Chris Haslinger (second from right), director of training for the United Association (UA) of plumbers and pipefitters, received a proclamation from the county board of commissioners at the board’s Aug. 6 meeting. They were gathering for a photo to mark the event. From left: Conan Smith, Andy LaBarre, Alicia Ping, Yousef Rabhi, Chris Haslinger, and Verna McDaniel, the county administrator. (Photos by the writer.)

The county has determined that it’s authorized to collect up to 1/10th of a mill for support of indigent veterans, without seeking voter approval. That’s because the state legislation that enables the county to levy this type of tax – the Veterans Relief Fund Act, Public Act 214 of 1899 – predates the state’s Headlee Amendment. The county first began levying this millage in 2008, and collects the tax in December. The current proposal is to levy 1/27th of a mill in December 2014, which is expected to raise about $540,887 in revenues for use in 2015.

The county’s position is that Act 88 can also be levied without voter approval to fund economic development and agricultural activities. This year, the proposal is to levy 0.07 mills in December 2014 – the same rate that was levied in 2013. It’s expected to raise an estimated $1,022,276 in property tax revenues.

Final action on these tax levies is expected at the board’s Sept. 3 meeting.

Also related to Act 88, the board approved allocations of $87,760 in Act 88 revenues that were collected in 2013, to support six projects. Four of the projects are administrated by Ypsilanti-based Growing Hope, with the remaining two projects initiated by the Michigan State University Product Center.

During the Aug. 6 meeting, commissioners approved amendments to both the Act 88 projects resolution and the resolution to levy the tax this year. The amendments directed the county’s corporation counsel to provide a written opinion about how Act 88 revenues can lawfully be used, and how the tax can be lawfully levied without a vote of the people. The amendments were brought forward by Dan Smith (R-District 2).

In other action, the board received a second-quarter budget update, with projections showing a general fund surplus of $211,920 for the year. The board also made mid-year budget adjustments, which included allocating a $3.9 million surplus from 2013 into unearmarked reserves.

Commissioners approved a new policy to guide decisions on tax increment finance (TIF) proposals, and supported revised rules and guidelines from the water resources commissioner. Those revisions relate to procedures and design criteria for stormwater management systems.

A proclamation made during the Aug. 6 meeting honored Herb Ellis Sr., the first black man to be elected to the Washtenaw County board of commissioners. Ellis was elected in 1968 and served until 1982, representing Ann Arbor. During that time he also was the first black chair of the county board. He passed away on July 10, 2014 at the age of 98.

Another resolution recognized the contributions of United Association (UA), a union of plumbers, pipefitters, sprinkler fitters, welders, and heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) technicians. They’re in this area from Aug. 9-15 for their 61st annual training program, and have announced a new 15-year agreement to continue the program at the Washtenaw Community College.

The Aug. 6 meeting was held one day after the Aug. 5 primary elections. At the start of the meeting, board chair Yousef Rabhi congratulated all primary candidates, and said he looked forward to working with Ruth Ann Jamnick, the winner of the District 5 Democratic primary. He quickly added “pending the general election, but I think…” – a comment that drew laughs. District 5 – which covers August Township and parts of Ypsilanti Township – is heavily Democratic. Jamnick, who prevailed in the four-way Democratic primary, will face Republican Timothy King in the Nov. 4 general election. District 5 was the only race that was contested for the county board, with incumbent Rolland Sizemore Jr. not seeking re-election. Incumbents in all other districts of the nine-member board were unchallenged in the primary.

At the end of the meeting, the board voted to enter into a closed executive session for the purpose of reviewing attorney-client privileged communication. It is one of the exemptions allowed under the Michigan Open Meetings Act.

After about 30 minutes, three commissioners returned to the boardroom – Dan Smith (R-District 2), Alicia Ping (R-District 3) and Conan Smith (D-District 9). They indicated to The Chronicle that they thought the discussion in the closed session had strayed away from the limits imposed by the OMA, and they had left the session because of that. They did not state what the nature of the discussion had been, nor the topic of the session.

Soon after, the remainder of the board emerged from the closed session, and the meeting was adjourned.

Act 88 Grants, Levy

The Aug. 6 agenda included a resolution to approve allocations to six projects, using funds from an Act 88 millage that the county levies each year. Commissioners were also asked to give initial approval to levy that tax.

Tony VanDerworp, the county’s economic development officer.

The county’s position is that Act 88 of 1913 can be levied without voter approval to fund economic development and agricultural activities. This year, the proposal is to levy 0.07 mills in December 2014 – the same rate that was levied in 2013. It’s expected to raise an estimated $1,022,276 in property tax revenues.

In previous years, the resolution setting this millage has outlined how the revenues would be allocated. The largest allocations have gone to the county’s office of community & economic development, and to the nonprofit Ann Arbor SPARK.

However, at its Nov. 6, 2013 meeting, the board adopted a new policy for allocating Act 88 revenues, drafted by Conan Smith (D-District 9). [.pdf of Act 88 policy] The policy included creating an Act 88 advisory committee to make recommendations to the board and prepare an annual report that assesses how Act 88 expenditures have contributed toward progress of goals adopted by the board. The policy allows the committee to distribute up to 10% of annual Act 88 revenues without seeking board approval. The policy also allocates up to 30% of revenues to the county office of community & economic development, which administers Act 88 funding.

This year, the 10% amounts to $91,753. Of that, $3,993 remains unallocated and will stay in the Act 88 fund balance to support future projects. Beyond that, a total of $87,760 in funding was recommended for six projects initiated by two organizations – the Michigan State University Product Center, and Ypsilanti-based Growing Hope [.pdf of staff memo]:

• $10,060 to the MSU Product Center to study the potential for enhanced food processing in Washtenaw County.
• $12,700 to the MSU Product Center to develop “MarketMaker,” a food industry business network and database.
• $20,000 to Growing Hope/Reconsider to run community education events on the Michigan Invests Locally Exemption Act and to study the potential and processes for investing locally in Washtenaw County.
• $13,000 to Growing Hope/Revalue to provide two full-day educational events to assist investors in incorporating local investment offerings into their financial plans.
• $13,000 to Growing Hope to create a study on increasing food assistance sales at farmers markets in Washtenaw County.
• $19,000 to Growing Hope to support the development of an Ypsilanti “MarketPlace,” a year-round farmer’s market, and “MarketHub,” a food distribution center serving underserved communities.

These recommendations were made to the county board by the Act 88 advisory committee. Members are: County commissioners Ronnie Peterson (D-District 6), Alicia Ping (R-District 3) and Conan Smith (D-District 9); Todd Clark, president of United Bank & Trust; and Art Serafinski, chair of the Ypsilanti Convention & Visitors Bureau board. Staff support was provided by the county’s office of community & economic development (OCED), including economic development officer Tony VanDerworp, who attended the Aug. 6 meeting along with OCED director Mary Jo Callan.

Act 88 Grants: Board Discussion

Commissioner Dan Smith (R-District 2) began the discussion by noting that he’s had some long-standing concerns about the legality of how the county is using Act 88 funds. Rather than sorting those issues out that night, he said he’d rather work with the county’s corporation counsel and come to an understanding about it.

He then brought forward an amendment for the projects resolution, requesting that corporation counsel provide the board with a written opinion about the lawful use of the sums raised under Act 88. Smith’s original proposed amendment stated:

FURTHERMORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners directs Corporation Counsel to provide an exhaustive written opinion, by December 31, 2014, detailing the lawful uses of sums raised under Act 88 of 1913 (MCLA 46.161), and that this opinion address in similar manner other possible interpretations.

Smith’s motion did not receive support from any other commissioners to bring it forward for discussion, so Alicia Ping (R-District 3) declared it dead due to the lack of support.

Dan Smith (R-District 2).

Conan Smith (D-District 9) and Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) had been out of the room during this part of the meeting, and returned to their seats just after the motion had been declared dead. Conan Smith said he’d be willing to support Dan Smith’s motion. Alicia Ping (R-District 3) – vice chair of the ways & means committee, who was chairing the meeting in the absence of Ways & Means chair Felicia Brabec (D-District 4) – allowed D. Smith to reintroduce the motion. It was then supported by C. Smith.

C. Smith said there’s been a lot of confusion about Act 88, “and we face it every year.” He and D. Smith had spent a lot of time on the phone talking about the meaning of the act, he said, so “it would be really helpful to have an interpretation that we can use as we go into our granting processes and the distribution of these funds.”

At the Act 88 committee meeting that was held earlier in the day, C. Smith said, they began talking about the grants process for next year, and about how to ensure that the allocations relate specifically to the purposes of the act – “just to make sure we’re on the straight and narrow.” One way to go about it is to leave it up to the committee to determine, though none of the committee members are lawyers, he noted. He thought it would be great to have a statement to rely on. Even if it’s not possible to be definitive – because the law itself is unclear – it would be useful to know what ways the law could be interpreted, he said. C. Smith concluded that he was comfortable with the amendment.

Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) asked Curtis Hedger, the county’s corporation counsel, about what legal effect Hedger’s legal opinion would have – “what would it get us on the hook for down the road, good or bad?”

Curtis Hedger, the county’s corporation counsel.

Hedger replied that like any opinion, it would simply be his advice to the board. As policymakers, ultimately it’s the county commissioners who decide what to do, he noted. If the amendment were approved, he’d give them his best interpretation of how the Act 88 revenues can be spent. Hedger said that asking him to come up with alternative interpretations, as directed by D. Smith’s draft amendment, was a little “touchy-feely.” He added: “That would just be me speculating.”

As far as putting the county on the hook one way or another, Hedger said he didn’t think that was an issue, because it would just be an opinion.

Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) asked what D. Smith meant by the word “exhaustive.” D. Smith replied that Hedger has already provided the board with opinions on other topics that explain how phrases could be construed in different ways. That’s what D. Smith intended by “exhaustive.” The language in MCLA 46.161 is extremely convoluted, he added, so Hedger could explain how parsing the grammar in different ways would yield different interpretations. Then it’s up to the board to decide which interpretation to use, he said.

Rabhi said he thought an opinion was simply an opinion – not a description of other opinions. He wasn’t sure it was an appropriate approach to ask for alternative interpretations. Rabhi would support asking Hedger to give the board his interpretation of the law, but it wasn’t Hedger’s job to do more than that.

C. Smith said he’d asked D. Smith to include that language in the amendment. He noted that the very first sentence of Act 88 has a semicolon in it. That sentence states:

The boards of supervisors of the several counties may levy a special tax on the taxable property within their respective counties for the purpose of creating a fund; or appropriate out of the general fund an amount to be used for advertising agricultural or industrial advantages of the state or county or any part of the state, or for collecting, preparing or maintaining an exhibition of the products and industries of the county at any domestic or foreign exposition, for the purpose of encouraging immigration and increasing the trade in the products of Michigan, or advertising the state and any portion thereof for tourists and resorters.

As an English major, C. Smith said, his interpretation of a semicolon is to stop one thought, and append another thought to it – interrelated but separate. So for the Act 88 language, he said, there might be two legitimate interpretations of the function of that semicolon. It’s important for the board, which will be allocating the Act 88 dollars, “to have some degree of comfort that we’re doing it within the parameters of legality, even if those aren’t 100% clear,” he said.

Conan Smith (D-District 9).

The courts ultimately are responsible for interpreting the law, C. Smith said. If the board asked for a legal opinion and someone then sued the county over Act 88, the board would have a document that showed the legal underpinnings for their decision – and “I would feel more comfortable with the decisions that we are making.”

Act 88 is a mess, C. Smith continued – it’s “ancient” legislation that’s been amended over the decades, making it even more convoluted. “Just knowing that we’re walking down a path that is legal – even if we’re not sure that that is the absolute right path – I think would be helpful for us on the committee to make an allocation of the funds,” he said. “What I definitely don’t want to do is to walk down a path that’s not legal.”

D. Smith said he wants to make sure there’s a very full discussion of the law’s various nuances. At the end of the day, Hedger will provide his best interpretation of the law, he added. But as part of that guidance, it’s prudent to explore other ways that it could be interpreted. It should answer as many questions as can be answered, he said, “so that this issue is put to rest once and for all.”

Rabhi said it seemed like D. Smith was trying to do Hedger’s job. He thought they should ask the person that they hired to be the county’s attorney for his opinion. If the board wants a white paper on Act 88, they should ask for that – but maybe not from Hedger, he said. Rabhi asked Hedger what he thought.

Hedger replied that after this discussion, he had a better feel for what the amendment is asking for. He said D. Smith was right – when Hedger writes legal opinions for the board, he often describes other interpretations that he doesn’t necessarily agree with. He didn’t have a problem with this approach.

Alicia Ping (R-District 3) didn’t think the amendment accurately reflected what the board wanted from Hedger. C. Smith said he’d be comfortable striking the last clause: “…and that this opinion address in similar manner other possible interpretations.” D. Smith agreed to that change.

Rabhi thanked the Smiths, saying that striking the clause would allow him to support the amendment.

The revised amendment was as follows: [strike-through reflects a clause that was struck during deliberations]:

FURTHERMORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners directs Corporation Counsel to provide an exhaustive written opinion, by December 31, 2014, detailing the lawful uses of sums raised under Act 88 of 1913 (MCLA 46.161), and that this opinion address in similar manner other possible interpretations.

Outcome on the amendment, as revised: It passed unanimously on a voice vote.

Outcome on main resolution, as amended: The board unanimously passed the resolution allocating Act 88 funds, without additional discussion.

After the vote, Conan Smith commented that this was the first round of competitive Act 88 grants, and the projects are really interesting. “I think they’ll be very impactful on the community,” he said. He was especially excited about the grant to Growing Hope to study how to increase the use of food stamps at the Ypsilanti farmers market, so that people who use food stamps can get better access to fresh fruit and vegetables. He encouraged everyone in the community to take a close look at these projects.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5) expressed some frustration about the amount of money in general that’s being spent on studies, rather than directly on projects. He thought that the Ypsilanti farmers market project should be expanded to other parts of the county.

Act 88 Levy: Board Discussion

Later in the meeting, the board was asked to consider a separate resolution that would authorize the county to levy the Act 88 tax this year.

Dan Smith brought forward a similar amendment, aimed at getting a firm understanding of the Act 88 millage:

FURTHERMORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners directs Corporation Counsel to provide an exhaustive written opinion, by October 1, 2014, detailing the exact mechanism under which Act 88 of 1913 taxes may be levied in excess of Article IX, Section 6 constitutional limits without a vote of the people.

There was no discussion on the amendment.

Outcome on the amendment: It passed unanimously on a voice vote.

Outcome on the main resolution, as amended: It passed unanimously.

2nd Quarter Budget Update

The administration gave an update on the county’s second-quarter financial status, for the period from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2014. County administrator Verna McDaniel introduced the update by calling it “good news.” [.pdf of presentation]

Finance analyst Tina Gavalier.

Tina Gavalier of the county’s finance staff told commissioners that property tax revenue is showing a projected surplus of $720,000 compared to what was budgeted for 2014. In addition, the sheriff’s office is projecting a roughly $200,000 surplus due to federal, state and local reimbursements for prisoner boardings. In the category of general intergovernmental revenues, there’s now a projected surplus of $370,000 due to state liquor tax funds and local reimbursements for animal control.

Several other areas are showing a revenue shortfall, however, compared to the amount budgeted. Those units include the clerk/register of deeds ($350,000 shortfall), district court ($209,000 shortfall), trial court ($73,000 shortfall) and interest income ($71,000 shortfall).

Gavalier noted that the trial court is still determining the impact of a Michigan Supreme Court decision prohibiting the assessment of court costs on criminal cases. The court can collect on anything that was assessed prior to the court ruling, she explained, but if no legislative action is taken, courts could see a substantial decrease in future revenues.

Overall, the net projected revenues for the general fund show a revenue surplus of $656,991.

On the expenditure side, the sheriff’s office has a projected over-expenditure of $673,000 related to overtime costs, inmate food and medical services, and law enforcement operating supplies. Gavalier said the sheriff and his staff are actively working to reduce that over-expenditure by year’s end. All other departments are reporting a combined operating surplus of $135,000.

In other expenditure categories, the line item for tax appeals and refunds is projected to have a surplus of about $239,000. The line item of central charges has a projected surplus of $93,000 due to tax refund overpayments being less than budgeted – partially offset by projected over-expenditures from the homelessness initiative that the board approved earlier this year. Appropriations are assumed to be on budget at $16.2 million. The expenditure projections also took into account structural and non-structural budget adjustments that have been made so far in 2014, totaling $560,000.

The net projected over-expenditures for the general fund are $445,070. So the projected general fund surplus for 2014 is $211,920.

Washtenaw County general fund projections for 2014.

If that $211,920 is added to the fund balance at year’s end, Gavalier said, then the fund balance would be 20.3% of the general fund expenditures.

Most departments that aren’t part of the general fund are on budget or are projecting a surplus, Gavalier reported. Two areas – veterans relief and risk management – are using their fund balances as planned, she said.

Some revenue issues to monitor include: (1) state legislation that might repeal or reform Act 88, (2) revenues for the clerk/register of deeds office, (3) court revenues, (4) personal property tax reform, and (5) payments from state revenue-sharing. Expenditure items to monitor include rising costs in the child care fund due to increased caseloads and placements, the sheriff’s office costs, and union contract negotiations.

Gavalier noted that the board will receive a third-quarter update in November, with a budget reaffirmation process taking place this fall for the 2015-2017 budget.

2nd Quarter Budget Update: Board Discussion

Responding to a query from Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8), Tina Gavalier explained that the projected revenue shortfall of $350,000 in the clerk/register of deeds office was from lower-than-projected fees from document-processing – such as real estate transfers and marriage licenses. It’s lower than it’s been in the past several years. Rabhi quipped: “Buy houses and get married, everybody!”

County administrator Verna McDaniel.

Regarding the courts, Rabhi asked if there’s legislation pending to address the impact of the recent state Supreme Court ruling. He wondered if the county’s lobbyist needed to work on something in Lansing. [Washtenaw County and several other local municipalities pay Governmental Consultant Services Inc. to act as a lobbyist for their interests at the state level.]

County administrator Verna McDaniel said she hadn’t taken any action on this issue, but would be talking with the court administrators about it. She pointed out that the courts operate under a lump sum budget.

Rabhi said it might be worthwhile to see what other counties are facing, and to see if there’s potential to work across county lines. McDaniel said she’d get more information about that.

Dan Smith (R-District 2) wondered when the new GASB regulations take effect. He was concerned when the administration talks about a “surplus,” knowing that the county actually has about a huge amount of unfunded liability.

By way of background, Smith was referring to more than $200 million in unfunded liabilities from the retiree health care and pension funds. The new accounting changes – required by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) – take effect in phases. In 2014, the main change will be more disclosures in notes to the financial statements, required by GASB 67. But in 2015, when GASB 68 is implemented, the county’s unfunded actuarial accrued pension liability will be booked as a liability in the county’s statement of net position, which will be a significant change, according to the county’s finance staff. New standards for health care liabilities will be addressed in the future by GASB, and the county’s accounting staff is working on that.

McDaniel replied that it’s an issue that staff will “continue to dialogue with this board about,” to get direction in terms of priorities and any additional actuarial payments that might be required.

Alicia Ping (R-District 3) asked about the shortfall for the courts, saying she was concerned about it. She wondered how that will impact the memorandum of understanding with the county, regarding the lump sum budget under which the courts operate. McDaniel noted that in the past, the courts have been able to work within their lump sum budget. But this year, the impact of the Supreme Court ruling will be substantial, she said. So the courts will have to come up with a plan about how they’ll handle it. The impact could be as much as a half million dollars, McDaniel said. “We’ll work with them, and we’ll have more information as this develops.”

Ping also asked for a breakdown in line-item costs that are contributing to the over-expenditures in the sheriff’s office budget. McDaniel said that the sheriff, Jerry Clayton, felt confident that expenses will even out over the remainder of 2014, based on actions that his office is taking.

Outcome: This was not a voting item.

2014 Budget Adjustments

Commissioners were asked to give final approval to mid-year budget adjustments, including allocating this year’s higher-than-expected property tax revenues and a $3.9 million surplus from 2013. Initial approval had been given at the board’s July 9 meeting.

The adjustments increased the general fund budget’s expenses and revenues by $720,486 for 2014, $733,233 for 2015, $745,980 for 2016 and $758,727 for 2017. The county operates on a four-year budget, with the fiscal year matching the calendar year.

The adjustments were recommended by county administrator Verna McDaniel, who requested setting aside the $3,920,818 surplus from 2013 in unearmarked reserves, rather than spending it. The projected year-end 2014 fund balance is $20,638,675. The county board had previously approved a goal of holding a fund balance equal to 20% of its general fund budget. For 2014, the general fund budget is $103,127,202. [.pdf of staff memo and mid-year budget resolution]

In addition, the following mid-year budget adjustments were made to the general fund:

• Structural adjustments resulting in a $494,677 increase in expenditures for: (1) providing employee health care coverage for autism; (2) a consultant to help with the board’s budget priority work, (3) a “local government initiatives” intern; (4) reinstatement of two full-time equivalent positions in the sheriff’s office; and (5) salary adjustments for non-union employees.
• Non-structural, one-time, adjustments that increased expenditures by $65,000 for homelessness initiatives.

The administration recommended that the remaining $160,809 be held as an undesignated allocation until budget projections improve as new information becomes available. Finance staff gave a second-quarter budget update on Aug. 6, projecting that the county will have a $211,920 general fund surplus at the end of 2014. [.pdf of budget presentation]

From left: County prosecuting attorney Brian Mackie and commissioner Dan Smith (R-District 2).

When an initial vote was taken on July 9, commissioners Dan Smith (R-District 2) and Conan Smith (D-District 9) had voted against it. On Aug. 6, both raised the same concerns they’ve voiced earlier.

Conan Smith said he hoped that when the county achieves its goal of a fund balance equal to 20% of the general fund budget, then any extra surplus would be “put to work in the community.” With its vote that night, the board will have achieved fiscal stability, he said, and he looked forward to achieving community stability as well.

Dan Smith stressed the importance of setting a budget and sticking to it, with adjustments coming only during the annual budget affirmation process – rather than throughout the year. There are other things to focus on, he said, including policy issues.

Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) said he agreed with C. Smith. The board has done a lot to make sure the county’s financial security is in place. Looking forward, there are some investments that the county can make in the community. He thanked C. Smith for advocating on that issue.

Outcome: The budget adjustments passed unanimously.

Veterans Relief Tax

Commissioners were asked to give initial approval to levy a tax to support services for indigent veterans.

The county has determined that it is authorized to collect up to 1/10th of a mill without seeking voter approval. That’s because the state legislation that enables the county to levy this type of tax – the Veterans Relief Fund Act, Public Act 214 of 1899 – predates the state’s Headlee Amendment. The county first began levying this millage in 2008, and collects the tax in December. Services are administered through the county’s department of veterans affairs.

Since 2008, the county board has slightly increased the rate that it levies each year. In 2012, the rate was 0.0286 mills – or 1/35th of a mill. It was raised to a rate of 1/30th of a mill in December 2013, to fund services in 2014.

The current proposal is to levy 1/27th of a mill in December 2014, which is expected to raise about $540,887 in revenues for use in 2015.

There was no discussion of this item at the board’s Aug. 6 meeting.

Outcome: The board unanimously gave initial approval to levy this millage. A final vote is expected at the board’s Sept. 3 meeting.

New TIF Policy

Commissioners were asked to give initial approval a policy to guide the county’s participation in tax increment financing (TIF) authorities.

Commissioner Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) and county administrator Verna McDaniel.

