surprised – typically it’s 10-20% of the population. Another significant survey result was that 75% believe that public transportation is either extremely or very important to the quality of life in Washtenaw County.

But support of investment in expanded transportation was gauged at only 56%, Stasiak said. So the idea was to create a transportation master plan so that people know what they would get for their investment. It was felt that the survey results were not as strong as they might have been if people were reacting to a specific plan they’d helped to create.

Meetings had begun in March of 2010, Stasiak said. Michael Ford had held 34 meetings with 59 people and had 48 more meetings scheduled through mid-August, she said.

Later, during the board meeting, Ford showed board members a map that was being used to track all of his meetings, which he dubbed: “Where’s Michael?” Ford characterized the strategy of his meeting personally with others in the community as “not a one-time shot just because of the countywide initiative.” It would be part of what he’d do, he said, on an ongoing basis.

During the media roundable, as well as during the board meeting, Michael Benham put the countywide planning effort into the same kind of context that Ford had described for his many meetings. Benham stressed that Ford has made clear it’s not an isolated effort, not a one-time event, where it’s developed and then implemented, and it’s over. The AATA planning cycle is one where the outcome is to be monitored and the plan is then adjusted. Even a single bus route change, Benham said, is to be subject to this monitor-and-adjust approach.

At the center of the process, Benham said, is an engagement process with citizens as the plan is developed – he cited board member Jesse Bernstein’s call for the process to be transparent, open and flexible.

Juliet Edmonson, transportation planning consultant with SDG, described the timeline for the development of the plan.

• July 2010: Develop vision objectives for short, medium and long-term goals – 30 years into the future in very general terms. What do people want to see in terms of public safety, economic vitality, urban sprawl, and health. From understanding that, it would be possible that transit helps realize goals. Audit the existing situation and how it meets community needs. Look at the forecast for the next 30 years and see how those needs can be met.
• July-August 2010: Look at the current transit system and develop a needs assessment.
• September-November 2010: Develop a list of options – some of which already exist – and evaluate those against the community’s values. Sift and package the options into different scenarios. Hypothetical examples of the kind of scenarios that could be produced are a paratransit-intensive scenario, a rail-intensive scenario, a low-funding scenario or a high-funding scenario.
• November-December 2010: From the set of packaged scenarios, develop the preferred scenario.
• January-February 2011: Develop a Transit Master Plan, review of funding opportunities and implementation of plan.

The process will be permeated with public process throughout, Benham stressed. There are three different audiences, he said: (i) champions – community leaders who are visible and respected in the community, who will spread the word into their own networks; (ii) technical committee – planners and transit operators in the area; and (iii) general public – individuals and organizations. There would be ongoing board/staff consultation throughout the process, Benham stressed. Drivers, for example, might hear riders say, “Gee, I wish this route went 1/4 mile further down the road,” and that kind of feedback would be continually fed back into the monitoring and planning process.

In July, Benham said, there would be 24 total meetings: four that were geographically targeted for the four quadrants of the county, 1- to be held with specific organizations, with 10 meetings reserved for “wildcards” that could be scheduled in response to community interests.

In September there will be another 20 meetings, he said, five each in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti and two each in Manchester, Chelsea, Saline, Dexter, and Milan.

In January and February of next year, Benham continued, there will be another 20 meetings with the same geographic distribution as the September meetings.

Stasiak added that strategies for getting the word out would include other media roundtables and a variety of advertising, social media, the website movingyouforward.org, newsletters and direct mail. Benham stressed that newsletters and direct mail are crucial – not everyone does Twitter/Facebook, he noted.

TMP: Media Questions

After the presentation, reporters at the roundtable had a number of questions.

TMP: Early Results?

Question: On the FAQ about the TMP there’s a question that asks if the master plan would replace any current plan. The answer is no, it’s going to integrate them all. But surely of all the plans – Fuller Road Station, WALLY – something is going to be de-prioritized. Based on what you’ve heard so far, what would be leading contenders to be de-prioritized, or to become greater than what has been anticipated?