At its Oct. 16, 2013 meeting, the board had passed a resolution directing county administrator Verna McDaniel to develop a policy for evaluating future TIF proposals. The resolution stated that the policy would be developed with input from staff of the office of community and economic development, the equalization department, and the brownfield redevelopment authority. The Oct. 16 resolution was passed over dissent by the board’s two Republican commissioners, Dan Smith (R-District 2) and Alicia Ping (R-District 3).

Subsequently, an advisory committee was formed to help develop the policy. Members were: county commissioner Andy LaBarre (D-District 7); county treasurer Catherine McClary; corporation counsel Curtis Hedger; and finance director Kelly Belknap.

The two-page policy brought forward by McDaniel lays out a process by which the board would consider any proposed or amended Corridor Improvement Authority (CIA) or Downtown Development Authority (DDA) where the capture of county tax revenues is requested. [.pdf of TIF policy]

New TIF Policy: Board Discussion

Dan Smith (R-District 2) referred to this section of the policy:

III. Tax Increment Financing Participation Process

Any local unit of government proposing a new or amended Corridor Improvement Authority or Downtown Development Authority, or other statutory entity empowered to capture, incremental County tax revenues are requested, shall adhere to the following review process, in addition to those specified by the appropriate state enabling legislation:

…

D. Any County participation in these Tax Increment Financing Districts shall be through the execution of a participation agreement. A participation agreement shall include, at a minimum, extent of County participation including estimated amount (consideration of dollar for dollar and percentage estimates), duration, and methods, if any, of termination and reporting requirements.

IV. County Opt Out Authorization

In the event a requesting entity fails to adhere to this process, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners authorize the County Administrator to take the appropriate steps to opt out of participation in the proposed tax increment financing plan.

It appeared to D. Smith that no additional board approval would be required, in order for the county administrator to begin opt-out proceedings if the requesting entity doesn’t follow the agreed-upon process. He didn’t object to that approach, but wanted to make certain that it’s what is intended.

Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) responded, saying that D. Smith’s interpretation was correct. Corporation counsel Curtis Hedger said the committee gave that authorization because of a potential timing issue. There are times when deadlines related to the TIF process would occur before the next board meeting, “so it gives the administrator some flexibility,” he said.

LaBarre said the policy is an attempt to give the board as broad a framework as possible. This is a tool the board could use, he said, but he also urged the board to look at each individual proposal in its set-up and its context. There are so many different types of tax-capture mechanisms for many different purposes, so he wanted to give that caveat. LaBarre praised the county staff for their work in developing this policy, saying “I simply went along for the ride.

Outcome: The TIF policy passed unanimously on an initial vote. A final vote is expected at the board’s next meeting, on Sept. 3.

Appointments

Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8), the board’s chair, made several nominations for appointments.

• Food Policy Council: Khadije Wallace to the slot for a citizen representative, for a term ending Dec. 31, 2014.
• River Raisin Watershed Council: Evan Pratt, the county’s water resources commissioner, as the Washtenaw County representative; and Harry Sheehan, environmental manager with the water resources commissioner’s office, as the county alternate. Those terms both end on Dec. 31, 2014.
• 2014 Remonumentation and Land Survey Peer Review Group: Thomas Sutherland, John Jekabson, Kevin Gingras, Patrick Hastings and Kenneth Coleman.

Outcome: All appointments were confirmed.

Water Resources: Revised Rules & Guidelines

The board’s Aug. 6 agenda included an item to support new rules and guidelines proposed by the county’s water resources commissioner, Evan Pratt. The changes relate to procedures and design criteria for stormwater management systems. [.pdf of revised rules and guidelines]

The previous rules and guidelines had been adopted in 2000. According to a staff memo, the new changes reflect updated requirements of the county’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II stormwater discharge permit, which is administered by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Pratt attended the Aug. 6 meeting, but there were no questions from commissioners and no discussion on this item.

Outcome: The resolution supporting the revised rules and guidelines was approved.

Communications & Commentary

During the Aug. 6 meeting there were multiple opportunities for communications from the administration and commissioners, as well as public commentary. In addition to issues reported earlier in this article, here are some other highlights.

Communications & Commentary: Proclamations – UA

At its July 9, 2014 meeting, the board had passed a proclamation welcoming the United Association (UA), a union of plumbers, pipefitters, sprinkler fitters, welders, and heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) technicians. They’ll be in this area from Aug. 9-15 for their 61st annual training program. For the past 25 years, that program has been held in Washtenaw County on the Washtenaw Community College campus, bringing about 2,400 participants to the county with an estimated economic impact of $5 million. [.pdf of UA proclamation]

Chris Haslinger, director of training for the United Association (UA) of plumbers and pipefitters.

At the Aug. 6 meeting, Chris Haslinger, director of training for the UA, was on hand to receive the proclamation. He thanked the board. He described the growth of the training program over the years, pointing out that this year there will be 450 first-time attendees. He noted that the community here welcomes the UA members, and that the union receives a great deal of assistance from the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti convention and visitors bureaus. Both presidents of those bureaus – Mary Kerr and Debbie Locke Daniel – also attended the county board’s Aug. 6 meeting.

Halsinger reported that the UA had reached an agreement with WCC to extend the program here through 2028. There are eight people based in the Ann Arbor area who work year-round on UA training programs, he said. Eight people might not seem like a lot, he added, but it’s important that they live here and contribute to the community.

He described some other initiatives undertaken with WCC, and concluded by thanking the county, the city of Ann Arbor, Local 190 and Local 704. “We look forward to a future in the Ann Arbor community,” he said.

Board chair Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) responded by thanking Halsinger and sharing an anecdote. He said he was on a conference call with U.S. vice president Joe Biden, discussing the future of the country’s talent and job resources. Rabhi said he asked Biden a question and mentioned the partnership between WCC, the county, the UA and other communities as an example of the direction that the country should be heading. He thanked Haslinger for UA’s investment in this community.

Communications & Commentary: Proclamations – Herb Ellis Sr.

Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) read a proclamation honoring Herb Ellis Sr., the first black man to be elected to the Washtenaw County board of commissioners. Ellis was elected in 1968 and served until 1982, representing Ann Arbor. During that time he also was the first black chair of the county board. [.pdf of proclamation]

Jeff Ellis.

Ellis had passed away on July 10, 2014 at the age of 98.

Jeff Ellis, one of Ellis’ sons, was on hand to accept the proclamation. His father’s life was dedicated to serving others, either through education, civic organizations or as an elected official, he said. In particular, Ellis had been interested in public health issues, promoting educational opportunities for young people, and improving the lives of senior citizens.

Herb Ellis was a pioneer in the community, as one of the first black teachers in the Ann Arbor public school system, and the first person of color to be elected to the county board of commissioners. He was recognized as a consensus-builder, Jeff Ellis said. “He believed in leading by example, and did his best to be a positive role model in all aspects of his life. By most accounts, he was successful in that effort.”

Communications & Commentary: Proclamations – Donald Shelton

The board had a third proclamation – for 22nd circuit court judge Donald Shelton, who is retiring this year. [.pdf of proclamation for Shelton] Shelton was out of town and did not attend the Aug. 6 meeting. Yousef Rabhi reported that the proclamation would be given to Shelton at a retirement party later this year.

Communications & Commentary: Public Commentary

Thomas Partridge introduced himself as a recent candidate for political office in the state legislature and Ann Arbor city council. He called on the county to redouble its efforts after the Aug. 5 primary election to give priority to eliminating homelessness, generating adequate affordable housing, true countywide affordable and accessible public transportation, affordable health care and education. He supported Act 88 funding but didn’t think the grants reflected these priorities. Partridge advocated for support of Democrat Mark Schauer in his bid for governor, and for a progressive Democratic platform to address the needs of the most vulnerable residents. The state needs a balanced budget, but not one that’s balanced on the backs of those who are least able to fend for themselves in this economy.

Executive Session

At the end of the meeting, the board voted unanimously to go into executive session for the purpose of reviewing attorney-client privileged communication. It is one of the exemptions allowed under the Michigan Open Meetings Act. Commissioners retreated to a room in the administration’s offices, along with several staff members and others who had been invited into the closed session.

After about 30 minutes, three commissioners returned to the boardroom – Dan Smith (R-District 2), Alicia Ping (R-District 3) and Conan Smith (D-District 9). They indicated to The Chronicle that they thought the discussion in the closed session had strayed away from the limits imposed by the OMA, and they had left the session because of that. They did not state what the nature of the discussion had been, nor the topic of the session.

Soon after, the remainder of the board emerged from the closed session, and the meeting was adjourned.

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

Absent: Felicia Brabec, Ronnie Peterson.

Next regular board meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 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.

The adjustments increased the general fund budget’s expenses and revenues by $720,486 for 2014, $733,233 for 2015, $745,980 for 2016 and $758,727 for 2017. The county operates on a four-year budget, with the fiscal year matching the calendar year.

The adjustments also followed the recommendation of county administrator Verna McDaniel, and set aside the $3,920,818 surplus from 2013 in unearmarked reserves, rather than spending it. The projected year-end 2014 fund balance is $20,638,675. The county board had previously approved a goal of holding a fund balance equal to 20% of its general fund budget. For 2014, the general fund budget is $103,127,202. [.pdf of staff memo and mid-year budget resolution]

In addition, the following mid-year budget adjustments were made to the general fund:

• Structural adjustments resulting in a $494,677 increase in expenditures for (1) providing employee health care coverage for autism; (2) a consultant to help with the board’s budget priority work, (3) a “local government initiatives” intern; (4) reinstatement of two full-time equivalent positions in the sheriff’s office; and (5) salary adjustments for non-union employees.
• Non-structural, one-time, adjustments that increased expenditures by $65,000 for homelessness initiatives.

The administration recommended that the remaining $160,809 be held as an undesignated allocation until budget projections improve as new information becomes available. Finance staff gave a second-quarter budget update on Aug. 6, projecting that the county will have a $211,920 general fund surplus at the end of 2014. [.pdf of budget presentation]

When an initial vote was taken on July 9, commissioners Dan Smith (R-District 2) and Conan Smith (D-District 9) had voted against it. Although they supported it on Aug. 6, both raised the same concerns they’ve voiced earlier. Conan Smith said he hoped that when the county achieves its goal of a fund balance equal to 20% of the general fund budget, then any extra surplus would be “put to work in the community.” Dan Smith stressed the importance of setting a budget and sticking to it, with adjustments coming only during the annual budget affirmation process – rather than throughout the year.

This brief was filed from the county administration building at 220 N. Main. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow.

From left: AAATA strategic planner Michael Benham, Ed Vielmetti (background) and CEO Michael Ford, talked after the meeting.

The board barely achieved a quorum – with six of 10 board members attending. Anya Dale presided over the meeting in the absence of board chair Charles Griffith.

The board received some updates on the preparations for implementing that expanded service plan. And three of the board’s July 24 voting items were related at least indirectly to the additional services: a plan for acquiring 20 new buses; adjustments to the current fiscal year’s operating budget; and a tweak to the AAATA’s mission statement.

The mission statement was modified to highlight “accessible” as the kind of transit services that the AAATA aspires to provide. The change to the mission statement also reflected the addition last year of the word “area” to the name of the organization. That name change came as the result of adding the city of Ypsilanti as well as Ypsilanti Township as members of the authority. Previously, the city of Ann Arbor had been the sole member. The additional services will be paid for with a millage levied on property owners from all the member jurisdictions.

The fiscal 2014 budget ends Sept. 30. Revenues were adjusted to reflect the millage revenue. Of the additional $4,543,695 in local millage revenues, $3,850,000 is being put toward next year’s FY 2015 budget. Adjustments to this year’s budget include changes to reflect the hiring and training of 11 new bus drivers, bringing the total to 138 drivers. An operations supervisor, two new vehicle mechanics, an additional service crew member, and a human resources administrative assistant will also be added.

The additional 20 buses the AAATA is acquiring for the service expansion are spread over the next three years, with two to be acquired this year, 11 in FY 2015 and 7 in FY 2016. The buses for FY 2015 and 2016 will be paid for with the additional local millage funds, while the buses this year will tap a federal grant with matching state funds. A public hearing was held on the federal grant application that will include those two buses.

Potential future expansion of services – in addition to those to be implemented starting Aug. 24 – was also reflected in a voting item on the board’s July 24 agenda. The board approved an increase in the contract with SmithGroupJJR from $105,200 to $800,000 – to continue study of north-south commuter rail options between Howell and Ann Arbor. An earlier phase of the study for the WALLY (Washtenaw and Livingston Railway) project identified a segment of the Ann Arbor Railroad right-of-way, between Liberty and Washington streets, as a preferred location for a downtown Ann Arbor station. A portion of the work is being paid for with a $640,000 federal Transportation, Community and System Preservation (TCSP) program grant.

The final voting item on the board’s agenda was a $234,360 contract with GZA GeoEnvironmental to perform environmental cleanup work at the AAATA headquarters building at 2700 S. Industrial Highway. The cleanup, which involves contamination from a gasoline leak that was identified in 2010, is covered by insurance.

At its July 24 meeting, the board also heard its usual range of updates, reports and public commentary, much of which highlighted the idea of accessibility.

AAATA Mission Statement

The board considered an update to the organization’s mission statement – to reflect the new name of the organization and a few other concerns. The proposed modified mission statement, which reflected board discussion at its June 10 retreat, read as follows [added words in bold, deleted words in strike-through]

It is the Mission of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority to provide accessible useful, reliable, safe, environmentally responsible, and cost-effective public transportation options for the benefit of the Greater Ann Arbor Area Community.

The mission statement had been last affirmed over five years ago at the AAATA’s Feb. 18, 2009 board meeting.

The word “useful” was critiqued by some board members at the June retreat as too modest an attribute, and they argued for “valuable” instead. Ultimately, the consensus was that this positive, goal-oriented attribute could be incorporated through adding the word “benefit.”

Inserting the word “accessible” was championed at the retreat by board member Jack Bernard. He works in the office of the University of Michigan’s general counsel and serves on the university’s council for disability concerns.

The insertion of the word “area” in the mission statement reflects the geographic expansion of the AAATA’s jurisdiction in 2013 to include the city of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township – as well as the formal change of the authority’s name to include “area.” [.pdf of memo on AAATA mission statement]

Mission Statement: Public Commentary

Thomas Partridge addressed the board’s mission statement. He said it needed to be expanded – to serve the needs of the most vulnerable riders. The operating budget needs to have additional funding to greater serve the most vulnerable riders in terms of disabled persons and senior citizens in particular, he said. And the board needs to answer how, with the passage of the millage, service will be targeted to the disabled people and seniors. Partridge did not see those priorities in the existing materials and the existing applications to the FTA for formula funding. He also questioned whether existing funding could be used to continue planning for a true countywide transportation system. Such a system is certainly needed to serve those areas of the county that do not have existing bus service, senior ride service, or paratransit handicap ride service, he said.

Mission Statement: Board Discussion

Roger Kerson reported out for the performance monitoring and external relations (PMER) committee. He noted that the revised mission statement was on the board’s agenda. He pointed out that there had been some debate about the use of the word “useful.” He urged the board to take a careful read of the proposed new language, saying that the issue should not be re-debated at every meeting – the board should adopt a mission statement that it really likes.

During question time, Jack Bernard talked about the image of the “service star” in some of the marketing materials and how it matches up with the mission statement. He asked that the board continue to think about how that star is going to look after the mission statement is adjusted. He put a plug in for “accessibility” to be added into that graphic.

When the board came to the item on its agenda, Kerson was asked to read aloud the new mission statement, which he did. Larry Krieg said he rather lamented the demise of the word “useful” but was willing to live with a mission statement as it stands. He felt it would require too much revision of planned materials to change it now. In some ways, usefulness is so fundamental to the mission of any transit organization that it almost goes without saying. So Krieg could live without saying it, as long as the AAATA remembers that it needs to be useful to the community – that is why it’s there.

Jack Bernard thanked his board colleagues for including the word “accessible.” He also appreciated the fact that the word had not been relegated to the end. So often, accessibility is relegated to an afterthought at the end of the statement. Putting it at the beginning heralds that all the programs, services and buses are to be accessible to all – people who have disabilities, older passengers, kids, people with resources and people who don’t have a great deal of resources. It’s the entire community that they are trying to serve. So he commended the board for stepping up to this and including the word “accessible.”

Outcome: The board voted unanimously to adopt the new mission statement.

Mission Statement: Accessibility

During his report to the board, CEO Michael Ford noted that during public commentary at the planning and development committee meeting, there had been a request for additional information at bus stops to aid passengers. The AAATA is considering redesigning its bus stops and changing the size of the signs to provide more information on each side of each sign, he said.

During question time, Jack Bernard thanked Ford for talking about the expansion of information at the bus stops. He felt it was a very important thing. But as the organization thinks about doing that, he wanted to encourage people to be aware of a general trend across organizations: When more information is provided, the font tends to be shrunk. He encouraged the AAATA, as it thinks about the real estate of the sign, to understand that there’s a cost associated with shrinking everything down – because it ends up not having a great deal of utility.

Bernard asked that a QR code be included, as more information is added on bus stops signs. That would enable somebody to get that information and then enlarge it or get expanded information using a mobile device. Those QR codes are a very efficient way to drive people to information that they want, which can not be included on the sign. He allowed that not all riders have a smartphone, so essential information still needs to be included on the physical sign. Increasingly, however, riders are connected with mobile devices.

Ford responded to Bernard by saying that staff just had a meeting about QR codes and signage, and they discussed issues of color contrast, placement and height. So Ford welcomed Bernard’s comments.

During public commentary time at the conclusion of the meeting, Ed Vielmetti responded to Bernard’s suggestion about QR codes. A local example of where that’s being done is the University of Michigan’s transit system, he said. There are QR codes on a number of the university’s bus stop signs. You put your phone up to it, it beeps, and it gives you a link to information that is specific to that individual stop – so it is not general information about the system, or general information about the line that you’re on, but rather it’s information relevant to your exact location. That is immensely helpful, Vielmetti said, especially if you are in an unfamiliar spot wondering where the bus goes, or when the bus coming, or if it is even running right now. It’s not a trivial exercise to assemble real-time, pinpoint information for thousands of stops, he ventured, but he called it a worthwhile goal.

Also during public commentary at the end of the meeting, Thomas Partridge told the board that he had attended the AAATA’s meetings numerous times over more than a decade, pleading for greater assistance for the most vulnerable riders – including handicapped riders and senior citizens. He questioned whether the board and administration of the AAATA comprehended and absorbed the full range of difficulties that disabled people and senior riders have in using the system.

Earlier in the meeting, during his report from the performance monitoring and external relations committee, Roger Kerson noted that a new web developer has been hired on staff: Preston Stewart. Kerson felt it was a good transition to bring the web project in-house so that the AAATA is not at the mercy of a contractor. If you think about the core functions of the agency, Kerson said, the ability to communicate regularly with its customers in an efficient and up-to-date manner is not an add-on – that is a core function. He called Preston’s previous experience very impressive.

Bernard said he was thrilled to hear that a new web developer had been hired. It remains continually important for the website to be accessible. He said that strides have been made, but the website was not yet completely accessible. He hoped that the web developer would be provided any support that he needed to make the AAATA website as accessible as it can be. Bernard asked if the new web developer had any experience in accessible websites. Ford was not sure, but said the AAATA was focused on that issue.

New Buses

The board considered a change to its capital and categorical grant program – in order to acquire new buses needed to implement expanded services. The services will be funded by the new millage that voters approved earlier this year on May 6, 2014. The expanded services are scheduled to begin on Aug 24.

The plan is add a total of 20 new buses over the next three years to the AAATA’s existing fleet of 80 buses. Total cost for the vehicles is $9 million.

The initial service expansion will not require many additional buses – as expanded services focus on extended hours of operation. But over the five-year service expansion, new route configurations and higher frequency services will require the additional vehicles. By year, here’s how the bus acquisition breaks down:

• 2014: 2 buses for service expansion. Federal grant and state matching funds ($1,016,250). [Tentative: clean diesel.]
• 2015: 11 buses for service expansion. Local funds from new millage ($4,903,300). [Tentative: clean diesel.]
• 2016: 7 buses for service expansion. Local funds from new millage ($3,187,100). [Tentative: clean diesel.]

A tentative decision appears to have been made to specify the drive train on the new buses as conventional clean diesel, as opposed to the hybrid electric technology used by 52 of the current 80-bus fleet. However, no final decision has been made on the technology choice. The incremental cost per bus for the hybrid technology is nearly $200,000.

Minutes from the board’s July 8, 2014 planning and development committee show that AAATA maintenance manager Terry Black has indicated a final decision on the type of power unit for the buses needs to be made by November or December of 2014 – and certainly no later than February of 2015. The battery packs for many of the existing hybrid buses are reaching the end of their projected life, and the AAATA is also weighing the hybrid-versus-conventional diesel decision for replacement of those buses.

Among the issues to be weighed for the hybrid-versus-conventional diesel decision are fuel savings and noise reduction associated with hybrids. At the AAATA’s June 10 meeting, Black reported that for the newer clean diesel models, there is not a significant difference in the fuel economy. Some of the AAATA’s existing hybrid buses have had some transmission problems, which have resulted in a cost of $50,000 per bus. Even though that cost has been covered under warranty, the manufacturer is looking toward reducing the warranty coverage.

The board’s planning and development committee is supposed to receive a report on the hybrid-versus-diesel issue at its August meeting.

Outcome: When the board reached the voting item on its agenda, there was no additional discussion. The board unanimously approved the amendment to the capital and categorical grant program.

New Buses: Federal Grant Application

While most of the new buses needed for the expansion of service will be purchased with new millage funds, at least two buses will be purchased with federal grant money. A public hearing was held on the federal grant applications, which essentially mirrored the capital and categorical grant program already approved by the board last year, with the exception of some “livability” funds that the AAATA had been awarded a few months ago.

Chris White, AAATA manager of service development, explained that the public hearing was about the FY 2014 program of projects. The program of projects and the public hearing notice had been published in the Ann Arbor News twice. And it had been posted on the AAATA website for the last 30 days. No written comments had been received either by mail or by email at that point, White said. He then reviewed the entire program.

The projects in this program come directly from the capital and categorical grant program that was adopted by the board in December 2013 – with one exception, White said. When the AAATA was developing the capital and categorical grant program, a process was used that was open to the public. That included three meetings of the planning and development committee, and the board meeting at which the program was actually adopted. Any additional comments received that night would be included in the record for the Federal Transit Administration to review, White said.

White explained that the amounts in the program – Section 5307 ($6,457,306), and Section 5339 ($752,049) funds – are formula funds that are allocated to the Ann Arbor urbanized area. The southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is now the designated recipient for those funds, but the RTA has given the AAATA the authority to program that money and to make applications directly to the Federal Transit Administration for those funds. Livability Section 5309 ($813,000) funds are discretionary, White said.

There was also an amount for 5307 carryover ($622,969), White said. Those are funds from last year that the AAATA did not program. The funds are available to the AAATA for the two years following their appropriation. So the AAATA always uses up the money, but not always in the year that the funds are appropriated.

The total program is for the use of a total of $7,521,000 in federal funds. The total amount available is $8,645,324, so about $1.1 million will be carried over into FY 2015, White said.

White then reviewed the items in the program – nine small “expansion buses.” These are buses that AAATA will purchase that the paratransit contractor now provides for A-Ride service, White explained. So these buses are not to expand A-Ride service, so much as for the AAATA to provide that service directly, he clarified.

The second item on the list of projects is three large buses for expanded service. Those buses will use the federal Livability Section funds – the discretionary funds that the AAATA received. The AAATA had been informed that it had received approval for funds during the year – just a couple of months ago. And they were not included in the capital and categorical grant program, because the AAATA didn’t think it had the funds for the buses at that time.