Benham indicated that things were not far enough along to say, yet. He noted there’s going to be a lot of big ideas, or small ones – putting Zipcars at Briarwood Mall, for example.

TMP: Amount of Detail in the Final TMP?

Question: Engaging the public to elicit the “right” level of detail for the planning phase that you’re in will be a challenge during the public meetings that will stretch across the various planning phases. How much detail do we get in the final report? Will it have lines on a map with routes and stops?

Benham indicated that the final master plan would have as much detail as required to evaluate the specific project. If it’s a route improvement, he said, then the route would be named and they’d specify the improvement. If there were a recommendation of adding a park-and-ride facility, the plan would at least identify a geographic area, if not a specific parcel of land.

Edmonson noted that the plan would cover a span that ranged from implementations in the next two years on through 30 years. The things that will be implemented in the short term will be much more detailed in the TMP than those things that might be implemented in 20 years’ time, she said.

Benham stressed that it goes back to planning as a cycle in which an element is implemented, but then continually monitored and adjusted.

TMP: Ypsilanti

Question: Thinking about a 30-year timeframe, with a planning project like this, there’s a risk of putting everything on hold along the lines of, Oh, well we’re developing the TMP, so we don’t want to go ahead and implement a specific change right now. By way of specific example, Newcombe Clark, an Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board member, floated the idea of an express bus between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti at his first board meeting in the fall of 2009, after he was appointed to that board. He has periodically mentioned this idea at DDA board and committee meetings over the last several months. Is an Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti express service something that can be contemplated before the TMP is complete?

Michael Ford indicated that the question of Ypsilanti service was on the agenda for the board retreat coming up in July. They’d be looking at options for Ypsilanti, he said, but not in a vacuum – the topic would be considered in the context of the city, county, and the DDA. The idea was not, Ford stressed, to put everything on hold until the TMP was complete.

TMP: Ypsilanti Redux

Question: Jesse Bernstein has stressed that we’re not talking about money yet in developing the TMP – we’re talking about what we want and need and what our vision for that is. Ypsilanti, though, is asking voters to think about money – there’ll be a millage proposal on the ballot in the fall. To what extent is AATA planning to weigh in on the ballot proposal? Ordinarily you’d expect general support from the AATA for that proposal, but it might result in somewhat of a confusion of the AATA’s message about the TMP (don’t think about money) and Ypsilanti’s millage (please think about money).

Stasiak indicated that AATA supports the investment of public transportation in Ypsilanti. Without it, she said, there would be thousands of people who’d find it difficult to get to work, medial appointments and school.

It’s also not just an issue for the citizens of Ypsilanti, Stasiak said. Service to Clinton and Superior Township connects in Ypsilanti – it’s a regional issue, she concluded.

TMP: View of AATA from Outside?

Question: Have you noticed anything especially interesting about the AATA and the way our community is set up with respect to transit? Have you noticed significant gaps? [The question was for Juliet Edmonson, a consultant with SDG who hails from England.]

Edmonson indicated she’d only been here 10 days, but has been very impressed – Ann Arbor is not a large city but has an extraordinarily good bus network. Drivers are helpful and friendly, she said. There’s technology that you find in leading cities, she said.

She said it’s amazing to walk around downtown, but outside of downtown, Edmonson characterized it as “a tough environment for pedestrians and cyclists.” She said that during her several-months stay in Ann Arbor, she intended to use the bus, to cycle and walk, and perhaps use Zipcars.

TMP: Board Reaction

After the presentation at the board meeting, David Nacht focused on the slide that showed how the scenarios are developed – public input would be used to develop the scenarios, he noted. But the chart indicated that the process would move to a discussion based on technical expertise and what is feasible, he said. “What is the process by which you will bring to bear telling us what has worked and what hasn’t worked in other communities?” he asked the presenters.

David Nacht asked about how the planning process for developing the transportation master plan would integrate the political feasibility of an eventual plan.