White noted that this item was labeled as “up to three large buses.” He explained the $813,000 was actually not enough for three full buses – it’s enough for two buses and a fraction of a bus. The AAATA must record “up to three” in order to spend the entire amount, White said. Those are buses for the AAATA’s expansion for the five-year transit improvement program. The millage funds that were approved by the voters were programmed to buy expansion buses. Most of those buses will still be purchased from the local funds, White said. The livability funds would help the AAATA purchase two and a fraction of those buses.

All the other items on the program of projects are being paid for with the Section 5307 formula funds – computer-aided reservations dispatch for A-Ride, computer hardware and software, bus components (for hybrid buses), bus stop improvements (a Super Stop on Washtenaw Avenue), capital costs of subcontracted service, preventive maintenance and operating assistance.

New Buses: Federal Grant Application – Public Hearing

Jim Mogensen told the board that he thought it would be helpful in the future to have an issue paper that explains how the formula funds work. Is it because of the amount of service that we have? It seems that what is happening, Mogensen said, is you find out how much the funds are and then you figure out how to allocate the money in these various categories. But for someone who doesn’t have that information, it’s a little unclear how that would work. The other thing that would be helpful to know is what happens if for some reason federal money doesn’t come through. How would that impact how the funds are sorted out?

Tom Partridge questioned whether the existing formulas are sufficient to serve the most vulnerable paratransit riders. He said he heard no significant amounts being dedicated to extending and expanding the service that is available to handicapped riders or senior riders and other people who are disadvantaged in the community. He called on the AAATA to take steps before sending this on to the federal government. He called on the Federal Transit Administration to give priority for expansion of transit services for senior and handicapped riders.

FY 2014 Budget Adjustments

The AAATA fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept 30. At its July 24 meeting, the board considered an amendment to the budget for FY 2014 fiscal year to increase total expenses by $41,597 – from $34,073,795 to $34,115,392.

The proposed change also reflects adjustments to incorporate proceeds from the new millage, approved by voters on May 6, 2014. Of that additional $4,543,695 in local millage revenues, $3,850,000 is being put toward next year’s FY 2015 budget. Although that net amount of the expense adjustment is small, the infusion of new millage funds was offset by several hundred thousand dollars that were not spent this fiscal year for north-south commuter rail study.

It’s not uncommon for public bodies to make adjustments to the budget toward the end of the fiscal year.

The AAATA’s proposed amended budget reflected a number of changes related to the new millage and the service expansion that it will pay for. Among those changes are the hiring and training of 11 new bus drivers, bringing the total to 138 drivers. An operations supervisor, two new vehicle mechanics, an additional service crew member, and a human resources administrative assistant will also be added. [.pdf of detail on FY 2014 budget amendment]

The fares collected under the AAATA’s agreement with the University of Michigan are under budget for the year, because the proportion of the $1-per-ride fare booked as cash has decreased. A federal grant – which is recorded as federal operating assistance – has increased.

In the report to the board treasurer, AAATA controller Phil Webb reported an $81,254 surplus. But the report also noted an unrestricted net asset reserve amount of 2.64 months. The board’s reserve policy is to maintain at least the equivalent of a 3-month operating reserve.

FY 2014 Budget Adjustment: Public Commentary

Jim Mogensen addressed the board during the board’s first opportunity for public commentary at the start of the meeting. He said he’d always been very impressed with how detailed the information is about the operating budget. The AAATA presented both the standard operating budget and the extended notes. Because people are trying to understand how this all works, he suggested that materials also include a discussion of how the money is flowing in. For example, in the category of “special fares” – which related to the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University – it would be helpful to have that broken out so that people could see how the total number is determined. He suggested that the board figure out a way to include that kind of information in the extended notes on the budget.

FY 2104 Budget Adjustment: Board Discussion

Reporting out from the performance monitoring and external relations committee, Roger Kerson noted that the proposed budget revision includes the new millage funds and the expansion of service. The total amount of the adjustment is small because the AAATA spent less in a different area – namely, the north-south rail study. There were a few hundred thousand dollars not spent on that project in this fiscal year. So even though there is more than $42,000 going to new activities, the net effect is the increase that is included in the budget. The committee had discussed with staff the fact that the board wants to track as carefully as the AAATA can exactly how the new millage funds are used for the new service – so that the AAATA can report to voters on that in an ongoing way, he said.

The committee had reviewed financial reports. Budget-wise, the organization is under budget on both revenues and expenses, so that matches up fairly well, Kerson said. The news on performance reports is that over the year, ridership is down overall as a result of the severe winter weather. People stay home and work at home or make other arrangements so that they don’t have to travel, and that impacts the quantity of service that gets delivered, he said.

AAATA board member Eli Cooper.

When the board came to the voting item on its agenda, Eli Cooper stressed that the amendment of the budget is a positive aspect of the effort, which is a culmination of the efforts that led to the successful millage. The budget amendment is needed, to incorporate resources to sustain the new services that are being offered. The AAATA needs to be able to account for the resources that have been bestowed on the organization, and they need to be vigilant to ensure that the pledges made with respect to the five-year service plan are kept. Those pledges should be kept in a way that is consistent with the mission statement – in a cost-effective manner.

The budget is a planning instrument expressing the AAATA’s plan as it moves forward, Cooper said. It’s not merely an item where the board says: Yep, the numbers all add up and we’re going to approve that. So Cooper asked that the board take a moment to reflect on the value and the meaning of the budget – as a device that reflects all the hard work and that prepares a platform for the services to be delivered in a manner that is fiscally responsible. That’s one of the challenges the AAATA as an authority does well with, Cooper said, and it needs to continue to do well with that. So Cooper was pleased to speak in support of this amendment to the operating budget – because of the work done in the last six months, the last year, and even before that.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the budget adjustments.

North-South Rail Study (WALLY)

The board considered an $800,000 contract with SmithGroupJJR for additional study of north-south commuter rail project. [.pdf memo for July 24, 2014 WALLY resolution]

Planning and work for north-south commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Howell in Livingston County has been going on for several years in a project that has been called WALLY (Washtenaw and Livingston Railway). The AAATA appears to be transitioning to a project label that incorporates “N-S Rail” as part of the description.

About two years ago, at its Aug. 16, 2012 meeting, the AAATA board approved the award of a $105,200 contract to SmithGroupJJR for “station location and design services” in connection with the WALLY project. The board’s authorization at that time included an option to increase the contract scope at a later date. That’s what the board’s July 24 item was proposed to do – increasing the total amount of the contract from $105,200 to $800,000.

Of that $800,000, a significant portion will be covered with a federal grant received by the AAATA in 2012 under the federal Transportation, Community and System Preservation (TCSP) program. The federal grant award of $640,000 requires a $160,000 local match, which will be made by the Howell Downtown Development Authority, the Ann Arbor DDA and Washtenaw County – equaling a total of $143,000, with the remaining $17,000 to come from the AAATA.

The initial $105,200 contract with SmithGroupJJR was focused on a station location study and is now largely complete. The conclusion of that station location study was to identify a segment of the Ann Arbor Railroad right-of-way, between Liberty and Washington streets, as a preferred location for a downtown station.

The scope of the additional work under the contract considered by the AAATA board on July 24, 2014 will:

• Thoroughly examine alternatives/supplements to N-S Rail service such as express bus, bus-on-shoulder and HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) options.
• Complete the evaluation of boarding areas (stations) in terms of locations, costs and required features.
• Estimate operating and capital costs at a much finer level of detail, taking into account new service concepts, rail right-of-way work, ownership changes, and railcar acquisition that has taken place since 2008.
• Undertake a more rigorous approach to demand estimates in full compliance with FTA New Starts / Small Starts requirements.
• Incorporate “green” concepts and operating principles.
• Be accompanied by a robust public involvement effort aimed at informing stakeholders and testing public support for the service, governance and funding elements of the plan as they evolve.

The timeframe for the second phase of the study is about 18 months.

North-South Rail Study (WALLY): Board Discussion

In his report out from the planning and development committee, Larry Krieg noted that there was a federal grant of $640,000 to undertake the study. He noted that the city study would include not just the possibility of a rail corridor, but also the use of express buses, and high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on US-23. The study would take about 18 months, he said, and the federal portion covers 80% of the cost. Several organizations – including Washtenaw County, the city of Ann Arbor, the Howell Downtown Development Authority – had contributed to the local match for that. Krieg concluded that the study had received a lot of support from around the region.

In his report out from the performance monitoring and external relations committee, Roger Kerson also commented on the north-south rail feasibility study. He felt that including express buses in the scope of the study is a very good idea – so that the AAATA would have a good sense of what the cost and time alternatives are.

Kerson said he was personally a big fan of trains and noted that the reason the board had a quorum for the meeting was because of the efficiency of DC Metro – which had gotten him from his meeting in Washington, D.C., that morning to Union Station, and then to another train to get to his plane. But that system had cost taxpayers billions and billions of dollars. And WALLY would cost millions and millions. “We can have a bus for thousands of thousands of dollars,” Kerson said, and probably have it in a matter of months, instead of years.

The AAATA had hit a home run with its service between downtown Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro Airport, he said, so the AAATA now knows how to provide that kind of service. AirRide is receiving very high marks for convenience and rider experience. So that’s in the AAATA’s inventory now of services it can deploy. Kerson wanted to see side-by-side from the feasibility report what it will take moneywise and timewise. He also wanted the study to find out people’s opinion about the different kinds of service. He felt that if people are exposed to that type of express bus service, they would really really like it, and it could be done in a cost-effective manner.

Outcome: When the board came to this item on the agenda, there was no additional discussion. The board voted unanimously to approve it.

Environmental Cleanup Work

The board considered a $234,360 contract with GZA GeoEnvironmental for environmental remediation work at the 2700 S. Industrial Highway headquarters of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority.

The need for the work dates back four years to 2010, when an in-ground gasoline leak was discovered during an upgrade to the fuel tank monitoring system.

The $25,000 insurance deductible through Chartis, the AAATA’s insurance company, has already been paid through previous work associated with this contamination. The current work – up to the $234,360 amount of the contract – will be reimbursed by Chartis for the total project price.

The work includes the following:

1. Installation of new monitoring wells.
2. Perform baseline groundwater sampling.
3. Chemical analysis of groundwater samples.
4. Anaerobic biodegradation bench scale study.
5. Soil and dewatering excavation.
6. Collection of excavation verification of soil remediation sampling.
7. Introduction of selected bioremediation enhancement materials.
8. Backfill restoration and concrete replacement.
9. Groundwater sampling (will occur a year after remediation activities has been completed).
10. Completed summary report that will be filed with MDEQ for satisfactory closure of incident.

Environmental Cleanup Work: Board Discussion

During his report out from the performance monitoring and external relations committee, Roger Kerson noted there are procedures and equipment in place to prevent that kind of leak from happening again.

AAATA controller Phil Webb

Larry Krieg asked for clarification of the word “gas” in the report. Was it natural gas, diesel fuel, or gasoline? AAATA maintenance manager Terry Black explained that it was gasoline. There had been a connection on a tank that had probably been seeping for several years, he said. And it had previously been undetected.

Eric Mahler asked about the contingency costs. If the additional work is not necessary, he wondered if the money would be returned to the AAATA. AAATA controller Phil Webb explained that the AAATA would pay only for the work that was done. If additional work is needed, then there would be an additional negotiation about how that would be paid for. Webb also pointed out that it’s part of the insurance coverage the AAATA has. So the AAATA had worked with the insurance company on this project – which has been approved by the insurance company. The AAATA would be reimbursed through the insurance claim.

Outcome: The board voted unanimously to approve the contract for the environmental work.

Communications, Committees, CEO, Commentary

At its July 24 meeting, the board entertained various communications, including its usual reports from the performance monitoring and external relations committee, the planning and development committee, as well as from CEO Michael Ford. The board also heard commentary from the public. Here are some highlights.

Comm/Comm: Title VI Compliance

During his report to the board, CEO Michael Ford noted that the planning and development committee had heard from members of the public during public commentary at its meeting on the issue of Title VI compliance. The AAATA is close to completing the new requirements under Title VI, Ford reported. The full board had approve the Title VI policy earlier in the year, he noted, and the five-year transit improvement program will provide consistent service in the member jurisdictions, starting with the service improvements in August.

The performance monitoring and external relations committee was also working on revisions to service standards that would need to be approved by September, Ford noted. With those elements in place, Ford continued, the AAATA would be submitting all of its materials in October to the Federal Transit Administration about how the AAATA is meeting Title VI standards. The performance monitoring and external relations committee would be working throughout fiscal year 2015 on service standards, which are not required, but would be updates to Title VI material.

Jim Mogensen said that the previous week he’d attended two public meetings. The first was a University of Michigan’s regents meeting. His topic was public transit and the university. It was a topic that he talked to the regents about a couple of years ago, he said. At that time, he had said: Look, I’m probably gonna file a Title VI complaint against the AAATA – because there are structural issues the university needs to pay attention to when they merge their own transit plans with the AAATA’s. He’d suggested that because outside people would be looking in [to review Title VI compliance], one of the things the university should consider is providing transit out to its East Ann Arbor medical center. What he had not told the regents is that he had decided not to speak to the regents again until he actually filed the complaint. So he had not spoken to the regents for a couple of years.

He told the AAATA board to remain calm – because he had not actually filed a Title VI complaint yet. But he felt it was time to revisit the situation. The M-Ride agreement – between the University of Michigan and the AAATA – is being re-authorized next year and there was a year to figure it all out. So he suggested to the regents that this continues to be an issue – even with the new transit millage, because it is based on property taxes. And if you evaluate service based on municipal capacity, that will always be a challenge.

He suggested that the M-Ride agreement should be linked to the full actual fair, which is $1.50 – whereas the agreement now is for UM to pay $1 per ride. His suggested approach would recognize that what is happening was: People affiliated with the university have their fares paid by the university. The idea would be to tie it to the full fare. So, over the longer term, if fares for the general ridership went up, they would also go up for university affiliates, and would be linked to the university’s use of the transit system.

The second meeting that Mogensen had attended the previous Thursday was the WeROC (Washtenaw Regional Organizing Coalition) meeting. He brought up the Title VI issue up with WeROC – which had worked in support of the public transit millage. So Mogensen wanted to convey to the board that this was something he was working on, and that he was not working on it just by himself. He asked the board to please not short-circuit the idea before it’s given the opportunity to happen. Because sometimes, when you put ideas forth, things actually happen, Mogensen said.

Comm/Comm: Construction Detours; On-Time Performance

During his report to the board, CEO Michael Ford noted that there have been some challenges with construction and detours throughout the city. He ventured that everyone had felt the pinch of that. Some of the routes of been impacted by traffic backups, he reported, which affected the AAATA’s customer satisfaction and on-time performance. They’re doing everything they can to mitigate those issues, but it’s a difficult slog, he said.

AAATA board member Roger Kerson.

Traveling right now in Ann Arbor is a pain in the neck because of all the construction, Roger Kerson noted during his report out from the performance monitoring and external relations committee. That’s true whether you’re walking, riding a bus, or in a car. And that is impacting the AAATA’s ability to meet on-time standards. They’re doing the best they can, but when virtually every major artery and every major entrance and exit to town has construction, and the buses just can’t move.

Kerson was surprised to hear about the situation on Pontiac Trail, where the AAATA literally cannot run the buses down the street and has to stop and turn around and have a detour. Obviously that is going to impact people there quite a bit, he said, but added: “We are at the mercy of the construction project.”

During question time, Larry Krieg asked about the difficulty in achieving on-time performance. He asked if any of the methods the AAATA was using to do the best it could, were impacting budget. Ford replied that they were actually suffering in that area. They are adding buses, and according to AAATA manager of transportation Ron Copeland, the estimate of the additional cost is $4,000-$5,000 a week. There is not a lot of bandwidth available to the AAATA, Ford said, and so they’re trying to do the best they can – trying to communicate as best they can with customers, and to get them where they need to go, as efficiently as they possibly can. He allowed it is costing the organization money to do that.

Comm/Comm: Public Comment – Compliments

Ed Vielmetti addressed the board during the first opportunity for public comment. He introduced himself as an Ann Arbor resident. He told the board that he rides the bus from time to time. As he’d look through the board packet before coming to the meeting, he noticed some of the statistics that were gathered and reported with respect to complaints about drivers and service – as well as compliments about drivers and service. He was surprised to see that the number of compliments was just 41. When he rides the buses, people are generally friendly with the bus driver and say hello and they seem to be cheerful about the whole process – especially in the summertime. Since he had never registered a formal compliment, Vielmetti wasn’t sure what the process was for doing that. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to send an email or fill out a form at the transit center. He had no clue about how he would add one to the number of compliments. He asked the staff to figure out what needed to be added to signage or to the RideGuide to let people know how they can report on how the ride went, and to encourage people to give positive comments.

Comm/Comm: BTC Public Art

During his report to the board, CEO Michael Ford noted that the planning and development committee had requested a summary of the evolution of the Blake Transit Center art project and the details on the warranty of the artist’s work. Issues of durability and the warranty had been discussed with the artist as a result of the PDC request, Ford said, and that agreement would be committed in writing. The AAATA is also documenting the award of the art project to this particular artist.

During his report out from the planning and development committee, Larry Krieg noted the committee had received an update on the artwork that was funded as a part of the new Blake Transit Center. The artist, Roberto Delgado, made a visit to Ann Arbor and had made photographs of the distinctive parts of the region so that those images can be incorporated into the artwork. The final artwork would be made of tile and would be vandal-resistant, Krieg said. Sue Gott had urged the AAATA to set aside funds for the maintenance of the art, saying that any outdoor artwork would require maintenance.

Comm/Comm: Art Fair Ridership

During his report to the board, Michael Ford noted that the Ann Arbor art fairs had taken place the previous week. Ridership for the AAATA’s art fair shuttle from Briarwood to downtown was up over 30% compared to last year, he reported. There were about 79 riders per service hour and the weather was great. He thanked everyone who was involved in the process.

Present: Eric Mahler, Eli Cooper, Roger Kerson, Anya Dale, Jack Bernard, Larry Krieg.

Absent: Susan Baskett, Sue Gott, Charles Griffith, Gillian Ream Gainsley.

Next regular meeting: Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor [confirm date]

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Rachel Coffman spoke during public commentary to earn points in the AADL summer game. (Photos by the writer.)

Most of the funding was for renovations of the downtown library’s front entrance. The board authorized a $425,523 construction budget for that project at 343 S. Fifth Ave., which has been in the works for several months. The budget covers new doors, a redesigned facade, and heated sidewalks, among other changes. The construction manager is O’Neal Construction of Ann Arbor.

Also related to the downtown library, trustees authorized a $93,598 contract with Schindler Elevator Corp. to repair the public elevator, which has been out of commission since this spring.

A week after the July 21 meeting, the board called a special meeting for July 29 to address additional issues related to the elevator. The four board members present at that meeting voted to authorize an additional $75,000 for elevator work.

Because of the elevator repair work, the Friends of the AADL bookshop is now located in the main first-floor lobby of the downtown building, rather than its normal location in the lower level, which is closed. It’s been in the lobby since June 30, and is open all of the hours that the building is open. Books are sold at the circulation desk.

The third infrastructure project approved on July 21 was $50,000 for carpet replacement in parts of the downtown library, as well as at the branch located at the Westgate Shopping Center.

The money for all three projects will be taken from the fund balance, which stood at $8.17 million as of June 30.

In other action on July 21, the board approved five adjustments to the 2013-14 budget, for the prior fiscal year ending June 30, 2014. The adjustments totaled $96,300.

Public commentary was dominated by fans of AADL’s summer game – in part because they could earn points by speaking to the board. Other issues raised during public commentary included concerns about communication, outreach to underserved populations, the cost of renovations to the downtown library entrance, and the “purging” of reference books.

The board’s August meeting is canceled. The next scheduled board session is on Sept. 15.

Downtown Entrance Renovations

The board was asked to approve a $425,523 construction budget for renovations to the downtown library’s front entrance, at 343 S. Fifth Ave.

AADL trustee Margaret Leary, left, talks with Nicole Wallace of O’Neal Construction, center, and AADL director Josie Parker after the July 21 board meeting. Leary is chair of the board’s facilities committee.

The resolution also increased the capital outlays line item in the 2014-2015 budget by that same amount to cover the work, transferring it from the library’s fund balance. As of June 30, the fund balance stood at $8.17 million.

The construction budget was presented by O’Neal Construction Inc. At its June 16, 2014 meeting, the board had voted to hire O’Neal for construction management of these renovations. The project involves adding new doors and a redesigned facade facing South Fifth Avenue, along with changes to address accessibility issues.

The construction budget includes funding for heated sidewalks and two new flagpoles. Those were among the items that were considered discretionary, but were recommended by the board’s facilities committee. [.pdf of construction budget resolution]

The existing teal porcelain panels that wrap around the downtown building’s front facade, part of architect Alden Dow’s original design from the mid-1950s, will be replaced with a “concrete skin” panel. The entrance will continue to be oriented to South Fifth Avenue, with new doors into the building. Leading from the front of the building into the vestibule will be two balanced double doors, which will be easier to open than the existing entry, and a single automatic door. A matching set of these doors will lead from the vestibule to the interior of the building.

The overall project was originally expected to cost about $250,000. Work will begin later this summer.

Nicole Wallace at O’Neal Construction, the project’s supervisor, attended the July 21 meeting but did not formally address the board.

Downtown Entrance Renovations: Board Discussion

AADL director Josie Parker reported that the project has been submitted to the city for building permits, and bids will be going out soon. She hoped that the cost would be lower, but that won’t be clear until after bids are submitted. There will be a lot of concrete work.

Trustee Nancy Kaplan.

The amount was in line with what she had anticipated, Parker said. There were some adds that the facilities committee requested – three flagpoles that are lit, for example – which increased the cost.

Parker noted that the heated sidewalks also increase the cost quite a bit – by $67,834. There are several reasons why it makes sense to add this feature, she said, noting that it hadn’t been part of the board’s original discussion.

Because the library is working with the city to eliminate the step at the front curb, that means the grade needs to be handled somewhere else. So to remove the step, the grade will have to be accommodated in other ways. In addressing that, the concrete on the north side of the building will be removed and repoured. That’s why the library has asked that the ArborBike program delay installation of its station at that site, Parker said. That way the conduit they’ll be using to power the bike-sharing station will be placed underneath the concrete.

All of this new concrete work will be adjacent to the surface of the city-owned Library Lane underground parking garage, which already includes heated sidewalks. So the entire approach from the parking structure into the library will be clear of ice and snow, Parker said. She noted that the area was designed so that cars could pull into Library Lane to drop off library patrons, rather than stopping on South Fifth Avenue. Drivers can let people out on the passenger side, rather than having people get out next to traffic on South Fifth – a one-way, southbound street.

There will also be a heated sidewalk on the incline leading to the south of the building, which is exposed to the elements, Parker explained. The walkway under the overhang won’t be heated, because it won’t be exposed. But the steps in the front and the concrete deck in front of the building will be heated.

Rebecca Head characterized it as a balance between energy use and safety. Parker said it’s a one-time cost to put the heating in now, while the concrete is being ripped up for the renovation.

Parker also explained the $9,042 in additional expense related to cladding material. Under the front windows outside, there’s white material that’s peeling off, she said. A greenish-colored cladding will be placed over that.

New signs are not included in this construction budget, because the library will be handling that separately, Parker said.

Margaret Leary reported that the facilities committee had discussed this construction budget for about an hour. This was their recommendation to the board.

Outcome: The construction budget received unanimous approval.