He wanted to know the process by which AATA can test the scenarios with political and funding support realities – so that it’s something they can make happen. How do they get to something that makes practical sense that the can “sell” to make happen? he asked.

Benham noted that some of the meetings would be directed specifically towards local legislative leaders. Edmonson added that public acceptance will be gauged towards the end of the year, in that phase. She noted that some transportation systems might be used other places, but might not be accepted and embraced here in Washtenaw County.

Benham also noted that political acceptance would be addressed by public outreach, especially by “champions” who were involved in the process – they’ll write opinion pieces in the newspaper and speak to their friends and the public, he said.

Nacht responded by saying that he was comfortable with the public input. What he still hadn’t heard an answer to, he said, was this: What’s the process by which they get SDG’s expertise in other communities, so that things are not rejected out of hand just because the public doesn’t understand them? And on the political side, he continued, we want to pick something that is likely to get funded, not just locally, but it should be something that feds might realistically fund 30 years from now.

Jesse Bernstein, the newly elected chair of the board, spoke to that issue. This is a 30-year plan, he said. There may be short-term, mid-term, and long-term solutions that they come up with. The 30-year solution might be something they don’t have funding for now, but that they can work toward, Bernstein suggested. What kind of system do they want in  30 years? What kind of system do they want that will impact land use and development, and the retention of population?

Those are the first questions, Bernstein said, and then they figure out short-, medium- and long-term solutions to get there. It’s okay to observe that “No one’s paying for that kind of system now,” Bernstein allowed, but maybe they say, “But that’s what we want.” Bernstein cautioned that they should not dismiss a vision because it can’t be funded now.

Nacht said he wanted to make sure it’s practical and viable in the short term, so that there is a short term. He said he wanted to be able to affect transit in the community “in our lifetime.”

Board Transitions

Chairing the meeting at the start was Charles Griffith, who welcomed Roger Kerson to the board and said he hoped it would be a rewarding experience for him. [Anya Dale, the other new board member, was not able to attend the board meeting, but has begun attending committee meetings.] Griffith handed things over to Jesse Bernstein a bit later after new board officer were elected.

Former chair of the AATA board, Paul Ajegba, with the mailbox he received as a parting gift. In the background is Jesse Bernstein, who was elected the new chair of the board.

Griffith honored Paul Ajegba and Ted Annis, the former chair and treasurer who attended the meeting, by conveying some inscribed clocks. The inscription for Ajegba’s clock read in part: “… appreciation for your key role and tireless hours in guiding the restructuring of the board committees, your service on the executive search committee, your patient and steadfast service as chair …”

The inscription for Annis read in part: ” … with sincere appreciation for your thorough analysis, diligence, foresight and persistence in upholding exemplary standards of fiscal responsibility, …”

As a parting gift, the AATA presented the two men with mailboxes painted to resemble an AATA bus, which is similar to the one the AATA uses at its South Industrial headquarters. Annis had already taken delivery of his box, but reported that he had not yet installed it. “It turned out to be a gigantic job!” he told the board.

In the time since the previous board meeting, Griffith had accepted nominations for chair and treasurer of the board. For chair, he said, he’d received one nomination, “the gentleman to my right,” which was Jesse Bernstein. After asking for any nominations from the floor, and hearing none, and Bernstein was elected by acclimation to the position of chair.

One name was also nominated for the office of treasurer – Sue McCormick – and there were no other nominations from the floor. Griffith said she could be elected, even though she was not present. McCormick was elected by acclimation to the position of board treasurer.

Bernstein chaired the rest of the meeting.

Later in the meeting, two resolutions expressing appreciation for Ajegba and Annis’ service on the board were passed unanimously.

Bylaws

Board bylaws were the common denominator to a range of topics at the meeting.

Bylaws: Regular Meeting Location

The next regular board meeting on Aug. 19 will be held at new location, at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library board room. In the future, all regular meetings will be held there, at the same time as they’re currently held, 6:30 p.m., but on Thursdays instead of Wednesdays. They will be recorded for local cable television. [At its February 2010 meeting, the board discussed the move, and at its March meeting voted to change the bylaws to allow for the location change.]

At the June 23 meeting, David Nacht indicated he’d be on vacation on Aug. 19. Several years ago, he said, he’d been away for the August meeting and had participated by phone. It was approved according to the bylaws. He wondered if the library had the technology to allow for that. Nacht was told it would be checked into.

During public commentary, Clark Charnetski, who was there to deliver the report from AATA’s local advisory council (LAC), noted that the library had been made more accessible, because the removal of the flower box on the Fifth Avenue side had been completed and there is a new ramp to the William Street side. That should make it a lot easier to get from the A-Ride (para-transit) stop on William Street. People could watch for the mini-bus to arrive. He thanked the AATA for any role that they had in helping that process along. Bernstein said that staff had been diligent. Ford indicated that an intercom system would be installed in the library to aid in alerting riders of the para-transit system when their rides were there.

Bylaws: Special Meeting

While there is no regular board meeting in July, Michael Ford indicated that at the board retreat on July 19, to be held at Weber’s Inn at 3 p.m., there will be an agenda item – which means that the board will be having a special meeting. That item is based on a request for proposals (RFP) issued in April for construction work at the AATA headquarters – work  on expansion of the bus storage garage, rehab of the detention pond, and adding sound insulation to the training room. Bids had come back in May, and the proposal would be vetted through the board’s planning and development committee on July 13, Ford said. [July 6 update: The July 19 retreat has been canceled possibly to be rescheduled in early August.]

Special meetings are subject to noticing requirements by the Michigan Open Meetings Act, and are provided for in the AATA board bylaws:

Special meetings for any purpose or purposes may be called by the Chair. In addition, a special meeting shall be called by the Chair or the Secretary at the written request of two Board members. Such requests shall state the purpose or purposes of the special meeting.

Bylaws: Review of the Bylaws

The regular meeting location time required a change in the bylaws, which was approved back in March 2010.  Also related to bylaws was an issue raised by David Nacht in the context of the new chair. He noted that the former chair, Paul Ajegba, had appointed him to run a committee on reviewing the bylaws. He allowed that he had procrastinated and had not yet undertaken that work.

Nacht guessed that he could have just been silent and all would have been forgotten. However, from the newly elected chair, Jesse Bernstein, Nacht wanted to know: “Do you still want it done?” adding, with a twinkle, “and if so, do I have to do it?” The line drew its intended laugh, and he assured Bernstein he was happy to do it. Yes, said Bernstein, the bylaws needed to get reviewed, but that could start sometime in the fall, as it was not a pressing priority. Bernstein finished off the bylaws conversation by quipping, “Anybody else have something they’d like to ‘fess up to?”

Bylaws: Board Composition

During public commentary, Thomas Partridge made several suggestions for reform, including an expansion of the AATA board, which should, he contended, be elected directly by the voters. Though Partridge did not make reference to the bylaws, the current AATA board bylaws provide for expansion of the board by a simple board vote – for ex-officio non-voting members:

The Board may appoint ex-officio members of the Board from time to time, as it may deem appropriate. The term of ex-officio members shall be two years. Ex-officio members may be removed or replaced at any time by four affirmative votes of the Board.

With respect to board members’ accessibility, during his public comment time, Tim Hull told the board that even with the talk of and all the public outreach efforts in connection with the transportation master plan, he still had a problem with getting in touch with AATA as a whole. He said he’d wanted to contact the board, but told them there’s no way to contact any of them on the AATA website.

It would take some hard-core Googling to find a way to contact them, he said, it was not on the AATA website.  With respect to the TMP, he said, he’d heard them say that they wanted to include community leaders in the planning process – he asked them to also make sure they include typical riders and potential riders. He also suggested an idea he’s brought up before: there should be a citizens advisory commission like the local advisory commission (LAC), but tailored for fixed-route ridership, not just for seniors and those with disabilities [like the LAC is].

Other Public Commentary and Reports

As it usually does, the board’s meeting included reports from committees and other public commentary.