Downtown Entrance Renovations: Public Commentary

During public commentary at the end of the meeting, Donald Salberg said he hadn’t planned to speak until he heard about “the apparent inflated costs” for O’Neal to replace the front entrance. He noted that Josie Parker had previously indicated that she hoped to keep the costs under $250,000. He said he wasn’t sure if the total cost now was estimated at $425,000 or closer to $700,000.

Trustee Barbara Murphy.

AADL director Josie Parker replied, saying “Dr. Salberg, I have no idea where you came up with the number of $700,000.” Salberg said he didn’t know if $425,000 would be the total – he said he’d assumed that was the number. It still represents almost doubling of the original cost estimate. He wondered about the heated sidewalks. Trustee Barbara Murphy clarified that the cost for the heated sidewalks was about $67,000 and characterized it as not very much, compared to the total project.

Salberg said one of the problems with heating coils is that if it doesn’t completely melt the snow as it falls, then you get a thin layer of water that’s being melted, covered by a thin layer of ice and snow. “That could potentially make the walkway slipperier than it would be otherwise.” He also wondered what the expected lifetime of the heat coils would be, how frequently they break down, and if there’s any way to repair them other than breaking up the concrete. It would be nice to know how much more the AADL will have to spend on electricity to operate the coils, he said. Using salt and the manual removal of snow seems to have worked well in the past, he added. He wondered if the expense was entirely necessary.

Carpet Replacement

The board was also asked to authorize the director to seek bids and award a contract for carpeting at the West branch, located at the Westgate Shopping Center, and in portions of the downtown library. The amount was not to exceed $50,000, to be transferred from the fund balance to the capital outlays budget.

Because of the work on the elevator in the lower level of the downtown library and the high use of the spaces there, the carpet will need to be replaced, AADL director Josie Parker told the board. That includes the shop for the Friends of the AADL, the meeting space, the exhibit area and stairwell lobby, as well as the hallway to the emergency exit. In addition, carpeting on the third floor will be replaced. It’s original to that section of the library, which was built in 1990.

After all the renovation work is done downtown, the branch at Westgate will be closed and completely recarpeted. That will likely happen in the fall, Parker said.

There was no board discussion on this item.

Outcome: The board voted unanimously to authorize the carpeting projects and budget.

Downtown Library Elevator Repair

On July 29, the board was asked to authorize a $93,598 contract with Schindler Elevator Corp. to repair the public elevator at the downtown library, located at 343 S. Fifth Ave. A special meeting held about a week later – on Tuesday, July 29 – included only one agenda item: Allocating an additional $75,000 for the repair work.

The downtown library’s public elevator is broken and barricaded.

The elevator has been broken and out of commission since this spring. AADL director Josie Parker had reported the situation at the board’s May 19, 2014 meeting, estimating it would cost about $100,000 to repair. It’s the same problem that took the freight elevator out of commission a couple of years ago. Leaks had developed in the hydraulic piston, causing it to fail a weight test.

The July 21 resolution authorizing the contract designated $57,988 for elevator repair, plus $35,610 for “well drilling (after-drill) of elevator hole in the existing hoistway and clean out of existing hole and casing.”

The capital outlays line item in the 2014-2015 budget would be increased by a total of $93,598, to be transferred from the library’s fund balance. As of June 30, the fund balance stood at $8.17 million. [.pdf of July 21 elevator contract and resolution]

Downtown Library Elevator Repair: Board Discussion – July 21

Barbara Murphy asked for an explanation of “after-drill.” AADL director Josie Parker explained that the elevator is a hydraulic jack design. It operates using a cylinder with hydraulic fluid that hoists the elevator. The cylinder is as deep as the library is tall, she said. Over time, the wear on the cylinder causes hydraulic fluid to leak, compromising the safety of the elevator. It failed its inspection for weight, she reported.

The same problem occurred with the staff elevator a few years ago, Parker noted. Both elevators had been installed about the same time – around 1990, she said, and it’s fortunate that the library was able to get this many years out of it.

The workers will drain out the hydraulic fluid, then take the jack out piece by piece by lifting it up and cutting off sections to remove. As the jack is removed, the earth around it caves in. So the work entails excavating and drilling the hole again for a new jack and casing.

The new jack and casing will also be brought in section-by-section through the front door, then welded together in the lower level. The workers will bring it in before the library opens, and on those days the library will open later, at noon. “The last thing we need is for someone from the public to come into the building when it’s not open, and go near that hole in the ground,” she said.

Parker noted that anyone who needs to use an elevator in the interim can ask any employee to use the staff elevator. People are asking for help, and the staff is happy to provide it, she said.

Margaret Leary pointed out that the contract with Schindler includes the statement that “the condition of the existing casing and hole is unknown. Removing the existing jack may uncover a cylinder hole full with sand or other debris requiring additional work to install the new jack.” If additional work is necessary, the company will provide a separate proposal for that.

Leary said one important element of this job is that Schindler doesn’t know exactly what they’ll have to do until they take it apart.

Outcome: The board unanimously authorized the elevator repair work.

Downtown Library Elevator Repair: July 29

A week later – on July 28 – the board announced that a special meeting was called for Tuesday, July 29 with one action item: Allocating an additional $75,000 for elevator work.

Board president Prue Rosenthal.

AADL director Josie Parker reported that after last week’s board meeting, Schindler made an assessment of the elevator. The well-drillers found that there were three casings in the elevator shaft, nested inside each other. It’s not clear why there are three casings, she said. To meet current code, the jack must be encircled by PVC. But the center casing is too narrow to accommodate the PVC and jack, and isn’t allowing a plumb drop. So the center casing must be removed. If the jack and PVC can be inserted without removing the middle casing, then the cost will be lower, Parker said.

The $75,000 is an amount that would cover the worst-case scenario, Parker said – that all three casings would have to be pulled out, the shaft redrilled for a new outside casing, PVC and jack.

The total authorized by the board for the project would be about $170,000. “If we don’t need it, we won’t spend it,” Parker said. But she didn’t want to keep coming back to the board “every time there a bump that causes to change the scope of this project,” she added, especially becase the board won’t be meeting in August.

Jan Barney Newman asked what the casings were made of. The old casings are steel, Parker replied.

Parker explained that the workers will come in next week and spend the week taking out the casing. The following week, they’ll be drilling for the new casing and prep for the rest of the work. “That’s when things are going to be incredibly noisy in here, and smell bad,” Parker said. The casing is brought into the building in sections of pipe that’s 12-15 feet long, and workers will weld the casing in place, she noted. It’s likely that there will be some closures of the downtown library during that period. The elevator work will be done during the weekdays, so there will be no closing on weeknights or weekends.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the additional $75,000 for elevator work. Four trustees were present at the July 29 special meeting: Rebecca Head, Jan Barney Newman, Prue Rosenthal, and Ed Surovell.

Finance Report

Eli Neiburger, AADL’s deputy director, presented the June 2014 financial report at the July 21 meeting. [.pdf of finance report] He noted that this report was for just the month of June, not for the close of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Eli Neiburger, AADL deputy director.

Through June 30, the library has received tax revenue totaling $11.256 million for the fiscal year. This is the library’s low cash time of year, Neiburger said, between the end of the fiscal year but before the arrival of revenue from summer taxes, which are collected in July.

Through the fiscal year, the library showed an operating surplus of $460,616. A lot of that related to positions that were open and that are now being filled, Neiburger said. The library had $8.77 million in unrestricted cash at the end of June, with a fund balance of $8.17 million, up from $8.001 million a month ago.

Revenue from state aid for the year was $153,000 more than budgeted, Neiburger noted. The library always budgets very conservatively, he added, because they’re not sure how much state aid will be awarded. Other revenue items that were higher than budgeted include interest and grants/memorials. Overall, revenue for the year was $12.3 million, “which was just about right on target,” he said.

Neiburger reported that five line items were slightly over budget for the year – purchased services, software, copier expenses, supplies and library programming. Purchased services are slightly over budget because the library paid for a survey in March. Regarding software, the library had planned to make a larger capital purchase, but it turned out that half of that purchase was actually a software license. Copier expenses were slightly higher than expected.

Regarding the supplies line item, Neiburger explained that every year, the library budgets for big capital projects but many individual purchases for those projects are typically under $1,000 each. That makes them assets that aren’t tracked, he said, so they can’t be paid for from the capital outlays line item. So every year at this time, the board is asked to transfer funds from the capital outlays line item to cover expenses in the supplies line item. These purchases are for things like computers and monitors that used to be capital outlays, but that are now much less expensive.

Library programming was $536 over budget for the year. “On a $273,000 [programming] budget, that’s pretty close,” Neiburger said. That line item went over budget primarily because of last-minute travel expenses related to visiting musicians performing in June concerts.

Neiburger noted that the board would be asked to make budget adjustments for FY 2013-14 later in the meeting.

The board had no questions about this presentation.

Outcome: The board voted unanimously to approve disbursements for June.

FY 2013-14 Budget Adjustments

The board was asked to approve five adjustments to the 2013-14 budget, for the prior fiscal year ending June 30, 2014. The adjustments totaled $96,300.

Eli Neiburger, AADL’s deputy director, had previously indicated that such adjustments would be necessary.

The resolution would authorize transfers in the following line items:

• $22,500 from capital outlays to supplies.
• $49,800 from capital outlays to software licenses/maintenance.
• $17,000 from utilities to purchased services.
• $6,500 from utilities to copier expense.
• $500 from utilities to library programming.

There was no discussion of this item.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved the budget adjustments.

Summer Game

The AADL’s summer game launched in mid-June, and it was a theme throughout the June 21 meeting – for the public, staff and board.

This sign was posted outside the boardroom door where the AADL board held its July 21 meeting. Chronicle readers can get these 500 points too – because it’s like being there.

Players can earn points for traditional activities like reading a book, but the game includes tasks that are done online, like tagging an item in AADL’s catalog or commenting on a blog post. Points can be traded in for merchandise that’s available at AADL’s online store.

People can log on, sign up and earn points for completing tasks like checking out a book or other item (50 points), tagging an item in the AADL catalog (10 points), writing reviews (50 points), or posting a comment (50 points). One point per page or minute is awarded for reading, watching, or listening to media, with a 100-point bonus for finishing an item. You can get between 200-500 points for attending an AADL event – including board meetings – where you’ll be given a code that allows you to redeem the points and earn “badges.”

On July 21, points were awarded for attending the meeting, with additional points for speaking during public commentary.

Summer Game: Public Commentary

Rachel Coffman told the board she was in second grade going into third grade. She really loves the summer game, and so do her sisters. They love it so much that they’ve been hiding codes all over their house, in places like the toothbrush cabinet, and they’ve made badges out of paper. “I just really love the summer game,” she said.

Cherie Burkheiser said she was there because she’s addicted to the summer game. Last year she discovered the game late in the season, so she jotted this year’s start date into her calendar “and I was there the first day it started.” She also wanted to make some comments. She’s lived in Ann Arbor her whole life, so she assumed all library websites were like AADL’s. But she recently looked at some other library district’s sites, and said that many are difficult to search. She asked that AADL make improvements to the online commenting, however, to make it easier to follow comment threads.

Tom Brown and his daughter Lydia Brown spoke about the AADL summer game during public commentary.

Regarding summer game codes placed in parks, she requested that the staff make sure the codes are permanent. One code was graffiti on a bench that was subsequently sanded off and painted over, and another code was for signs that have been removed. She said she looked forward to when her son is older and can help with the summer game.

Sara Mayman said she enjoyed the summer game and the library. She also offered a general suggestion, noting that there’s a lot of outdated equipment, like Betamax videocassettes and Zip drives. She was hoping that AADL could have a media room or make this equipment available for checkout. People could donate the equipment, and perhaps volunteers from Maker Works could manage the upkeep. When she was cleaning out her parents’ house, she came across these kinds of things and wasn’t sure what to do with them. Most people don’t need to use this kind of equipment very often, or for very long, she noted. It would be useful to be able to transfer your old media to new media at the library, using equipment there. It would be expensive for someone to buy, especially just to use one time. She offered to volunteer if there’s a committee that would work on this.

Tom Brown and his daughter Lydia Brown told the board that they were enjoying the summer game. They described some of the things they’ve done, like attending the Emerging Writers workshop and Kids Read Comics, and visiting all the AADL branches. They went to Parker Mill to get their codes, and saw a deer. They also went to the Barton Nature Area. Tom Brown said he’s lived in Ann Arbor 22 years and had never been there before. “The code made me go there, so that was cool.” They saw a deer there too. And when they went to Mary Beth Doyle Park, they saw a badger. In total, they’ve earned 78 badges. They also participate in a summer game team with the youth group at their church. Lydia reported that she collects buttons – including some vintage AADL buttons – and put them on her AADL bag. AADL director Josie Parker noted that “vintage” means pre-district, when the library was part of the public school system and called Ann Arbor Public Library.

Jinny Potter introduced herself as a summer game “fangirl.” Her family moved here about four years ago from the ??south. In the south, people are friendly and like to get together. When her family moved here, they initially lived in the metro Detroit area and the library there only had events for her and her young son once a month. She never felt like a part of that community. When they moved to Ann Arbor, her husband has a longer commute but it’s been worth it. Having the library here has helped with her homesickness, Potter said. The summer game has been a great way to learn about local businesses, the parks system and it’s a lot of fun to play with her family. She hopes that the recent success with expanding public transit “means that maybe we can revisit the expansion of the downtown branch.” It’s already pretty awesome, she said, but it’s exciting that it could be even more of a resource for the community. She’d love to volunteer to work on that, because the library has given so much to her family.

A girl named Rosie said that this spring, she and her sister Margaret started talking about how they couldn’t wait for the summer game to begin. Their mom was confused about what that meant, “and then we got her hooked.” She thanked the board and staff for doing a wonderful job, and for encouraging reading and other modes of learning. She also thanked the library for hosting Nerd Nite, saying it was “awesome and very informative.” She’ll be sad when August comes and the game ends.

At the meeting’s final opportunity for public commentary, Donald Harrison quipped “the code’s making me do it!” He said he’s a fan of the summer game and of AADL’s non-traditional collections. The musical instruments have been a great addition, and he’s used most of them. Recently he saw a little green table on the shelves, so he checked it out and took it to a family reunion that weekend. He set up the table and net, and within minutes, “we’re playing ping pong at the family reunion, so family members who hadn’t seen each other in years were having a really great time.” Things like that create a lot of value, he said. Harrison joked that this might put some pressure on the parks and recreation department to add public ping pong tables in the parks.

Summer Game: Director’s Report

As part of her director’s report, Josie Parker highlighted the popularity of AADL’s summer game, as reflected in some of the public commentary. She noted that it requires a lot of work from staff. For example, the staff goes out into local parks to find where codes could be located. It’s gratifying to hear that the library is sending people out to visit parks they haven’t been to before, or to local businesses. “It’s the library bringing the community together in a game, but then sending the community out,” she said. “I don’t want us to lose that, because that’s what I think is so important about this way of playing the summer game. And it’s reading, reading, reading – there’s no way to play the game without reading or being read to.”

Parker also noted that teens are volunteering to package the prizes that players are redeeming with their points. It counts as community service for their high school, but many of them have finished that requirement and continue to volunteer, she said. Adults are also volunteering too.

Some badges are easy to earn, Parker noted – like the one called “Josie’s Chickens,” which entails going to her office and retrieving the code. But other badges take hours or days, because the clues are nuanced and complicated to figure out. “That’s why people love this – it makes you think,” she said. The game is teaching children how to use the resources of the library – its catalogue and databases – as well as getting them out into the community to find codes. If board members haven’t tried the game, Parker encouraged them to do it.

Committee Reports

The board has seven committees: communications, budget and finance, facilities, policy, director’s evaluation, executive, and strategic plan. Because membership on each committee consists of only three trustees, which is fewer than a quorum of the board, the meetings are not required to be open to the public under Michigan’s Open Meetings Act. The board has the option of making its committee meetings open to the public, but has chosen not to do so.

There were two committee reports on July 21: communications and facilities.

Committee Reports: Communications

Rebecca Head, chair of the communications committee, reported that they met on June 17. Other members are Margaret Leary and Prue Rosenthal. They reviewed the recommendations of the Allerton-Hill Consulting report regarding different ways to ratchet up the library’s communications. [.pdf of Allerton-Hill report]

Trustee Rebecca Head.

They agree that the communication is already pretty good, she said, but there’s always more that could be done. For example, AADL director Josie Parker has a blog, Head noted, as do other staff. That’s useful for getting information out, she said. The print newsletter that was mailed out earlier this year was a success, she added, and so those mailings will continue. The winter newsletter will focus on why people use the library, so that people understand what’s available.

There are plans to do more outreach to the townships that are part of the district.

The committee also talked about how to ratchet up services related to social equity, such as reading readiness and job search assistance. The library does an extreme amount of partnering in these areas, she noted, and are very connected to schools and other organizations. “But we’re always looking for new ways to get these messages across.”

Barbara Murphy mentioned that the board received a list of all AADL partners earlier this year. She didn’t think it had been part of the minutes or board packet. AADL director Josie Parker replied that it’s available for anyone who wants it. Murphy suggested posting it on the AADL website.

Committee Reports: Facilities

Margaret Leary, chair of the facilities committee, reported that the group met on June 25. Other members are Ed Surovell and Jan Barney Newman. Most of their discussion related to items on the board’s agenda that night, including the construction budget for the downtown entrance. They reviewed the most recent schematic drawings with Cory Lavigne of InForm Studio. They also went over the proposed budget for that work, she said.

The committee also discussed two other items that were on the board’s July 21 agenda: repair of the downtown library’s public elevator; and a proposal for carpeting in portions of the downtown library and the West branch.

Library Stats

The board is provided with monthly library statistics in five categories: Collections, users, visits, usage and participation. The data is compared to year-ago figures, when available. The information for June 2014 was presented by Eli Neiburger, AADL’s deputy director.

AADL collections data: June 2014.

AADL users data: June 2014.

AADL visits data: June 2014.

AADL usage data: June 2014.

AADL participation data: June 2014.

Neiburger noted that the presentation of these stats will be retooled in the future, because some of it isn’t very meaningful if there’s little year-to-year variation. It’s also an opportunity for some strategic planning, he said, to identify some key performance metrics.

Here are some highlights from Neiburger’s commentary:

• Collections: The AADL collection continues to grow in most categories compared to a year ago. In the digital collection, the category of photos saw the biggest growth (117%) with most of that coming from the Old News collection.
• Users: There are 199,613 known computer users, up 6.6%. Borrowers were up 8.3% to 123,437. The number of active borrowers during the month was 58,711. June is a big month for new library card sign-ups because of the summer game. New online registrations almost doubled compared to June 2013, mostly related to the summer game. This year there were 937 new library cards issued – 5% higher than last year. The number of cards issued to non-residents, businesses and organizations is also growing, he noted, thanks to the efforts of AADL’s outreach staff.
• Visits: The number of visits are down at all locations, but Neiburger said there’s missing data at several branches. For example, there was no data for five days in June at the downtown library. The door-counting hardware isn’t performing well, so the staff will be looking at how to get more accurate data. A ceiling-mounted system might provide better results. “However, our event attendance was crazy in June,” Neiburger said, with nearly 15,000 attendees – up 31.8% compared to a year ago. Online visits to AADL’s “devblog” – where staff posts information about the software they develop – was up over 100%.
• Usage: Checkouts were down in most categories, aside from art prints and tools/kits. The decrease of 2.2% for books is “really within the realm of noise, in terms of use of the collection month-over-month,” Neiburger said. Use of DVDs and CDs are falling off significantly more, he noted. Even though checkouts of Bluray decreased, that’s because most of the collection is checked out – there’s actually growing demand for it. The total collection value in all categories stands at $15.58 million. For online usage, image downloads increased 64.4% compared to a year ago, and video use is up 90%.
• Participation: For the first time, attendance at films and shows exceeded the turnout for storytime events, Neiburger reported. Attendance for the category of talks, which includes Kids Read Comics, was up about 200%. Overall, the library held 4% fewer events in June compared to last year, but attendance was up 32%.

Neiburger also gave highlights of some “Top Tweets” that mentioned @aadl during June. One was by Midwestern Gothic (@MWGothic), a literary magazine based in Ann Arbor. They tweeted about a reading that AADL hosted in early June for the magazine’s contributors. Neiburger pointed out that AADL has licensed the full run of Midwestern Gothic, and it’s available for immediate download to keep.

Some of the Tweets highlighted new items from the AADL collection, including the Bounty Hunter Junior metal detector, giant checkers, disc golf and Kubb – a Swedish lawn game. Neiburger described it as a cross between horseshoes and cornhole. The library just got 10 more sets of it.

Tweet from @AADL.

Tweet by Kathleen Folger.

Tweet by Ken Varnum.

Director’s Report

AADL director Josie Parker covered several topics during her director’s report, some of which are reported elsewhere in this article.

Parker showed the board a slide show about Visions 2014, a vendor fair held on May 14 at Washtenaw Community College for people who are blind and physically handicapped. The two-minute presentation is also posted on AADL’s website. The library continues to get good feedback on that event, she said.

Parker also noted that the Friends of the AADL bookshop is now located in the main first-floor lobby of the downtown building, because of the closure of the basement area where the bookshop normally operates. It’s been in the lobby since June 30, and is open all of the hours that the building is open. Books are sold at the circulation desk.

She reported that many people didn’t realize there was a bookshop, so it’s become very popular. Nancy Kaplan asked if there’s the possibility that it could remain in that location, even after the elevator repair is finished. Parker replied that it’s a possibility. “That conversation is one we’ll have to have,” she said.

Margaret Leary said it’s a fabulous example of a good outcome from a situation that was challenging. It’s creative and opens the door to new ways of thinking about the bookshop.

Resolution of Thanks

The board’s agenda included a resolution of thanks to Wendy St. Antoine, who is retiring on Aug. 15. She joined the library in December 1996.

AADL director Josie Parker reported that St. Antoine came into the system as a head clerk at the Northeast branch. “We no longer have head clerks, and we no longer have the Northeast branch,” she noted. St. Antoine is known throughout AADL for her quiet strength, Parker said. She deals well with all sorts of people, and does it respectfully and in a way that everyone finds approachable.

When Parker joined AADL in 1999 “and found myself managing the circulation department as well as the youth department during that financial crisis, suddenly I had over half the employees under my supervision, two-thirds of the budget, and all these desks everywhere. Wendy is the person who taught me how to think about that in the right way, so that it was manageable in my mind. I’ll always be grateful to her for that.” Everyone has a story like that about St. Antoine, Parker said.

Cancelation of August Board Meeting

The board was asked to cancel its Aug. 18 meeting.

Margaret Leary pointed out that board president Prue Rosenthal and AADL director Josie Parker had discussed this, and they don’t foresee any business that will need to be addressed at that time.

Parker said that actions by the board regarding facilities projects, in votes taken earlier in the July 21 meeting, give her the authorization she needs to move forward on that work – on the downtown library front entrance, the downtown library elevator repair, and the carpeting replacement.

The next board meeting will be on Monday, Sept. 15.

Outcome: A proposal to cancel the Aug. 18 meeting was moved and supported, but Rosenthal did not call for a vote on this item. The board appeared to have consensus, though no official action was taken. A meeting cancelation notice has been posted on the AADL website.

Public Commentary

Of the 12 people who spoke during public commentary, most of them talked about the summer game. They earned summer game points for both attending the meeting and for public commentary. Those comments are included earlier in this report.

Public Commentary: Communications

Lyn Davidge introduced herself as a Scio Township resident who also loved the summer game, and who’d spent the past 15 minutes looking for codes in the library. She said she hated to stand there and be the grinch, “but there’s one in every crowd.”

Lyn Davidge.