Planning and Development Committee

Rich Robben reported that the PDC committee had reviewed a 2011 work plan developed by staff – he noted that new board member Anya Dale had attended the committee meeting. Staff will be coming back to PDC with a final draft.

He said that at the upcoming budget retreat, there are a number of decision points that need to be made on various topics: partnership with the University of Michigan; Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti service; hiring of more staff for the TMP; van pool for the county; WALLY; and Metro Detroit airport service.

Performance Monitoring and External Relations

Jesse Bernstein reported that the committee continued to look closely at finance and utilization numbers. The AATA ridership numbers were following the nationwide trend of a drop in ridership, but the local numbers were somewhat better than the national trend. He said there was no indication that fare increases had an impact on lowering ridership.

Bernstein reported that MichiVan is being discontinued in its current form – there are currently 88 vans running into Washtenaw County. Grand Rapids, he said, has a model where they opted out of the statewide program. AATA staff will bring recommendations on the possibility of adopting a similar model here.

The switch has been made to running the Ann Arbor-Chelsea Express service with regular AATA buses.  Previously, the service had been contracted out. The buses now have wifi (wireless internet) capability, Bernstein reported. [Chronicle coverage: "AATA on Chelsea Bus: Cut Fares, Add Wifi"]

Bernstein concluded by reporting that work is progressing on the University of Michigan central campus transit center.

LAC Report

The report from the local advisory council was given by Clark Charneski  – in Rebecca Burke’s absence. The LAC’s major discussions had recently focused on changes to the A-Ride system that would improve efficiency and service – they realize it’s an expensive program, he said. The discussion had focused on things like pickup time windows and the number of days in advance you have to book services, he said.

With respect to bus stops, Charneski said, there’d been a discussion of the Arborland stop – you have to cross Pittsfield Boulevard twice plus Washtenaw Avenue once to get from one side to the other, for a total of three streets. They also suggested an extension of the #2 bus route to add service to the University of Michigan’s east Ann Arbor clinic, as more and more medical procedures are being done at that location.

Partridge Weighs In

Thomas Partridge spoke at all three times available for public comment – during the public hearing on the AATA’s capital and categorical grant program, and during two public commentary times.

Partridge introduced himself as a resident of the state senate’s 18th District, for which he is a candidate in the Democratic primary to represent almost all of Washtenaw County and almost all of the AATA service area. He also introduced himself as a resident of one of the only affordable housing apartment complexes that is not served by AATA, and that is inadequately served by WAVE [the Western Washtenaw Area Value Express].

He called planning inadequate to connect services within one countywide system. He said he’d written a letter to the AATA board and to WATS [the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study] asking them to expand grant applications. He called the money for bus shelters as well as for seniors and disabled inadequate. He asked that the board take these grant applications back to the drawing board and bring in members of the senior community and the disabled community and rewrite the grant applications.

As a candidate for the 18th District, he said, he’d been persistent and diligent in calling for unification of the county – economically, politically, and socially – by designing, resourcing and enacting bus transportation  throughout the county. The countywide system should be linked with current bus authorities in the Tri-County area – Wayne, Oakland and Macomb. He asked that the AATA bring back the experts and attorneys that the board had invited to Washtenaw Community College for their December 2009 meeting and to have a countywide millage placed on the ballot.

Partridge, during his final turn addressing the board, told them that it’s easy enough to draw up charts and flowcharts and computerized graphic presentations of a planning process, but it’s more difficult to reach the emotional issues involved. He called on public officials to become users of the system, saying that if the billionaire mayor of New York City can become a daily transit rider, then local officials could do so as well.

Present: Charles Griffith, David Nacht, Jesse Bernstein, Rich Robben, Roger Kerson

Absent: Anya Dale, Sue McCormick

Next meeting (special meeting and board retreat): Monday, July 19, 2010 at 3 p.m. at Weber’s Inn, 3050 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. [confirm date] [July 6 update: The retreat has been canceled, possibly to be rescheduled in early August.]