She’d been pleased to attend the informational meeting on July 14 for potential AADL board candidates. She’d been looking on the AADL website, MLive and The Ann Arbor Chronicle for information about the session’s date and location. She was surprised to see an item published by The Chronicle on Sunday morning, July 13 at 11 a.m., announcing the session for the following day. “In my opinion, that was incredibly short notice to the public.” [The Chronicle received the AADL press release via email on the morning of July 13, though it was dated July 9.]

To double check herself, Davidge said she went back to the AADL website and still couldn’t find any announcement there. She still couldn’t find anything in the online or print editions of MLive. It was possible that she simply missed the previous announcements, she said. “On the other hand, I was left with the uncomfortable feeling that maybe the short-notice notice in The Chronicle was the only notice of the potential candidates meeting – and you know what that looks like, don’t you? It looks like you were hoping no one would show up.” She hoped they really didn’t want to give that impression, even to one constituent at one time.

Similarly, she said, the July 21 AADL board meeting was being held at the downtown library. But months ago, it had been announced that the meeting would be held at the Pittsfield branch, she noted. She knew that the venue had been changed, because a couple of trustees had given her the heads-up about it. They knew that she thought it was a good idea for the trustees to be visible in all of the branches. They also knew that she disagreed with the decision not to hold the July meeting at a branch. [The June 16, 2014 meeting was held at the Traverwood branch, and had drawn only one member of the public.]

Davidge said she could respect the board’s decision, but she couldn’t understand why the change in the July meeting venue wasn’t just announced during the June meeting. That way, people would have had very timely notice of that schedule change, she said. “Again, it looked like you were hoping no one would show up tonight.” That’s the impression people get, she said. Thank goodness there were a lot of people attending that night’s meeting – the word got out, she said. She hoped there would be more publicity in the future.

Kathy Griswold told the board that the Ann Arbor community is fortunate to have such an excellent library and truly excellent staff. She wanted to talk about one lost opportunity and two minor areas of weakness. The lost opportunity is that the library isn’t addressing part of its mission statement for underserved populations and low-income students, she said. Griswold said she’d tried to engage some of these students in the summer game, but she didn’t have the resources to do that. The library needs to go out into some of these communities, she said. There are several nonprofits who work with underserved youth but have limited financial resources, especially compared to the library. They are providing books to students in some of the subsidized housing units, she said. Griswold also noted that Ann Arbor Kiwanis recently provided a grant to the Family Learning Institute to buy a modified bookmobile. She’d really like to see the library revisit using a bookmobile that includes computers.

Regarding weaknesses, Griswold cited communications as something that needed work. She noted that the Detroit Free Press had recently sued the University of Michigan board of regents over alleged violations of the state’s Open Meetings Act. “I believe that their regents operate similar to the way that trustees operate, and that is just within the limits of the Open Meetings Act.”

Griswold also said she cringed to see that material had been printed out for trustees in “slide mode” rather than “handout mode,” which wastes a tremendous amount of toner – because the printouts had white letters on black background.

Trustee Margaret Leary.

Finally, Griswold noted that a step at the Traverwood branch hadn’t yet been repaired. It’s a minor issue, but it’s a safety issue that needs to be addressed, she said.

Later in the meeting, AADL director Josie Parker responded to comments about the underserved. Parker pointed out that the library does provide services to underserved populations through its partnerships with nonprofits, as well directly through the library’s outreach to schools. “We are considered sort of the foundational location for many of them, because they don’t have budgets that give them space,” she said. The Ann Arbor Public Schools English-as-a-second-language (ESL) classes are held at the library, as are sessions for Washtenaw Literacy and the Family Learning Institute. So the library’s outreach to the underserved – children and adults – is a long tradition, Parker said, “and not one that we would abandon.”

Margaret Leary clarified with Parker that it would not be accurate to say that the library doesn’t address the needs of the underserved, whether they’re children or adults. Parker said it’s fair to note that the library can’t solve all the issues that face the community. Root causes like illiteracy are of real interest to the library, and have always been, she said. Poverty, lack of health care and other issues are outside the mission of the public library, she added.

“However, we definitely serve those nonprofits trying to meet that mission, by giving them space to meet, space to bring those populations together,” Parker said. One example is the Proyecto Avance: Latino Mentoring Association (PALMA), a University of Michigan student group that provides tutoring in English. She said it’s important to be very careful in using the term “underserved” and labeling people.

Barbara Murphy highlighted the fact that AADL gives a book to every newborn – it’s one of her favorite programs.

Public Commentary: Reference Books

Gladwin McGee, an Ann Arbor resident, said he’s concerned about the purging of large numbers of reference books from the downtown library in recent months. There are several references that he’s used in the past, but they’ve been removed from the shelves. These include a three-volume encyclopedia of television, a three-volume encyclopedia of musical theater, and an eight-volume encyclopedia of the American Constitution. Just last week there was a Merriam-Webster encyclopedia of literature that had been removed, as was the American Decades series of history and culture.

“I would have hoped that it would be part of the philosophical groundings of librarians to respect various pathways of learning discovery, including respecting the choices of those of us who cherish various print reference works, who’ve found enrichment in them and would like to have the opportunity to continue using them.” He said it seemed like it was happening in almost “bibliocidal proportions.” It’s true that the Internet provides an almost unprecedented collection of facts, and would lead some to claim that print reference books are outmoded and could be dispensed with. However, the best reference works are more than just a collection of facts. They provide outstanding contextual frameworks for highlighting and exploring connections among related but independent sets of facts. “It saddens me greatly to see their removal.” He noted that he’d made an appointment to talk with the AADL director about this.

Responding to a follow-up query from The Chronicle, AADL director Josie Parker indicated that the library regularly removes outdated materials, and has not changed that process. Some print reference work also is now available in electronic databases.

Present: Rebecca Head, Nancy Kaplan, Margaret Leary, Barbara Murphy, Prue Rosenthal.

Absent: Jan Barney Newman, Ed Surovell.

Next regular meeting: The August meeting has been canceled. The next regular board meeting is on Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 at 7 p.m. at the downtown library, 343 S. Fifth, Ann Arbor. [Check Chronicle event listing to confirm date]

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The AAATA fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept 30. It’s not uncommon for public bodies to make adjustments to the budget toward the end of the fiscal year. Board action came at its July 24, 2014 meeting.

The AAATA’s amended budget reflects a number of changes related to the new millage and the service expansion that it will pay for. Among those changes are the hiring and training of 11 new bus drivers, bringing the total to 138 drivers. An operations supervisor, two new vehicle mechanics, an additional service crew member, and a human resources administrative assistant will also be added. [.pdf of detail on FY 2014 budget amendment]

The fares collected under the AAATA’s agreement with the University of Michigan are under budget, because the proportion of the $1-per-ride fare booked as cash has decreased. A federal grant – which is recorded as federal operating assistance – has increased.

In the report to the board treasurer, AAATA controller Phil Webb reported an $81,254 surplus. But the report also noted an unrestricted net asset reserve amount of 2.64 months. The board’s reserve policy is to maintain at least the equivalent of a 3-month operating reserve.

This brief was filed from the downtown location of the Ann Arbor District Library at 343 S. Fifth Ave., where the AAATA board holds its meetings.

From left: former Congressman Wes Vivian talks with Washtenaw County board chair Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) before the board’s July 9 meeting. Vivian is advocating for the board to put a proposal on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. (Photos by the writer.)

Linda Edwards-Brown, the county’s juvenile division administrator, told commissioners that there’s been an increase in young men “terrorizing” their communities. The sheriff’s office and court had started working together several months ago after they began observing an increase in gang-type activity, she said, including home invasions, firearm larceny, and assaulting police officers. They’d been hopeful that they could stem the tide of violence, she added, but it had escalated with a death in Ypsilanti earlier this summer.

So the sheriff’s office and court officials have reached consensus to remove some of these young men from the community and put them into residential facilities in other parts of the state, Edwards-Brown said. The juvenile division of the Washtenaw County trial court will place at least six youths in residential facilities this month, in addition to six youths who are currently in residential placements. According to a staff memo, residential placements are costly, with a typical length of stay at nine to twelve months.

At the July 9 meeting, commissioners and staff expressed the need to continue working on this issue as a community-wide effort.

In other action, commissioners were asked to pass a resolution making mid-year budget adjustments and allocating this year’s higher-than-expected property tax revenues, as well as putting the $3.9 million surplus from 2013 into unearmarked reserves.

The adjustments passed on a 6-2 vote, with Dan Smith (R-District 2) and Conan Smith (D-District 9) dissenting. Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) was absent. Dan Smith objected to spending more than was budgeted and making budget changes outside of the annual budget affirmation process, which takes place later this year. Conan Smith didn’t state his reason for voting against it on July 9, though in the past he has advocated for spending more of the surplus, rather than setting it aside in the fund balance.

Commissioners also authorized putting a proposal on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot to renew a 10-year, 0.2353-mill countywide parks and recreation operations tax. They held public hearings related to other millages that the county plans to levy later this year: (1) for support of indigent veterans and their families; and (2) to fund economic development and agricultural activities, under Act 88. The hearings drew one speaker – Thomas Partridge.

Related to the health department, the board created a new board of health to help oversee public health services in the county. A state official was on hand to talk about the accreditation process that the Washtenaw County public health department completed earlier this year.

Commissioners voted to accept the recommendations of a task force that’s been working on a funding strategy to help end homelessness, and to sunset that task force. The board also made appointments to a new committee that’s charged with exploring funding options for road repair.

Several issues were raised during public commentary. Former Congressman Wes Vivian urged the county board to place a proposal on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot enabling Washtenaw County voters to ask the state to support a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision. That U.S. Supreme Court ruling has resulted in corporations “sloshing big money into our elections at all levels,” Vivian said.

Also during the meeting, commissioners honored Arthur Williams, who is retiring as principal of Huron High School in Ann Arbor after 19 years in that job. The board also passed proclamations welcoming the United Association (UA) of plumbers and pipefitters and the Ironworkers International. Both unions hold training programs in Washtenaw County each summer.

At the beginning of the meeting, Rabhi asked for a moment of silence in memory of Rowan David LaBarre, the newborn son of commissioner Andy LaBarre and his wife Megan LaBarre. Rowan David had passed away earlier in the week. “We all pray and hold Rowan in the light of our prayers and thoughts,” Rabhi said.

Funding to Address Juvenile Crime

The July 9 agenda included a resolution authorizing the use of $642,707 from the Child Care Fund balance to pay for a range of services overseen by the county’s dept. of human services. The use of $642,707 will drop the Child Care Fund balance from $1,041,882 to $399,175. [.pdf of staff memo]

Linda Edwards-Brown, the county’s juvenile division administrator.

The resolution authorized an amendment to the Child Care Fund (CCF) budget for the current fiscal year. The request came from the Washtenaw County Trial Court’s juvenile division and the county’s department of human services – the entities that oversee programs supported by the CCF.

According to a staff memo, the CCF is a collaboration between the state and county circuit courts to support programs that serve neglected, abused and delinquent youth in Michigan. The state reimburses counties for 50% of all eligible CCF expenses.

The specific request on July 9 was for an increase in the CCF budget from $1,872,928 to $2,500,000 for the 2014 county fiscal year, which runs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 – an increase of $642,707.

Expenditures for the children’s services department are expected to be $262,341 over the current budget during the county fiscal year. Those expenses relate to use of part-time temporary staff as well as overtime, according to the staff memo, “to ensure that Children’s Services remains in compliance with state licensing requirements for juvenile detention facilities.”

In addition, the Trial Court’s juvenile division planned to put at least six youths in out-of-home placements in July. Another six youths are already placed. The typical length of such placements is nine to twelve months at an average $260 per day, per youth. That cost can range from a low of $150 to a high of $522. The total cost for the remainder of the county fiscal year is projected to be $396,000.

In addition, detention beds in the county’s children’s services facility have been occupied at or near capacity for all of 2014, which has resulted in the need for part-time temporary staff as well as overtime pay.

Funding to Address Juvenile Crime: Board Discussion

Ronnie Peterson (D-District 6) asked about the timing of this request. Linda Edwards-Brown, the county’s juvenile division administrator, clarified that the request for funding is for the county’s fiscal year, through Dec. 31. However, the Child Care Fund (CCF) budget is aligned with the state’s fiscal year, from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. Edwards-Brown noted that the budget amendment would run only through Dec. 31, 2014. “We’ll be back here in a few months to look at the 2014-2015 Child Care Fund budget,” she said.

Ronnie Peterson (D-District 6).

Peterson expressed interest in seeing long-term budget projections. It’s not about the money, he added, but it’s important to find out what’s happening in the juvenile justice system. The county needs to know what its financial obligations are to address some of the issues that are occurring in the community, which are causing youth to end up in detention facilities.

Edwards-Brown told commissioners that a group of young men are “terrorizing” their communities. They are carrying weapons, displaying weapons on social media, committing home invasions, and stealing guns.

Several months ago, the sheriff’s office and the court started working together as they saw the beginning of what seemed to be gang-type activity, Edwards-Brown said. “We were hopeful that we would be able, by working together, to stem this tide of violence that we’re seeing in the community. We were unable to do that.”

Last month, a young man was murdered in Ypsilanti, Edwards-Brown said. It’s a problem that the sheriff’s office had predicted, she added. Now, collectively, the court and sheriff’s staff have decided they need to remove the young men from the community, she said. “So that’s the answer as to why we’re here tonight asking for more money for residential placements.”

The trial court has made a concerted effort over the last several years to keep youth in the community and work with them in their homes, Edwards-Brown said. But at this point, public safety is an issue, as well as the safety of these young men, she said. They can’t be “safely maintained” in the community, and need to be taken outside their homes, she said.

Derrick Jackson, director of community engagement for the sheriff’s office, reported that last summer, deputies started to notice an increase in juvenile violence and an escalation in crimes that juveniles were committing. He noted that in the early 1990s, there was gang activity in the area and a lot of those gang members were taken off the streets for 10-15 years. The question since then has been how can the community change so that when those men got back out, “things won’t go back to the way they were,” he said.

Derrick Jackson, director of community engagement for the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office.

Fortunately, those men didn’t go back to criminal behavior, Jackson added, but some of their children, younger siblings and other relatives are now in their teens, and are starting to get involved in gang-type activity. The good thing about having a conversation now is that it’s at an early stage, he said, “and we’re hoping we can prevent some of this.”

They’re not saying that the answer is to lock up every kid who’s associated with these things, Jackson stressed. But this is one of the answers for a small percentage of kids who are very violent, carrying weapons, doing drugs and who ultimately committed homicide.

A large task force is coming together to talk about a “holistic, wrap-around response to what we’re seeing in the community,” Jackson said, because it’s such a significant issue. He noted that about 55 community leaders – including some county commissioners – had met recently to talk about the juvenile criminal justice system, and everyone had seen an increase in problems. When he talks to high school and middle school teachers in the eastern part of the county, they all say the same thing – they see a difference in how young people are acting.

Jackson said that when you see the train coming down the track, you can prepare to get run over or you can figure out a way to stop it. People in the county are working to stop the train, he said.

Lisa Greco, the county’s youth center director, noted that juvenile detention is where kids are placed when law enforcement removes them from the community. They’re held in secure custody until decisions can be made about what to do next. The juvenile detention center has seen more than a 25% increase in population and days of care, Greco said. Managing the dynamics in the community is challenging, she said, and managing those kids in the confined space of juvenile detention is also a challenge. “I think we’ve been up to it, and have taken good care of the kids,” she said.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5).

The community is at a crossroads, Greco added. There’s a need for an immediate response, as well as a call to action to re-examine the juvenile justice system in Washtenaw County in its entirety. “We need alternatives to juvenile detention,” she said. There needs to be early identification, intervention and assessment for kids who are struggling in the community.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5) expressed concern about the kids who’ll be sent to places outside of Washtenaw County. “What happens when they get done and come back here?”

Edwards-Brown replied that none of the young men will be sent out of state. They’ll be sent to Maxey Boys Training School in Whitmore Lake, Turning Point Youth Center in St. Johns, and other facilities within Michigan. “We want them to have the opportunity for their families to visit them and to participate in family therapy while they’re in these placements,” she said.

These young men will eventually be returning home in nine to 12 months, Edwards-Brown noted. So it’s important to bring change to their homes, so that they won’t be returning to the same situation, she said.

Sizemore advocated for having an individual or entity examine all the programs in the county that help youth. He thought there were duplicative services, and the services should be better coordinated. He also hoped the school districts would get involved, and that parents would be supported. He praised Jackson, sheriff Jerry Clayton and deputies for doing difficult work. But it’s time to stop studying the situation and to put some money directly into programs that will help youth, he said.

Alicia Ping (R-District 3) said she first heard about the Ypsilanti murder on Facebook, from a friend who lived in that neighborhood. She thought that by removing these young men, it will help the community as a whole. It will provide hope to the people living there, since they won’t be living in a place of fear. It’s important to let residents know that the community cares about what’s happening in those neighborhoods, Ping said, and that action is being taken to help.

Alicia Ping (R-District 3).

Edwards-Brown stressed that “this may not be the panacea.” Although the additional funding will help remove a certain number of young men, “there are brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and cousins – so we have a bigger problem that we have yet to address,” she said. “We’re hoping to, quite frankly, save lives – the lives of these young men, and perhaps someone else in the community. But our work is far from done.”

Peterson said the problem isn’t just isolated to Ypsilanti – it’s something happening nationwide. He noted that the funding for this request is coming from the Child Care Fund reserves, but it’s unclear where funding will come from in the future. It could be a budget that inflates much higher, because the county has an obligation to provide services to all youth in need, he said.

Peterson suggested that the county administrator, Verna McDaniel, and the county board chair, Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8), work with staff to identify budget projections and future demand for services. If there’s a trend, the board should be aware of it well in advance, he said. “This is not going to be a gang haven,” he said. “The is not the Wild West.” Washtenaw County has the reputation as a great place to raise children, and they need to maintain that, Peterson added.

Jackson offered to make a presentation to the board with more details about the responses that are being planned. He said he’d spoken with three different mothers who had noticed that their sons were changing, but who couldn’t find help until the situation had escalated. That’s what needs to be addressed, he added – how to structure something in this community that will align the human services with the real issues that need attention.

Conan Smith (D-District 9) drew attention to the fact that fund balance is being used. The CCF fund balance will be depleted by two-thirds with just this one allocation, he noted. It’s an important allocation, and the kind of thing that fund balances are used for, he added. “But we’re doing it regularly now – dipping into departmental fund balances for programmatic expenditures.”

At the same time, Smith noted, the board is set to add money to the general fund reserves. He expected to see other proposals from departments later this year, also requesting to use their departmental fund balances. “This is a fiscal policy question that we really ought to be grappling with,” Smith said.

McDaniel pointed out that it’s actually a $1.3 million problem – the county’s $642,707, plus an equal amount that will be reimbursed by the state.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously approved the Child Care Fund budget amendment.

Mid-Year Budget Adjustments

Commissioners were asked to pass a resolution making mid-year budget adjustments and allocating this year’s higher-than-expected property tax revenues, as well as a $3.9 million surplus from 2013.

County administrator Verna McDaniel.

The adjustments increased the general fund budget’s expenses and revenues by $720,486 for 2014, $733,233 for 2015, $745,980 for 2016 and $758,727 for 2017. The county operates on a four-year budget, with the fiscal year matching the calendar year.

The adjustments also followed the recommendation of county administrator Verna McDaniel, and set aside the $3,920,818 surplus from 2013 in unearmarked reserves, rather than spending it. The projected year-end 2014 fund balance is $20,638,675. The county board had previously approved a goal of holding a fund balance equal to 20% of its general fund budget. For 2014, the general fund budget is $103,127,202. [.pdf of staff memo and mid-year budget resolution]

In addition, the following mid-year budget adjustments were made to the general fund:

• Structural adjustments resulting in a $494,677 increase in expenditures for (1) providing employee health care coverage for autism; (2) a consultant to help with the board’s budget priority work, (3) a “local government initiatives” intern; (4) reinstatement of two full-time equivalent positions in the sheriff’s office; and (5) salary adjustments for non-union employees.
• Non-structural, one-time, adjustments that increased expenditures by $65,000 for homelessness initiatives.

The administration recommended that the remaining $160,809 be held as an undesignated allocation until budget projections improve as new information becomes available. The administration will present a second-quarter budget update at the board’s next meeting on Aug. 6, 2014.

Mid-Year Budget Adjustments: Board Discussion

Dan Smith (R-District 2) noted that it’s been less than three months since Raman Patel, the county’s equalization director, told the board about higher-than-expected tax revenues, which resulted in about $750,000 more revenue this year than had been budgeted for 2014.

Dan Smith (R-District 2).

Now, the board is already spending almost $600,000 of that surplus, which hadn’t been included in the original 2014 budget, Smith noted. There is no shortage of things to spend this money on, he continued, including over $234 million in unfunded liabilities “which we have no particular plan to pay for, other than amortizing payments over 26 years – something that our actuary is recommending against us doing.” The actuary would like to see that amount amortized over a much shorter period of 10 years.

Smith said he had no problem with making technical budget adjustments as they come along. But one of the reasons to have a four-year budget is to have a plan and then execute that plan, Smith said.

If the board wants to “be constantly in budget mode,” he said, then they could simply have a one-year budget. Unless there’s an emergency situation or deadlines that are outside of the county’s control, he thought it would be more appropriate to make these changes in the fall, during the board’s annual budget reaffirmation process.

There was no additional discussion on this item.

Outcome: The budget adjustments were passed on a 6-2 vote, over dissent by Dan Smith (R-District 2) and Conan Smith (D-District 9). Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) was absent.

County Parks & Rec Millage

The board was asked to pass a resolution that would authorize putting a proposal on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot to renew a 10-year countywide parks and recreation operations millage.

Bob Tetens, director of Washtenaw County parks & recreation.

The resolution on July 9 was for an amended version, compared to a resolution given initial approval on May 21, 2014. That’s because some state-mandated information had inadvertently been left off the proposed ballot language in the original resolution, according to a staff memo. [.pdf of staff memo]

The operations millage was first authorized by voters in November 1976 at 0.25 mills for a 10-year period and has been renewed three times. Because of the state’s Headlee amendment, the rate that’s actually levied has been rolled back and is now 0.2352 mills. The current millage expires in December 2016.

If renewed again, it would generate an estimated $3.4 million annually – or about half of the parks & rec annual operating expenses. Other revenue sources are admission/gate/membership fees charged seasonally at facilities including the Meri Lou Murray recreation center, the water/spray parks, and the Pierce Lake golf course. Funding is also received from state and federal grants as well as private donations.

The county parks system receives most of its funding from two countywide millages. In addition to the operations millage, another millage pays for capital improvements and park development. It was also originally levied at 0.25 mills, but has been rolled back to 0.2367 mills.

In addition, a third millage – levied at 0.25 mills but rolled back to 0.2409 mills – funds natural areas preservation, bringing in about $3 million annually. It was first approved by voters in 2000, and renewed for another 10 years in 2010.

The county’s parks & recreation department is overseen by a separate entity – the parks & recreation commission – whose members are appointed by the county board. The county board has the authority to put a parks millage proposal on the ballot, but does not authorize expenditure of the funds. That responsibility rests with the parks & recreation commission. The group meets monthly at the parks & recreation office at County Farm Park, and its meetings are open to the public.

County Parks & Rec Millage: Board Discussion

Conan Smith (D-District 9) advocated for support of this millage in November. The county parks & recreation commission has done incredible things, he said. [Conan Smith serves on the commission, along with Dan Smith (R-District 2) and Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5).] There’s a park or preserve or recreation facility in nearly every community throughout Washtenaw County, and most of the county facilities are free to the public, he noted. The parks & rec commission also leverages funds from the state, Smith added, on projects like the Border to Border trail. It’s worthy of the continued support of county citizens, he concluded.

Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) said he hears a lot from people around the state and nation about how unique the county parks & rec system is. He also supported the millage renewal.

Outcome: The board unanimously approved placing the millage renewal on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot.

Appointments

There were two sets of appointments on the July 9 agenda – for a road funding committee, and the board of public works.

Appointments: Road Funding Committee

Commissioners were asked to approve appointments to a new committee that’s charged with exploring funding options for road repair.

The board had created the road funding committee on June 4, 2014, after debating whether to levy a countywide road millage or put a millage proposal on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot to fund road repair. The final vote to create the committee had been 6-1 vote, over dissent from Conan Smith (D-District 9). Commissioners Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) and Dan Smith (R-District 2) were absent.

In arguing against levying a tax at that time, some commissioners cited the need to study funding options – including a possible Act 283 levy, which doesn’t require voter approval – before making a decision.

On July 9, Rabhi proposed an amendment to his original resolution, adding two new slots – one for the director of the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS), and one for an additional county commissioner slot, to make it an odd-numbered roster.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5) wondered why nine members were needed. Rabhi said he wanted to add the WATS representation because that group has been doing a lot of work on the road funding issue, and would like to participate. “It’s less a matter of the number of people, and more a matter of who we have at the table,” Rabhi said.

Outcome on amendment: Commissioners approved the amendment on a voice vote.

The following members were nominated by Rabhi:

• Lew Kidder, representing the general public
• Bill McFarlane, representing the road commission
• Roy Townsend, managing director of the road commission
• Rolland Sizemore Jr., the county board of commissioners’ liaison to the road commission
• Dan Smith, county commissioner
• Kent Martinez-Kratz, county commissioner
• Rodrick Green, Superior Township trustee, representing townships
• Steve Powers, Ann Arbor city administrator, representing incorporated municipalities
• Ryan Buck, director of the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS)

The resolution directs the committee to meet within 60 days of this appointment to elect officers and draft bylaws. The committee is to report to the county board at its Sept. 17, 2014 meeting, and make quarterly updates after that with a final report due in December 2015.

The county administrator will help provide administrative support to the committee.

For additional Chronicle coverage on road-related issues, see: “County Board Continues Weighing Road Tax,” “County Board Debates Expanded Road Commission,” “County Board Sets Hearing on Road Tax,” “County Considers Road Funding Options,” “No Major Change Likely for Road Commission” and “Group Explores Road Commission’s Future.”

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously approved the appointments to the road funding committee.

Appointments: Board of Public Works

Yousef Rabhi nominated Steve Feinman to the county’s board of public works for the remainder of a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2015.

According to the department of public works website, the board of public works “focuses on assisting local communities within Washtenaw County in addressing environmental and public health issues and development needs, including wastewater disposal and collection, water treatment and supply, lake management, and solid waste management.”

There was no discussion on this appointment.

Outcome: Feinman’s appointment was made on a unanimous vote.

Public Hearings: Act 88, Veterans Relief Millages

The board held two hearings on July 9 related to millages that the county plans to levy later this year: (1) for support of indigent veterans and their families; and (2) to fund economic development and agricultural activities.

Kent Martinez-Kratz (D-District 1).

For support of indigent veterans, the county’s position is that it is authorized to collect up to 1/10th of a mill without seeking voter approval. That’s because the state legislation that enables the county to levy this type of tax – the Veterans Relief Fund Act, Public Act 214 of 1899 – predates the state’s Headlee Amendment. The county first began levying this millage in 2008, and collects the tax in December. Services are administered through the county’s department of veterans affairs.

Since 2008, the county board has slightly increased the rate that it levies each year. In 2012, the rate was 0.0286 mills – or 1/35th of a mill. It was raised to a rate of 1/30th of a mill in December 2013, to fund services in 2014.

The current proposal is to levy 1/27th of a mill in December 2014, which is expected to raise about $540,887 in revenues for use in 2015.

No increase is proposed for the economic development millage, levied under Act 88 – another pre-Headlee law. The proposal is to levy 0.07 mills in December 2014, raising an estimated $1,022,276 in property tax revenues. In previous years, the resolution setting this millage has outlined how the revenues would be allocated. The largest allocations have gone to the county’s office of community & economic development, and to the nonprofit Ann Arbor SPARK.

However, at its Nov. 6, 2013 meeting, the board adopted a new policy for allocating Act 88 revenues, drafted by Conan Smith (D-District 9). [.pdf of Act 88 policy] The policy included creating an Act 88 advisory committee to make recommendations to the board and prepare an annual report that assesses how Act 88 expenditures have contributed toward progress of goals adopted by the board. The policy allows the committee to distribute up to 10% of annual Act 88 revenues without seeking board approval. The policy also allocates up to 30% of revenues to the county office of community & economic development, which administers Act 88 funding.

On July 9, only one person – Thomas Partridge – spoke at these public hearings. He endorsed the veterans relief millage, and questioned whether it would provide sufficient support for indigent veterans. He also questioned whether the amount levied under the Act 88 millage was sufficient for a county this size.

Outcome: This was not a voting item. A vote to levy these millages would be made at a future meeting.

Task Force on Homelessness

Commissioners were asked to accept the report and recommendations of a task force that’s been working on a funding strategy to help end homelessness. The resolution also sunsets that task force.

Felicia Brabec (D-District 4).

The leadership group for the Task Force on Sustainable Revenues for Supportive Housing Services to End Homelessness made a presentation at the board’s May 22, 2014 working session. Their recommendations include the goal of building a $50 million endowment over 20 years. Payouts from the endowment would fund supportive services – such as treatment for mental illness and substance abuse – with the intent of addressing the root causes of homelessness. The concept is called permanent supportive housing, and is part of the community’s broader Blueprint to End Homelessness, which was created in 2004 and is being updated.

A possible millage – recommended at 0.25 mills, for no more than 20 years – would help fund supportive services while the endowment is built. County commissioners are being asked to consider putting such a millage on the ballot, possibly in 2015.

Several steps have already been taken to achieve these goals. An endowment was established in 2011, with $2.1 million in commitments so far. That amount includes a $1 million gift from the St. Joseph Mercy Health System to create the endowment, which is called the Sister Yvonne Gellise Fund for Supportive Services for Housing. Gellise is the former CEO of St. Joe’s. She served on the task force and is a founding board member of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance. Another $1 million commitment comes from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF), where the endowment is housed. AAACF CEO Cheryl Elliott is another task force member. In addition, an anonymous donor has contributed $100,000.

The first fund distribution – of $26,100 – will be made this fall in a competitive grant process. AAACF’s distribution committee – an all-volunteer group – will be responsible for making grant recommendations.

AAACF is also helping provide a three-year, part-time development job to support fundraising for this endowment. Funding for the position will come from the Washtenaw Housing Alliance ($25,000), the AAACF ($5,000) and an anonymous donor ($10,000).

The foundation posted the position earlier this summer, with the intent of making a hire as soon as possible. The position would be in place until at least mid-2017. The employee will report to AAACF’s vice president for development and donor services, and to the Sister Yvonne Gellise Fund development committee. Members of that committee are the same people who’ve served on the leadership team of the task force, Elliott said. In addition to herself, members include Bob Chapman, Sister Yvonne Gellise, Bob Guenzel, Norm Herbert and Dave Lutton.

There was no discussion on this item at the July 9 meeting.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously voted to accept the report and sunset the task force.

Public Health Accreditation

Mark Miller, director of local health services with the Michigan Dept. of Community Health, attended the July 9 meeting to talk about the accreditation process that the Washtenaw County public health department completed earlier this year. [.pdf of letter from Dept. of Community Health director]

Washtenaw County health officer Ellen Rabinowitz and sheriff Jerry Clayton.

Miller thanked commissioners and staff, including county health officer Ellen Rabinowitz and retired health officer Dick Fleece, who both attended the July 9 meeting. Miller presented certificates of accreditation, and praised the achievement. It’s the fifth cycle that Washtenaw County has completed, passing stringent standards in the accreditation program, he said. The standards are hard to meet, Miller added, especially when budgets are tight.

Ten program areas were reviewed, and of 140 indicators, the Washtenaw County health department only missed one, Miller reported. “I don’t get to go to too many counties and get to say that – generally, [other counties] miss quite a few more.” Washtenaw County eventually achieved 100%, he noted.

Washtenaw County also passed an optional quality improvement supplement, which only about half of the health departments in Michigan have achieved, Miller reported. It means the county has a comprehensive program for improvement.

“This performance is no fluke,” Miller told commissioners. The Washtenaw County health department maintains many partnerships, which allow it to leverage resources and provide better services for residents. That’s admirable, he said.

Miller highlighted several comments included in the accreditation report, including praise for the health department’s website and for support from county commissioners for initiatives like breastfeeding-friendly policies. He called out Sharon Sheldon, the program administrator for health promotion and disease prevention, for her unit’s work. Special recognition is deserved for the HIV/STD program, the report noted, because client return rates for HIV test results have exceeded 96%. Programs in hearing and vision care were also commended, as was the food safety unit, overseen by Kristen Schweighoefer, and several other programs. Miller also noted that Washtenaw County is a pioneer in trying to manage requests for vaccine waivers.

Miller concluded by saying the state was very impressed by the county health department’s efficient and innovative programs. “You guys have a really terrific health department here,” he said.

Board of Health

A resolution to create a board of health was originally on the board’s June 4, 2014 agenda for final approval, but was postponed until the July 9 meeting. The entity would provide advice on public health issues for the county. Commissioners had given initial approval to the item at their May 21, 2014 meeting.

A description of the board’s duties is outlined in a staff memo that accompanied the resolution:

The purpose and role of a Washtenaw County Board of Health will be to identify public health problems and concerns in the community, establish health priorities, and advise the Board of Commissioners and the Health Department on issues and possible solutions. The Board of Health will serve as advocates and educators for public health services and policies. The Board of Health will provide oversight and guidance to the Health Department, and will recommend a program of basic health services to the Board of Commissioners.

The new Board of Health will have the authority to hear appeals and requests for variances from the local public health and environmental regulations established under the Public Health Code. The Board of Health will have the authority to hear appeals regarding the suspension or revocation of food service licenses.

The resolution creating the health board also dissolves an existing environmental health code appeals board and the hearing board for the Health Department Food Service Regulation. The duties of those boards would be absorbed by the new health board. [.pdf of staff memo]

The recommended size is 10 members, including one ex-officio representative from the county board of commissioners. According to the staff memo, appointments could represent “health service delivery (physicians, dentists, mental health practitioners, administrators); environmental health and conservation, land use planning, food service and nutrition, academia, K-12 education, philanthropy, social service delivery, legal services, and consumers of public health services.”

Members would be compensated for attending each meeting. The total cost for the health board, including in-kind staff support, is estimated at $19,000 annually. The board of health would be expected to convene for the first time in October 2014.

Ellen Rabinowitz, the county’s public health officer, attended the July 9 meeting but did not formally address the board.

Board of Health: Board Discussion

Conan Smith (D-District 9), who had moved to postpone the resolution last month without explanation, told commissioners on July 9 that he had distributed three amendments to the board via email. All of them are making additions to the resolution, he said.

Conan Smith (D-District 9).

Smith noted that commissioners have talked about a board of health taking a leadership role in the county, coordinating public health responses across many agencies. He thought it was important for the board of health to think actively about its role as a coordinator, so one of his amendments included that sentiment in a whereas clause.

Smith also proposed adding two resolved clauses. One clause clarified the roles and expectations of the board of health, to do three things: (1) develop and oversee the strategic plan for the department of health; (2) recommend the annual budget to the county administrator; and (3) work with the county administrator to evaluate the performance of the county public health officer.

The second additional resolved clause is to ensure that the bylaws that will be developed for the board of health will be brought to the county board of commissioners for review and approval. “That’s the document that’s truly going to delegate any authorities that we have from this board,” Smith said.

There was no discussion on these amendments.

Outcome: Smith’s amendments were approved on a voice vote.

There was no additional discussion.

Outcome: On a 7-1 vote, commissioners approved creation of a board of health, over dissent from Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-District 5). Andy LaBarre (D-District 7) was absent.

Later in the meeting, Ronnie Peterson (D-District 6) said that establishing the board of health is a major step in improving the health for residents of this community, especially children.

Communications & Commentary

During the July 9 meeting there were multiple opportunities for communications from the administration and commissioners, as well as public commentary. In addition to issues reported earlier in this article, here are some other highlights.

Communications & Commentary: Budget Work

Felicia Brabec (D-District 4) reported that Susan McGraw has been hired as a consultant to work with the board on its budget priorities. That work will kick off later this month, she said.

Communications & Commentary: Taubman Fellowship

Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) reported that he’d learned a lot earlier this summer at Harvard University’s Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Ronnie Peterson (D-District 6) pointed out that Rabhi had received the Taubman Fellowship for Executive Excellence, which is given to selected officials and staff through the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). Peterson said that to be chosen for a fellowship is one of the highest recognitions that SEMCOG awards. “We should be honored to know that Washtenaw County and a Washtenaw County commissioner was selected,” Peterson said, joking “I just don’t know why they didn’t ask me.”

Arthur Williams, who retired as principle of Huron High School after 19 years in that position.

Communications & Commentary: Proclamations

Several proclamations were given during the July 9 meeting.

Communications & Commentary: Proclamations – Retirements

Board chair Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8) presented a proclamation honoring Arthur Williams, who is retiring as principal of Huron High School in Ann Arbor. [.pdf of Williams' proclamation]

Rabhi noted that he graduated from Huron High School “and Dr. Williams was my principal!” Williams was also a neighbor to Rabhi’s family as Rabhi grew up, so he knows Williams well. Williams has served as principal at Huron High since 1995.

Williams spoke briefly. As educators, he said, “we touch the future.” Many times they don’t know what the effects are of what they do in the schools, he added. Williams noted that Martin Luther King said everyone can be great, because everyone can serve. Williams said his goal has been to try to make this world a better place, by helping raise young people and families, and by trying to make an impact on lives.

He received a round of applause from commissioners and staff.

The board also made a proclamation to Mary Sue Coleman, who recently stepped down as president of the University of Michigan. Coleman did not attend the July 9 meeting.

Communications & Commentary: Proclamations – Ironworkers, UA

Mary Kerr, president of the Ann Arbor Visitors & Convention Bureau, was on hand to receive a proclamation welcoming the Ironworkers International annual instructor training program, which ran from July 12-18 this year. That program, held at Washtenaw Community College, brought in about 700 participants and an estimated economic impact of $2 million. It’s their fifth year holding the program in Washtenaw County. [.pdf of Ironworkers proclamation]

Mary Kerr, president of the Ann Arbor Visitors & Convention Bureau.

The board also gave a proclamation welcoming the United Association (UA) of plumbers and pipefitters for their 61st annual training program. For the past 25 years, that program has been held in Washtenaw County. [.pdf of UA proclamation]

This year, the program runs from Aug. 9-15, also on the WCC campus, bringing about 2,400 participants to the county with an estimated economic impact of $5 million.

Kerr noted that the county also hosts the training week for the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) for the Electrical Industry. This year is a milestone for all three groups, she said. NJATC is in its 25th year and has been coming to Washtenaw County for six years. This year, the NJATC National Training Institute runs from July 26-Aug. 1 at the University of Michigan, and expects a 15% increase in participation compared to last year, Kerr reported.

Kerr said that a conservative economic impact estimate for all three programs is $12 million. “This is new spending in our community – spending that wouldn’t be here if these three training programs were not here,” she added. The spending is on hotels, restaurants, recreation, entertainment, shopping and transportation.

Her goal is to keep these events in Washtenaw County by providing a high level of service and making sure the unions know that they’re appreciated by the community. She thanked commissioners for their continued support.

Communications & Commentary: Proclamations – Gun Safety

The board passed a proclamation declaring July 20-26 as Gun Safety Week in Washtenaw County. [.pdf of gun safety resolution] The goal is to increase public safety “by raising awareness and educating residents of Washtenaw County about how to keep themselves and their families safe.”

During the week, local law enforcement agencies will be providing free gun locks and gun safety information. More information about the week is provided on the county’s website.

Communications & Commentary: Public Commentary

Speaking during public commentary, former Congressman Wes Vivian told commissioners that until four years ago, the U.S. had laws that prohibited or limited contributions by corporations to candidates for political office.

Former Congressman Wes Vivian.

But four years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned those laws in the Citizens United decision, he said. Now, “corporations are sloshing big money into our elections at all levels,” Vivian said. Polls show that about 90% of U.S. citizens oppose that Supreme Court decision. Furthermore, almost 20 state governments have asked the U.S. government to enact a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision. “To date, the state of Michigan has not done so, even though it’s been asked to,” Vivian noted.

The Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti city councils have asked Michigan’s government to take action on this issue, Vivian said. But so far, the state legislature has refused to bring it up for a vote, he added. He asked the county board to place a proposal on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot enabling Washtenaw County voters to ask the state to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. He didn’t have suggested wording for such a ballot proposal, but said he’d be glad to work on it.

Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8), the board’s chair, thanked Vivian and said he hoped the board would take action of some sort at a later date. It was an issue about the sustainability of this nation’s democracy, he said.

Conan Smith (D-District 9) also thanked Vivian for raising this issue. The idea of corporate personhood has raised many challenges, he said, “and the notion that just regular citizens are somehow second class in our decision-making process has got to be pre-empted.” It’s incumbent upon elected officials and the county board as a body of elected officials to take a stand, he said. Smith liked the idea of asking county residents to weigh in, saying it would send a great signal to people throughout the state and nation.

Ruth Ann Jamnick also addressed the board during public commentary. She pointed out that she’s one of the four candidates in the Aug. 5 Democratic primary election for the District 5 seat on the county board. She provided a handout with information about her experience and accomplishments.

Ruth Ann Jamnick.

Referring to the board’s discussion about juvenile crime earlier in the evening, Jamnick noted that she had been involved in addressing similar issues years ago in Ypsilanti Township. What makes it different now are the ages of the young people who are involved, she said. At that time, it was youth in their late teens – but now, the youth who are creating these problems are younger. It’s important to make some changes and address these issues. She also noted that the situation isn’t isolated to Ypsilanti Township.

Jamnick concluded by thanking Rolland Sizemore Jr., the district’s current commissioner, for his work.

Earlier this year, Sizemore announced that he did not intend to seek re-election. In addition to Jamnick, the three other Democratic candidates are Victor Dobrin, Wilma Gold-Jones, and Keith P. Jason. The winner of that primary will face Republican Timothy King in the Nov. 4 general election. King is unopposed in the primary.

Thomas Partridge introduced himself as a recent candidate for the state legislature. He urged the public to elect Democrat Mark Schauer as governor in November, and to address the critical needs of affordable housing, public transportation, human rights and health care in Washtenaw County. Too many residents are vulnerable and don’t have the services they need, he said. He criticized the county board’s agenda for not including items that address ending homelessness, providing affordable housing and access to countywide public transportation, and supporting better health care and education for adults. These should be priorities for the board, he said.

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

Absent: Andy LaBarre.

Next regular board meeting: Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014 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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Eli Neiburger, AADL’s deputy director, had previously indicated that such adjustments would be necessary.

The resolution approved unanimously on July 21 authorized transfers in the following line items:

• $22,500 from capital outlays to supplies.
• $49,800 from capital outlays to software licenses/maintenance.
• $17,000 from utilities to purchased services.
• $6,500 from utilities to copier expense.
• $500 from utilities to library programming.

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

The adjustments increased the general fund budget’s expenses and revenues by $720,486 for 2014, $733,233 for 2015, $745,980 for 2016 and $758,727 for 2017. The county operates on a four-year budget, with the fiscal year matching the calendar year.

The adjustments also followed the recommendation of county administrator Verna McDaniel, and set aside the $3,920,818 surplus from 2013 in unearmarked reserves, rather than spending it. The projected year-end 2014 fund balance is $20,638,675. The county board had previously approved a goal of holding a fund balance equal to 20% of its general fund budget. For 2014, the general fund budget is $103,127,202. [.pdf of staff memo and mid-year budget resolution]

In addition, the following mid-year budget adjustments were made to the general fund:

• Structural adjustments resulting in a $494,677 increase in expenditures for (1) providing employee health care coverage for autism; (2) a consultant to help with the board’s budget priority work, (3) a “local government initiatives” intern; (4) reinstatement of two full-time equivalent positions in the sheriff’s office; and (5) salary adjustments for non-union employees.
• Non-structural, one-time, adjustments that increased expenditures by $65,000 for homelessness initiatives.

The administration recommended that the remaining $160,809 be held as an undesignated allocation until budget projections improve as new information becomes available. The administration will present a second-quarter budget update on Aug. 6, 2014.

In explaining his dissent, Dan Smith noted that it’s been about three months since the board learned that there would be surplus revenue this year, and they’re already spending almost $600,000 of that surplus, which hadn’t been included in the original 2014 budget. There are no shortage of things to spend this money on, he said, including over $250 million in unfunded liabilities “which we have no particular plan to pay for, other than amortizing payments over 26 years – something that our actuary is recommending against us doing.”

One of the reasons to have a four-year budget is to have a plan and then execute that plan, Smith said. If the board wants to “constantly be in budget mode,” then they could simply have a one-year budget. He thought it would be more appropriate to make these changes in the fall, during the board’s annual budget reaffirmation process.

This brief was filed from the county administration building at 220 N. Main. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Linda Edwards-Brown, the county’s juvenile court administrator, told commissioners that there’s been an increase in young men “terrorizing” their communities. The sheriff’s office and court had started working together several months ago after they began observing an increase in gang-type activity, she said, including home invasions, firearm larceny, and assaulting police officers. They’d been hopeful that they could stem the tide of violence, she added, but it has escalated with a recent death in Ypsilanti.

So the sheriff’s office and court officials have reached consensus to remove some of these young men from the community and put them into residential facilities in other parts of the state, Edwards-Brown said. The juvenile division of the Washtenaw County trial court will place at least six youth in residential facilities this month, in addition to six youth who are currently in residential placements. According to a staff memo, residential placements are costly, with a typical length of stay at nine to twelve months.

In addition, detention beds in the county’s children’s services facility have been occupied at or near capacity for all of 2014, which has resulted in the need for part-time temporary staff as well as overtime pay.

The use of $642,707 will drop the Child Care Fund balance from $1,041,882 to $399,175.

At the July 9 meeting, commissioners and staff expressed the need to continue working on this issue as a community-wide effort.

This brief was filed from the county administration building at 220 N. Main. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

The city council’s last meeting of the 2014 fiscal year, on June 16, 2014, features an agenda packed with items related to the city’s physical infrastructure like bridges (including art), the sanitary sewer system and the stormwater system, as well as several resolutions related to construction of new sidewalks.

The sign on the door to the Ann Arbor city council chamber includes Braille.

Related to new sidewalk construction is a resolution that would authorize a $75,000 contract with the Greenway Collaborative, to support the work of a pedestrian safety and access task force established by the city council in late 2013. Part of the task force’s responsibility is to create a tool for setting priorities for funding and filling sidewalk gaps in the city.

The $75,000 cost for the pedestrian safety task force consultant is the same amount the council will be asked to allocate to support the work of Ann Arbor SPARK, a local economic development agency. The contract with SPARK is renewed annually, as is another contract on the June 16 agenda – for lobbying services from Governmental Consultant Services Inc. The GCSI contract is for $48,000.

Also on the council’s June 16 agenda are three items with a connection to the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. One is the approval of an end-of-year budget adjustment that was already approved at the DDA board’s June 4, 2014 meeting. Another is approval of a $37,500 expenditure from the city’s affordable housing trust fund to help pay for an affordable housing needs assessment. At its June 4 meeting, the DDA board authorized a $37,500 grant for the same study.

In the final item with a DDA connection, the council will be asked to authorize $69,555 for the conversion of 223 mercury-vapor cobrahead streetlights to LED technology. This project would convert streetlights that are all outside the DDA district. The project is on the city council’s agenda because the DDA board recently declined to fund a similar LED conversion project – for streetlights inside the DDA tax capture district.

Several other June 16 agenda items relate to the downtown area, even if they don’t have an explicit DDA connection. Two of them involve changes to downtown zoning ordinances that have been recommended by the planning commission. The zoning question to be given initial consideration by the council is whether to downzone the southeast corner of William and Main streets from D1 to D2, but with a 100-foot height limit.

Other downtown items on the council’s June 16 agenda include site plan approvals for First Martin’s hotel project at Ashley and Huron, and the Bank of Ann Arbor expansion at Fifth Avenue and Washington Street.

A resolution to improve Liberty Plaza, a downtown park at the southwest corner of Division and Liberty streets, also appears on the agenda – sponsored by mayor John Hieftje and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3). Added as sponsors since its initial appearance on the agenda are Sabra Briere (Ward 1) and Margie Teall (Ward 4).

The council will be asked to approve four items related to supportive services for the criminal justice system: (1) a $76,242 contract with Washtenaw County Community Support & Treatment Services for mental health treatment services for the 15th District Court’s sobriety and mental health courts; (2) a $44,200 contract with the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office to provide drug abuse screening and monitoring services for the mental health court; (3) a $108,174 contract with Dawn Farm for drug abuse counseling and rehabilitative services; and (4) a $40,000 contract with Reiser and Frushour PLLC to provide legal representation as court-appointed counsel to indigent defendants.

Recycling is the final topic with multiple items on the June 16 agenda. The council will be asked to approve funds for a $95,694 contract with Recycle Ann Arbor to create a multi-family recycling incentive pilot program. The council will also be asked to approve $39,480 to reimburse the city’s operator of its materials recovery facility for repair of a conveyor that feeds the baler. And finally, the council will be asked to approve $35,000 for Recycle Ann Arbor to provide solid waste services associated with student move-out activity.

The June 16 council meeting will also feature the annual historic district commission awards and the introduction of one of the Ann Arbor police department’s K-9 units, who won highest honors at a recent national certification trials event. This article includes a more detailed preview of many of these agenda items.

More details on other agenda items are available on the city’s online Legistar system. The meeting proceedings can be followed Monday evening live on Channel 16, streamed online by Community Television Network starting at 7 p.m.

The Chronicle will be filing live updates from city council chambers during the meeting, published in this article below the preview material. Click here to skip the preview section and go directly to the live updates. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Physical Infrastructure

The council’s June 16 agenda is heavy with items related to the city’s physical infrastructure.

Physical Infrastructure: Fuller Road Bridges

The council will be asked to approve a $187,184 contract with Northwest Consultants Inc. for the Fuller Road, Maiden Lane, and East Medical Center Drive bridges rehabilitation project. According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, the project includes “re-painting of each bridge, repairing corroded structural steel, bridge abutment and pier (substructure) repairs, expansion joint removal and replacement, bridge deck patching, placing an overlay on the existing bridge decks, bridge railing repairs, guard rail upgrades, brush trimming and removal around the perimeter of the bridge structures, and other related work.”

Money for the design work is available in the approved FY 2014 public services area street millage capital budget. The state of Michigan’s local bridge program pays for 95% of eligible construction expenses up to $790,000. The project will also receive $1,373,440 in federal surface transportation funding, administered through the Michigan Dept. of Transportation. The federal program pays for 81.85% of eligible construction expenses. But neither the state nor the federal sources will pay for the design work that the council’s action will fund.

Physical Infrastructure: Stadium Bridges Art

The council will be asked to approve a contract with Widgery Studio LLC to fabricate and install public art at the East Stadium Boulevard bridges. The city had already contracted with Widgery on May 20, 2014 for $8,248 to finalize the structural design of the artwork with an engineer.

This amendment to the contract on the June 16 council agenda adds art fabrication and installation services to the existing agreement, bringing the total compensation to $353,552 for all services. This was one of the projects for which the city council left funding in place, when it voted on March 3, 2014 to transfer most of the unspent money from the now defunct Percent for Art funding program back to the funds from which the money was originally drawn.

By way of additional background, in early August of 2013, Catherine Widgery of Cambridge, Mass. was recommended as the artist for this public art project. She was picked by a selection panel from four finalists who had submitted proposals for the project, which has a $400,000 total budget. [.pdf of Widgery's original proposal] The selection panel provided feedback to Widgery and asked that she revise her proposal before it was presented to the Ann Arbor public art commission and then later to the city council for approval.

Members of the panel were Wiltrud Simbuerger, Bob Miller, Nancy Leff, David Huntoon and Joss Kiely. [.pdf of panel feedback] The public art commission recommended the project’s approval at its April 23, 2014 meeting.

An image by artist Catherine Widgery for artwork on the East Stadium bridge. This night view shows how the structures would be lit from below, illuminating the images of trees that are etched into louvered glass panels.

An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery along East Stadium bridge.

An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery along the north side of East Stadium bridge.

An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery along East Stadium bridge.

An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery below East Stadium bridge, along South State Street.

An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery below East Stadium bridge, along South State Street.

A detail of the louvers designed by Catherine Widgery. The etched glass panels will be attached to a metal frame.

Physical Infrastructure: Sewer Lining

The council will be asked to approve the award of a $1,566,121 construction contract with Lanzo Lining Services for the 2014 sewer lining project. According to the staff memo accompanying this item, the project includes the lining of about 18,028 lineal feet of sanitary sewer and 2,942 lineal feet of storm sewer at 16 locations throughout the city. The memo describes sewer lining as a “trenchless technology which enables the pipe to be repaired without disturbing the surface above.”

Physical Infrastructure: Manholes

As part of its consent agenda, the council will be asked to award a $47,193 contract to Fonson Inc. for the Eighth Street sanitary sewer manhole replacement project. The manholes in question are described in the staff memo accompanying the project as “101 years old, composed of brick and … disintegrating.”

The deterioration of the manholes is attributed to corrosion from sewer gases, vibration from traffic, decades of freeze/thaw cycles and variations in hydrostatic soil pressures. The deteriorated condition includes spalling, weakened mortar, missing bricks and excessive groundwater infiltration, according to the memo.

Physical Infrastructure: Water Main

The council will be asked to award a $1,324,357 construction contract to Douglas N. Higgins Inc. for the Arbor Oaks Phase II water main replacement project. This project will replace the older water mains in the Bryant neighborhood. The water mains in the neighborhood are described in a staff memo as experiencing frequent breaks and in generally poor condition.

The project will install 1,100 feet of 12-inch water main and 2,360 feet of 8-inch water main along Santa Rosa Drive, Jay Lee Court, Lucerne Court, Burlingame Court, Blain Court, Hardyke Court, and Bryant Elementary School property. Included in the project is the resurfacing of the street, replacement of some curb and gutter, and reconstruction of some storm sewer structures.

Physical Infrastructure: Fire Station Restrooms

The council will be asked to approve a $149,500 contract with Emergency Restoration Company for the renovation of restrooms and locker rooms in Fire Stations #3 and #4. The staff memo accompanying the item indicates that the project will renovate the existing restroom facilities to create two unisex restrooms and showers at each station. Facilities and ventilation in the locker room and restroom areas will be improved.

Fire Station #3 is located on the city’s west side, on Jackson Road. Fire Station #4 is located on the city’s southeast side, on Huron Parkway. [Google Map of all five fire station locations]

Physical Infrastructure: Stormwater

The council will be asked to authorize transfer up to $157,264 in funds from the park maintenance and capital improvements millage fund to the stormwater fund – to authorize state revolving fund (SRF) debt payment and loan forgiveness for the stormwater and rain garden components of the skatepark project, located at Veterans Memorial Park.

According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, a state revolving fund loan is being used to fund the rain garden installation at the skatepark and to reimburse the city’s stormwater fund. Additional stormwater components were approved by the state for 50% loan forgiveness. The transfer of funds that the council is being asked to approve is necessary for the total debt payment of $118,632.00 plus 2% interest over 20 years. The skatepark is scheduled to have a grand opening on June 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Physical Infrastructure: Wastewater Study

As part of its consent agenda, the council will be asked to approve a $62,800 contract with Black & Veatch Ltd. for a water & wastewater system capital cost recovery study. Background to this contract is June 3, 2013 city council action to change the calculation of the water and sanitary improvement charges for properties connecting to city water mains or sanitary sewers – but only for a two-year period, from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2015.

The effect of the council’s action was to reduce the connection charges considerably. It was understood at the time that the two-year period would allow for the hiring of a consultant to review the city’s fees and charges for connections to the water and sanitary sewer systems and make recommendations for revision. That’s why the Black & Veatch item appears on the council’s June 16 agenda. The principles at stake are described in the staff memo accompanying the item as follows:

When making future changes to improvement charges and connection fees, it is important that various competing elements are satisfied. The fees must be easy to explain and easy to understand to be accepted by the users. The fees must recover costs equitably. The fees must not result in either an undue burden on existing rate payers of the systems or an undue burden on new customers connecting to the systems. The fees must be easily understood and neither over recover costs nor under recover costs. Any under-recovery of costs would place undue and inequitable financial burdens on current rate payers. To meet these goals and gain the experiences of other utilities, it is desirable to contract with a consulting firm that has nationwide experience in this area.

Physical Infrastructure: Stormwater Services

As part of its consent agenda, the council will be asked to approve the amendment of a purchase order for stormwater services with the Washtenaw County water resources commissioner. The request of the council is to increase the amount of the existing contract with the water resources commissioner by $30,000. The existing contract was approved for FY 2011 for $69,215 with a 3% annual increase, which would have put the amount for FY 2014 and FY 2015 at $75,633 and $77,902, respectively. The council is being asked to approve funding at $105,633 and $107,902, for FY 2014 and FY 2015, respectively.

Informational Infrastructure: HR and Payroll Software

The council will be asked to approve a $570,900 contract with NuView Inc. to replace the city’s human resource and payroll system. The staff memo accompanying the item explains why the existing software, acquired in 2007, is being replaced:

In 2007, the City installed a Human Resource and Payroll system called Ultipro, by Ultimate Software. The Ultipro system included modules for Recruiting, Benefits Administration, Human Resource Administration and Payroll. The City has experienced a variety of issues related to the underlying database architecture utilized by Ultimate Software. In addition, due to changes such as new legislative requirements, the increase in recruiting volume and the increase in manual data entry involved in benefits administration, the City has found the Ultipro system unable to meet its Human Resource needs.

Sidewalk/Pedestrians

The council’s agenda features several items related to special-assessed sidewalk construction projects, as well as funding for a pedestrian safety and access task force. Four different special-assessed sidewalk construction projects are on the agenda – two public hearings to be held at the June 16 meeting (for Scio Church and Barton Drive) and two resolutions to set public hearings for future meetings (for Pontiac Trail and Stone School Road).

Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Pontiac Trail Sidewalk

Two resolutions appear on the agenda in connection with construction of a new sidewalk on Pontiac Trail – one to direct the assessor to prepare an assessment roll, and another to set a public hearing on the special assessment for July 21. The assessable cost is $72,218. According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, sidewalk construction would be done as part of the reconstruction of Pontiac Trail beginning just north of Skydale Drive to just south of the bridge over M-14.

The project will also be adding on-street bike lanes and constructing a new sidewalk along the east side of Pontiac Trail to fill in existing sidewalk gaps and to provide pedestrian access to Olson Park and Dhu Varren Road. That’s a part of the city’s Complete Streets program. In addition to the sidewalk, approximately 1,960 feet of curb and gutter is being added north of Skydale along Pontiac Trail to protect existing wetland areas. [.pdf of Pontiac Trail sidewalk special assessment area]

Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Stone School Sidewalk

The council has previously directed the preparation of a special assessment roll for a new sidewalk along the west side of Stone School Road. This work will be done in conjunction with the Stone School Road reconstruction project from I-94 to Ellsworth Road. The total sidewalk project cost is roughly $128,500, of which about $55,000 will be special assessed. So the requested action of the council on June 16 will be to set a public hearing on the special assessment for July 7.

Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Barton Drive Sidewalk – Public Hearing

The sidewalk on Barton Drive would extend eastward from Bandemer Park at Longshore Drive. The cost of the Barton Drive sidewalk has been calculated to be $80,606. Of that, about $36,000 will be paid from federal surface transportation funds. Of the remaining $44,606, the city’s general fund would pay $42,626, leaving just $1,980 to be paid through the special assessment. The city council had voted at its May 19, 2014 meeting to set the assessment roll and to schedule the public hearing for June 16.

Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Scio Church Sidewalk – Public Hearing

Another public hearing based on previous council action at its May 19 meeting will be held at the June 16 meeting – on the special assessment to fund construction of a sidewalk on Scio Church Road. For the Scio Church sidewalk project, the total cost is expected to be $365,100. Of that, about $164,000 will be paid from a federal surface transportation grant. The remaining $201,100 will be paid out of the city’s general fund and by the special assessment of just $1,626.

Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Larchmont Traffic Calming

The council will be asked to approve a traffic calming project on Larchmont Drive at a cost of $55,000 $8,800.

Larchmont traffic calming proposal: Three speed humps.

The action includes an appropriation for five other traffic calming projects, totaling $55,000.

The approval of this project comes in the context of the council’s budget deliberations last month, when an amendment was offered but rejected by the council that would have cut the FY 2015 budget allocation for art administration from $80,000 to $40,000 and put the $40,000 is savings toward traffic calming projects. The amendment got support only from Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1), Jane Lumm (Ward 2), Jack Eaton (Ward 4), and Mike Anglin (Ward 5).

Traffic calming projects must undergo a neighborhood engagement process in which at least 60% of households support the designed project. In the case of the Larchmont project, 13 out of 15 households supported the project.

Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Pedestrian Task Force Consultant

The council will be asked to approve a $75,000 contract with The Greenway Collaborative Inc. to support the work of the pedestrian safety and access task force as a facilitator. The task force was established through a council resolution passed on Nov. 18, 2013. Confirmed as members of the task force on Jan. 21, 2014 were: Vivienne Armentrout, Neal Elyakin, Linda Diane Feldt, Jim Rees, Anthony Pinnell, Sarah Pressprich Gryniewicz, Kenneth Clark, Scott Campbell, and Owen Jansson.

The group has begun to meet and has elected Feldt to chair the task force. The resolution on the council’s June 16 meeting agenda comes after the council voted down a resolution at on April 7, 2014 that included a $77,400 contract with Project Innovations for the facilitation work. Project Innovations had been identified by staff as a contractor uniquely qualified to do the facilitation work. Project Innovations was familiar to city staff as the facilitator for a sanitary sewer wet weather evaluation study the city is currently conducting.

But subsequently the city issued an RFP (requests for proposals) for the facilitation work. [.pdf of RFP No. 893] Task force members participated in the selection process from among three respondents to the RFP. Besides Project Innovations and the Greenway Collaborative, ENP & Associates responded to the RFP. ENP is the consultant the city used for the recent review of downtown zoning.

Business Services

On the council’s agenda are two contracts that are approved annually – one for business development services and one for lobbying services.

Business Services: Ann Arbor SPARK

As part of its consent agenda, the council will be asked to approve a $75,000 contract with Ann Arbor SPARK for economic development services. This is an annual contract. At its May 19, 2014 meeting, the council spent roughly five hours of deliberations on amendments to the FY 2015 budget, and just under 30% of that time was spent on two amendments involving SPARK – neither of which were approved by the council.

Ann Arbor city council budget deliberations FY 2015: 4 hours 45 minutes by amendment topic.

SPARK is also the entity with which the local development finance authority (LDFA) contracts for business accelerator services. One of the proposed amendments to the FY 2015 budget would have decreased the amount of funding to SPARK from the LDFA, resulting in an increase to the amount the LDFA would have reserved for future infrastructure projects. The second budget amendment debated on May 19 would have eliminated the $75,000 in the FY 2015 budget for the contract the council will be asked to approve as part of its June 16 agenda.

Ann Arbor SPARK also receives money from other governmental units in Washtenaw County. In 2013, the $75,000 paid by the city of Ann Arbor to SPARK accounted for more than half of the $132,888 total contributed by all governmental units besides Washtenaw County. The county levies a tax under Act 88, and out of that levy, last year the county contributed $200,000, according to the information provided to the city by SPARK. [.pdf of 2013 "return on investment" from Ann Arbor SPARK] [.pdf of 2013 Ann Arbor SPARK projects]

Business Services: GCSI Lobbying

As a part of its consent agenda, the council will be asked to approve a $48,000 contract with Governmental Consultant Services Inc. for lobbying services. According to the memo accompanying the item, GCSI has contributed to Ann Arbor’s efforts to increase state funding for fire protection, land-use planning, and parks and recreation projects.

GCSI is also supposed to monitor issues currently pending before the legislature and advocate for the city’s specific interests. GCSI has done this kind of work for the city of Arbor since 2001. GCSI also provides lobbying services for Washtenaw County, as well as other local municipalities. The city’s main liaison with GSCI is Kirk Profit, an Ann Arbor resident and former Michigan state legislator.

Downtown

The council will be handling several items on its June 16 agenda that relate to the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority specifically, or the downtown area generally.

Downtown: DDA Budget Amendment

The council will be asked to approve a routine fiscal-year-end budget adjustment for the Ann Arbor DDA. The DDA board approved the adjustment at its June 4, 2014 meeting. The main part of the adjustment is a $1.6 million payment made for the First & Washington parking garage, which is part of the City Apartments project. The amount was budgeted by the DDA for last year, but not paid until this year.

The rest of the adjustment is attributable to expenditures out of the DDA’s housing fund – $500,000 of it to support Ann Arbor Housing Commission projects. The remaining $37,500 went to support a countywide housing needs assessment – an amount that was approved by the board at the same June 4 meeting in a separate vote. The DDA will end the fiscal year with $6,167,757 in fund balance. The breakdown of that total is: TIF ($619,571); Housing ($160,154); Parking ($2,161,676) and Parking Maintenance ($3,226,356).

Downtown: Affordable Housing Needs Assessment

The council will be asked to authorize $37,500 from the affordable housing trust fund to support the Washtenaw County housing needs assessment. The Ann Arbor DDA had approved the same amount at its meeting on June 4, 2014. Money from the city and DDA is being considered as “up to” amounts. Mary Jo Callan, director of the county’s office of economic and community development (OCED), told the DDA board at its June 4 meeting that $75,000 from a HUD Sustainable Communities grant would be the first money spent toward the assessment.

The firm selected by the OCED to do the needs assessment is czb LLC out of Virginia. [.pdf of RFP for the needs assessment] The current needs assessment will update a report done in 2007. According to a memo from OCED staff to the DDA, the final report will “provide a clear, easy to understand assessment of the local housing market, identify current and future housing needs, and provide specific and implementable policy recommendations to advance affordable housing.

The goal for this update is to include an analysis that links transportation cost and accessibility, as well as other environmental and quality of life issues to the location of affordable housing.” The RFP for the needs study describes the timeline for the work as including a draft for review due at the end of October 2014, with a final presentation due in mid-December.

(Not) Downtown: Streetlight LED Conversion

As part of its consent agenda, the council will be asked to approve a purchase agreement with DTE to convert 223 mercury-vapor cobrahead streetlights to LED technology. The up-front cost of the conversion will be $69,555 – but that amount will be reduced to $55,060 after rebates. The annual electric bill from DTE for the 223 streetlights is currently $45,128. After conversion, the projected annual cost will be $30,910. The savings would result in about a 3.1-year payback period on the net cost of $55,060.

None of the streetlights to be converted are in the DDA district. Streetlights in the DDA district were part of a similar proposal considered by the DDA board at its May 7, 2014 meeting, but postponed by the board at that meeting until June 4. By the time of the June 4 meeting, however, a decision had already been made that the DDA would not be funding an LED conversion this year. [DTE's program has an annual cycle, but is not necessarily offered every year.] If the DDA board had approved funding for converting lights in the DDA district, it would have affected 212 non-LED streetlights.

Streetlight locations are mapped in the joint Washtenaw County and city of Ann Arbor GIS system. Data available by clicking on icons includes ownership as well as the lighting technology used. This one is a high pressure sodium light operating at 400 watts.

The project the DDA declined to fund this year would have included converting 100 watt MV (mercury vapor), 175 watt MV and 100 watt HPS (high pressure sodium) lights to 65 watt LED (light emitting diode). Further, 400 watt MV and 250 watt HPS lights would have been converted to 135 watt LED. Finally, 1000 watt MV and 400 watt HPS lights would have been converted to 280 watt LED. Currently, the city pays DTE $72,585 a year for the energy used by the 212 downtown streetlights. After conversion, the annual cost for the 212 lights would be expected to drop to $51,895, for an annual savings of $20,690.

In deliberations at the DDA board’s May 7 meeting, DDA board member Roger Hewitt opposed the grant, because the savings that would be realized accrues to the city of Ann Arbor, which pays the energy bills for the lights. Hewitt noted that the relationship between the city and the DDA includes a number of fund transfers to the city. Even though the amount is not huge, Hewitt said, the expenditure of several small amounts could eventually impair the DDA’s ability to pay for major infrastructure improvements.

Other board members joined Hewitt in their concerns, questioning what projects might be sacrificed if the DDA paid for the LED conversion. Concern was also expressed over the possibility that the result of a streetscape framework planning effort could result in a decision to replace all cobrahead lights in the downtown area with pedestrian-scale lampposts. And that would mean that the new LED fixtures would be used for only a short while.

Downtown: Zoning, Character District

The council will be asked to give initial approval to changes in two parts of the zoning code affecting the parcel at 425 S. Main, on the southeast corner of Main and William streets. Because these would be changes to the zoning code, which is expressed in city ordinances, any council action that might be taken would need a second and final vote at a future meeting, in order to be enacted.

Aerial view of 425 S. Main – outlined in green – between William and Packard. An alley separates the site from a residential neighborhood along South Fourth Avenue.

Currently, a two-story 63,150-square-foot office building – where DTE offices are located – stands on the southern part of that site, with a surface parking lot on the north portion. [.pdf of staff memo on 425 S. Main rezoning]

To be considered separately by the city council are votes that would: (1) change the zoning of the parcel from D1 (downtown core base district) to D2 (downtown interface base district); and (2) change the character overlay district, of which the parcel is a part, to increase the D2 height limit from 60 feet to 100 feet. Assuming the zoning change is made for the parcel at 425 S. Main, it would be the only D2 parcel in the character district. The changes to the character overlay district also include upper story setbacks from any residential property. [.pdf of staff memo on overlay district]

The planning commission recommended both the changes at its May 6, 2014 meeting. The planning commission’s vote on the basic zoning change was unanimous – 9-0. But the vote on the 100-foot height limit was only 6-3, with dissent coming from Sabra Briere, Ken Clein and Jeremy Peters. Briere also serves on city council, representing Ward 1. Both recommendations had been brought forward by the commission’s ordinance revisions committee (ORC). Members are Bonnie Bona, Diane Giannola, Kirk Westphal and Wendy Woods.

The planning commission’s recommendations came in response to a city council directive given at its Jan. 21, 2014 meeting, which had been based on previous work the planning commission had done. The commission had studied and developed a broader set of eight recommendations for zoning changes in specific parts of the downtown. The overall intent was in large part to buffer near-downtown residential neighborhoods. The commission had unanimously approved those original recommendations at its Dec. 3, 2013 meeting.

Those initial Dec. 3, 2013 recommendations from the planning commission had come in response to a previous direction from the city council, given at the council’s April 1, 2013 meeting. The council’s action in early 2013 came in response to the controversial 413 E. Huron development.

The items on the council’s June 16, 2014 agenda are just the first of what are expected to be several other changes recommended by the planning commission. That set of initial recommendations from the planning commission to the city council – which the council then accepted and for which the council asked the planning commission to draft ordinance language – included a proposal to rezone 425 S. Main to D2. However, those original recommendations had also called for a maximum height of 60 feet for D2 zoning in the Main Street character overlay district – lower than the 100 feet put forward at the commission’s May 6 meeting.

The site’s current zoning allows for a maximum height of 180 feet. The previous zoning, prior to 2009, set no limits on height. At this time, no new development has been proposed for this site.

Downtown: Hotel Site Plan

The city council will be asked to approve the site plan for First Martin’s proposed extended-stay hotel at 116-120 West Huron Street. The planning commission gave a recommendation of approval at its May 20, 2014 meeting.

Rendering of proposed hotel at the northeast corner of West Huron and Ashley. The One North Main building is visible to the east.

The proposal calls for a six-floor, 88,570-square-foot building with a ground-floor restaurant or retail space and an extended-stay hotel on the upper five levels. The hotel will be operated by Marriott.

The current site at 116-120 W. Huron includes a Greyhound bus depot and a one-story building that houses the Ann Arbor Convention & Visitors Bureau. Both of those buildings will be demolished. The bus depot facade will remain in place as part of the new building’s design. [.pdf of staff report]

The main hotel entrance is proposed for the building’s west side, facing North Ashley, while the main entrance for the restaurant or retail space is proposed to face West Huron, on the building’s south side. The site is zoned D1, which allows for the highest density development in the downtown. According to the staff memo, five off-street parking spaces are required.

First Martin has secured a letter of commitment from Zipcar, a car-sharing service, for two vehicles. Parking spaces for those cars are proposed at the northeast corner of the site. For purposes of the city’s parking requirement, the two Zipcars would count as eight off-street parking spaces, and would satisfy the requirement. The two existing curbcuts – on North Ashley and West Huron – will be closed, and access to the two parking spaces, loading dock and trash/recycling would be from the mid-block alley to the north. The alley is currently one-way, and will be converted to a two-way alley and repaved.

The current site at 116-120 W. Huron, looking north. One North Main is the building on the right. The city’s Ann Ashley parking structure is visible in the background.

Streetscape changes will include curb bump-outs on North Ashley, on the north and south ends of the site for passenger drop-off. Nine bicycle parking spaces are required for the project, and would include two bike hoops in the North Ashley right-of-way and two in the West Huron right-of-way, for a total of eight bike spaces. Three more hoops are proposed for the Ann Ashley parking structure, with First Martin paying for labor and materials. The city of Ann Arbor and Downtown Development Authority would assume responsibility for maintenance of those hoops.

Construction is estimated to cost $13 million. In giving the staff report to the planning commission, city planner Alexis DiLeo noted that the Greyhound bus depot has been at that location since 1940, and the site has been a transportation hub since 1898.

Downtown: Bank of Ann Arbor Site Plan

The city council will be asked to approve the site plan for an addition to the Bank of Ann Arbor headquarters at 125 South Fifth Avenue. The planning commission recommended approval of the project at its May 20, 2014 meeting.

The site plan involves reorienting the main entrance – moving it from the center of its South Fifth Avenue side to the southeast corner of South Fifth and East Washington. Existing doors will be replaced with windows. A 9,179-square-foot third-floor addition would be constructed over the rear of the building’s east side. In total, the building would be 32,651 square feet after construction. The project is estimated to cost $4.2 million. [.pdf of staff memo]

Bank of Ann Arbor building at the northeast corner of South Fifth and East Washington. The proposed renovations will create a “tower” entrance into the building at this corner.

According to the staff memo, the design “seeks to transform the current style from contemporary to traditional by replacing the yellow brick façade with brown and red-colored bricks and limestone-colored stone accents and trim and creating a brick and glass tower at the street corner to create a prominent entry.”

The original two-story building was constructed in 1965, which included the drive-thru window. An addition was completed in 1999. The project was evaluated by the city’s design review board on Jan. 14. The board suggested making the entry structure taller and more closely aligning the bank’s design features with those of the adjacent Ameritech building to the east.

The site is zoned D1, which allows for the highest level of density in the downtown area. D1 zoning requires a special exception use for drive-thrus, which the planning commission considered on May 20 in a separate vote. Because the project is going through a site plan approval process, the requirement for a special exception use was triggered. Special exception uses do not require additional city council approval.

The bank has an existing drive-thru teller window on its north side. No changes are planned to that configuration, however. In giving the staff report to the planning commission, city planner Alexis DiLeo said if the drive-thru were used more frequently, staff might suggest additional design features, like a more clearly marked crossing or differentiated surface materials. But because there are only 20-25 transactions per day at the drive-thru, and given the “successful history” of the existing drive-thru, staff was comfortable with it remaining as is, DiLeo said.

Modifications to drive-thru regulations are in the works, but not yet enacted. The planning commission approved new drive-thru regulations earlier this year. Amendments to Ann Arbor’s zoning ordinance related to drive-thrus received initial approval at the council’s May 5, 2014 meeting, and received final approval at the council’s June 2, 2014 meeting.

Downtown: Liberty Plaza

Mayor John Hieftje and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3), joined by Margie Teall (Ward 4) and Sabra Briere (Ward 1), are sponsoring a resolution that would direct the city administrator to “work collaboratively with the property owners adjacent to and near Liberty Plaza, the general public, PAC [park advisory commission], the Ann Arbor District Library, and the DDA to develop a conceptual design for an improved Liberty Plaza…”

Funding for the collaborative work in the amount of $23,577 would come from the parks and recreation budget. In addition to a concept for a “re-imagined Liberty Plaza,” the effort is supposed to result in options for funding construction, to be provided by city staff. A report is to be provided to the park advisory commission by December 2014 and to the city council a month later in January 2015.

This resolution comes in the context of a push by some Ann Arbor residents to establish public park space on top of the underground Library Lane parking garage, which is southwest of Liberty Plaza separated from that park by a surface parking lot owned by First Martin Corp. Related to that, the council voted at its April 7, 2014 meeting – as part of reconsidering a vote it had taken at its previous meeting on March 17 – to designate a 12,000-square-foot portion of the Library Lane surface to be reserved as an urban park.

The result of the reconsidered resolution on April 7 undid the council’s earlier decision to establish a square foot range for the urban plaza – from 6,500-12,000 square feet. That April 7 council decision was made on a 7-4 vote, with dissent from Taylor, Hieftje, Teall and Chuck Warpehoski (Ward 5).

Courts Human Services

On the council’s June 16 agenda are several items related to the criminal justice system, specifically for some of the specialty courts operated by the 15th District Court. As part of its consent agenda, the council will be asked to approve an amendment to a $76,242 contract with Washtenaw County Community Support & Treatment Services – for mental health treatment services to people who are participating in the sobriety court and the mental health court.

Also on the consent agenda, the council will be asked to approve a $44,200 amendment to a contract with the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office to provide drug abuse screening and monitoring services for the mental health court. The council will be asked to approve a $108,174 amendment to a contract with the nonprofit Dawn Farm for drug abuse counseling and rehabilitative services.

And finally, the consent agenda includes a resolution for a $40,000 amendment to a contract with Reiser and Frushour PLLC to provide legal representation as court-appointed counsel to indigent defendants.

Recycling

The council’s June 16 agenda includes three items related to recycling.

Recycling: RAA Multifamily Pilot

The council will be asked to approve a two-year $95,694 contract with Recycle Ann Arbor for a recycling incentive program for multi-family residential units. This item is based on the city’s solid waste plan, which the city council adopted at its Oct. 7, 2013 meeting.

The plan includes evaluating methods to increase recycling participation through pilot programs. Among those methods is the introduction of a recycling incentive program for multi‐family housing units. According to the staff memo accompanying this item, a manual sort of waste conducted in the fall of 2012 found that only 12% of the trash that single-family residents threw away was recyclable, compared to 26% of the trash that multi-family residents threw away. The completion of the pilot program is expected in December 2016. According to the memo, Recycle Ann Arbor’s proposal includes:

1. Gather information on best multi-family recycling practices in North America.
2. Survey and/or interview key multi-family constituencies in Ann Arbor to better understand the challenges and opportunities for recycling in this sector. Based on feedback received, develop 3 to 5 methodologies for further testing and analysis.
3. Identify pilot parameters and measurement protocols.
4. Identify pilot communities to involve in the pilot programs (ultimately targeting approximately 1,000 units) and ramp up pilot start-up.
5. Implement pilot programs.
6. Analyze results of pilot programs.
7. Provide detailed recommendations to the City on best practices and report results to participating multi-family communities.

Methodologies that will be tested as part of the pilot will include the following:

• Recycling rewards program: Evaluate if a recycling rewards program would be effective in improving recycling participation rates in multi-family locations
• Indoor collection bins: Most multi-family locations share outdoor recycling bins. Determine if the provision of indoor recycling bins would help increase recycling rates.
• Multi-family recycling leader program: Determine if the use of recycling leaders at individual locations would help increase recycling rates.
• 300-gallon recycling cart: Determine if the use of 300-gallon carts instead of the standard 96-gallon cart would help increase recycling.

Recycling: Baler Infeed Conveyor Repair

The council will be asked to approve a $39,480 reimbursement to Resource Recovery Systems – the city’s contracted operator of its materials recovery facility (MRF) – for repair of the baler infeed conveyor belt. According to a staff memo accompanying the item, the belt was last replaced in 2007, and has worn out. Such conveyors are described in the memo as lasting five to seven years.

Recycling: RAA Student Move-out Services

As part of its consent agenda, the council will be asked to approve a $35,000 annual contract with Recycle Ann Arbor for services associated with the move-out of University of Michigan students.

According to the staff memo on the item, RAA’s proposal includes a staffed drop-off location at the corner of Tappan and Oakland streets during student fall and spring move-out periods. The site is also used to collect reusable items (through organizations such as the Salvation Army, Kiwanis, or the Reuse Center), bulky metal items, and recyclable materials.

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4:10 p.m. Staff responses to councilmember questions about agenda items. [.pdf of staff responses to June 16, 2014 agenda questions]

6:14 p.m. Paul Fulton of the city’s IT department is setting up the laptop with the Historic District Commission awards presentation. Thomas Partridge has already arrived.

6:48 p.m. Eppie Potts, who’s receiving the Preservationist of the Year Award tonight from the Historic District Commission, has arrived. She quips: “Usually I’m here to yell at them!”

7:08 p.m. The only councilmember not yet arrived is Chuck Warpehoski (Ward 5). Mayor John Hieftje is here, but he seems to have stepped away for a bit. We’re basically ready to go.

7:09 p.m. Warpehoski is now here.

7:10 p.m. Call to order, moment of silence, pledge of allegiance. And we’re off.

7:10 p.m. Approval of agenda. All are present and correct.

7:11 p.m. Approval of agenda. Jane Lumm (Ward 2) wants to note that there will be a resolution added on the settlement on the Goldstone case. City attorney Stephen Postema says it can go at the end.

7:11 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the agenda.

7:13 p.m. Communications from the city administrator. Steve Powers is thanking Chief John Seto for the Ann Arbor police department and Ann Arbor fire department event on Saturday, recognizing public safety officers for their bravery and service. He thanked Seto for the open house, where equipment was demonstrated. He’s announcing the grand opening of the skatepark on June 21. He’s thanking residents for their patience as the city rolls out its street reconstruction projects for the season.

7:14 p.m. INT-1 Introduction of Ann Arbor Police K-9 Murray and Officer Pat Maguire. Murray, the dog, is named after Vada Murray, an Ann Arbor Police Department officer who passed away a few years ago. His wife and children are in attendance.

7:15 p.m. Chief Seto is introducing Officer Maguire and K-9 Murray. The pair earned distinction in a recent trials competition.

7:16 p.m. INT-2 Presentation of Historic District Commission annual awards. This is the 30th annual presentation of the awards.

7:18 p.m. Tom Stullberg, chair of the HDC, is giving the presentation.

7:18 p.m. Rehabilitation Awards are presented in recognition of substantial work that returned a property to a state of utility through repair or alteration, facilitating contemporary needs but respecting the features of the property that are significant to its historic and architectural values.

7:18 p.m. University of Michigan For East Quad. Details: Built in 1940; $116 million renovation; replaced slate roof, restored leaded glass, replaced window glazing, restored exterior walls; repaired wood paneling and fireplaces in main floor lounges.

7:19 p.m. University of Michigan for Munger Residences, formerly called the Lawyers Club. Details: Built between 1923 and 1933; $39 million renovation; upgraded infrastructure, replaced slate roof (reusing many original pieces), repaired exterior masonry; added two elevators without compromising historical integrity.

7:19 p.m. Jim Kosteva, UM director of community relations, is on hand to accept the awards on behalf of UM.

7:20 p.m. Preservation Awards are presented in recognition of superior maintenance of a significant property to preserve its essential historical, cultural or architectural value for a period of 10 years or more.

7:20 p.m. Susan and Martin Hurwitz for 1520 Cambridge 1520 Cambridge. Details: Built in 1913 for Max and Clemence Winkler; Colonial Revival; round topped windows, classical surround of pilasters and broken pediment, prominent modillions; owned and maintained by Susan and Martin Hurwitz since 1991.

7:20 p.m. Kappa Alpha Theta (Eta Chapter): 1414 Washtenaw. Details: Built in 1867 for Dr. Silas Pratt; Colonial Revival; remodeled by Louis H. Boynton when purchased by Kappa Alpha Theta in 1916; one of the first Greek letter organizations to locate on Washtenaw; received State of Michigan Historic Designation in 1983.

7:21 p.m. First Presbyterian Church for 1432 Washtenaw. Details: Built in 1938; Gothic Revival in the English Country style; renovations in 1956 and 1998; Lancet windows with stained glass, buttresses, steep slate roof; stand of mature trees leading to main entry are remnants of the “picnic grove” that surrounded home at the previously occupying site.

7:21 p.m. Ann Arbor City Club for 1830 Washtenaw. Details: Built in 1888 by Evart Scott as farmhouse; remodeled into Colonial Revival home by Louis H. Boynton when purchased in 1917 for Dr. R. Bishop Canfield; purchased by Ann Arbor Women’s City Club in 1951 and remodeled into clubhouse; 1962 addition designed by Ralph Hammett.

7:22 p.m. Ken Wisniski and Linda Dintenfass for 13 Regent Drive. Details: Designed by local architect David Osler in 1964 for William and Margaret Mundus; Mid-Century Modern; five levels, mostly hidden from public view; renovation by Stan Monroe in 2012 to change third level into master bedroom and rebuild five decks; owned and maintained by Ken Wisniski and Linda Dintenfass since 1999.

7:23 p.m. Howard Shapiro for 7 Regent Drive. Details: Designed by Alden Dow in 1964 for Joe Morris; three levels, views the Arb; flat roof with flared edges on the west, resembles three boxes with a hidden entry; influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright (Dow studied at Taliesin in the 1920s); owned and maintained by Dr. Howard Shapiro since 2002.

7:23 p.m. Margaret Bignall and Paul Hossler for 1448 Broadway. Details: Built in 1852 by John Lennon; Greek Revival; typical early 19th century settler house; 950 square feet, 1½ story, side gable; small, historic barn behind house; owned and maintained by Margaret Bignall and Paul Hossler since 1980.

7:24 p.m. Carol and Robert Mull for 1111 Fair Oaks. Details: Designed in 1916 by Fiske Kimball for James N. and Clara Petrie; inspired by Monticello and the White House; irregular floor plan: round rooms in center and rectangular rooms on sides; Ives Woods/Burns Park neighborhood; owned and maintained by Carol and Robert Mull since 1979.

7:25 p.m. Stone School Cooperative Nursery for 2811 Stone School. Details: Built in 1911 as a rural schoolhouse; incorporated materials from 1853 schoolhouse previously on site; original foundation stone and school bell and belfry; purchased and restored in 1995 by the Stone School Cooperative; listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

7:25 p.m. John Hollowell for 844 W. Huron. Details: Built in 1872 by William H. Mallory; Gothic Revival; two porches, two bay windows, eared trim with elaborate scroll details; 1890s Victorian lamp posts from Belle Isle; Old West Side; owned and maintained by John Hollowell since 1970s.

7:26 p.m. Steve Sivak for 1158 Pomona. Details: Built in 1955 for Joseph and Emma Albano; Mid-Century Modern; long, low lines, prominent carport, exposed rafters, vertical cedar siding, flat roofs; large expanses of window glass on the sides, blank façade offering privacy from the street; owned and maintained by Steve Sivak since 1995.

7:27 p.m. Akhavan Rayhaneh for 2022 Delafield. Details: Built in 1958 by James P. Wong for Richard Hadden; “Bonnet house”; Mid-Century Modern; steeply pitched gable in front, floor to ceiling windows form part of façade, overhang has exposed rafters; owned and maintained by Akhavan Rayhaneh since 1989.

7:27 p.m. Special Merit Awards are presented in recognition of exceptional people, projects, landscapes or other unique preservation projects.

7:28 p.m. Susan Wineberg and Patrick McCauley: Authors of “Historic Ann Arbor: An Architectural Guide”; describes over 350 Ann Arbor buildings; includes 40 University of Michigan buildings; four years researching, documenting, photographing, and writing; valuable resource to anyone interested in architecture or history of Ann Arbor.

7:28 p.m. Preservationist of the Year is presented to an individual who has provided the city of Ann Arbor with exemplary services in the pursuit of historic preservation, incentives, and/or education.

7:28 p.m. Ethel K. Potts is the 2014 Preservationist of the Year. Details: attended the University of Michigan; served on city’s zoning board of appeals and the planning commission; advocate for historic preservation; mentor to future preservationists; “This city means a lot to me, its buildings and history must be maintained for generations to come.”

7:30 p.m. Potts is getting an enthusiastic ovation from the audience and councilmembers.

7:30 p.m. Recess. We’re in a short recess so that the awardees can exit.

7:37 p.m. We’re back.

7:37 p.m. Public Commentary reserved time. This portion of the meeting offers 10 three-minute slots that can be reserved in advance. Preference is given to speakers who want to address the council on an agenda item. [Public commentary general time, with no sign-up required in advance, is offered at the end of the meeting.]

Two people are signed up to talk about the $75,000 contract with The Greenway Collaborative to support the work of the pedestrian safety and access task force, both of them members of the task force: Vivienne Armentrout and Linda Diane Feldt. Three people are signed up to talk about the $75,000 contract with Ann Arbor SPARK: Kai Petainen, Jeff Hayner and Dave DeVarti. Hayner’s second topic is the East Stadium bridges art installation. Thomas Partridge is signed up to talk about improved affordable housing and economic development.

7:40 p.m. Vivienne Armentrout is a member of the pedestrian safety and access task force. She’s asking the council to approve the contract with The Greenway Collaborative. It’s already in the FY 2014 budget, so it’s “not new money,” she says. She says the task force is “itching” to take on its task. The task force needs the council’s support now, to continue its work – the task force has met three times so far. Armentrout is reviewing the responsibility the council gave the task force. She’s describing how some members of the task force participated in the selection of the facilitator, from the three who responded to the city’s RFP. [.pdf of Armentrout's remarks]

7:41 p.m. Kai Petainen is reading the following statement aloud: [Petainen public comment] [Ann Arbor SPARK 2013 annual report] and [21st Century Jobs Trust Fund 2013 Annual Report]

7:46 p.m. Linda Diane Feldt is a member of the pedestrian safety and access task force – and she was elected chair of the group. She’s thanking the council for appointing her to the task force. She’s asking for the council’s support – in the form of approving the $75,000 contract with The Greenway Collaborative. She’d participated in the selection process of the consultant, she says. The process that will unfold will involve thousands of volunteer hours, she notes. The value of the work will far exceed the value of the contract, she says. The task force has already dived into its work. She’s noting that The Greenway Collaborative is a local firm with excellent qualifications.

7:49 p.m. Jeff Hayner says that the spirit of economic development is alive and well. There are many partners in this effort, including the UM Tech Transfer Office. He’s criticizing Ann Arbor SPARK for high salaries, but says they’re not using income for terrorist activities. He says that SPARK has misrepresented its results. He suggests revising the resolution to reduce the $75,000 to just 10% of that figure.

7:51 p.m. David DeVarti is a former city councilmember and former member of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board. He’s speaking against the funding for SPARK, asking the council to deny it or table it. He allows that as a DDA member he had voted for money for SPARK. He’d been disappointed by what SPARK had produced, but he’d gone along to get along with mayor John Hieftje and with Bob Guenzel. He points out that $75,000 could go a long way for a human services agency. He asks that the council hold Ann Arbor SPARK to the same kind of standards as it does the human services agencies it has contracts with. That would create a real sense for the council for what SPARK is failing to provide in terms of documentation.

7:54 p.m. Thomas Partridge introduces himself as a resident of Ward 5 as well as recent candidate for various public offices. He calls for improved funding for affordable housing and economic development. He wants the council to take direct responsibility for funding the elimination of homelessness and measurably increasing the amount of funding available for affordable housing.

7:59 p.m. Communications from council. This is the first of two slots on the agenda for council communications. It’s a time when councilmembers can report out from boards, commissions and task forces on which they serve. They can also alert their colleagues to proposals they might be bringing forward in the near future.

7:59 p.m. Sally Petersen says that the LDFA board will be discussing an independent audit of the SmartZone at its meeting tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. She also notes that the LDFA board has heard the council’s interest in seeing investments in infrastructure.

7:59 p.m. Kunselman is talking about the activity of the nuisance committee, of which he’s the only member. He’s also explaining his research on the DDA terms. Attached to the agenda are old DDA records Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) retrieved from the University of Michigan Bentley Library. [link]

8:03 p.m. Kunselman is now talking about the issue of TIF refunds that were made by the DDA in the early 1980s. He’s now talking about the DDA’s development plan and the requirements for that plan in the statute. He’s calling for the council to work with the DDA to work on a new development plan. He’s pointing out that the city administrator is the city’s representative on the DDA board. He said he’s told city administrator Steve Powers that he expects the DDA will be following the law.

8:04 p.m. Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1) is alerting people to the removal of some stop signs on Nixon Road near Green and Dhu Varren. This is a temporary measure related to nearby construction. She asks people to be careful. Jane Lumm (Ward 2) is now talking about the same stop sign removal issue. There will be additional police enforcement, she says.

8:05 p.m. Margie Teall (Ward 4) announces that the Michigan Theater has agreed to purchase the State Theater.

8:07 p.m. Mike Anglin (Ward 5) is announcing that the environmental commission had three vacancies. There were 10 applicants. He says that tonight Allison Skinner, Benjamin Muth and Mark Clevey are being presented as candidates to serve on the city’s environmental commission. The vote on their appointments will be at the council’s July 7, 2014 meeting.

8:08 p.m. MC-1 Confirmation of June 2, 2014 nominations. Nominated at the council’s June 2, 2014 meeting for reappointment to the city planning commission were Wendy Woods and Eleanore Adenekan. Nominated at that meeting for reappointment to the commission on disability issues were Linda Evans and Larry Keeler. Those confirmations are being voted on tonight.

8:08 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to confirm the appointments.

8:08 p.m. MC-2 Nominations. Audrey Wojtkowiak is being nominated to the board of the Ann Arbor Housing Commission to fill the vacancy left by Christopher Geer. The vote on her confirmation will come at the council’s next meeting.

8:10 p.m. Mayor John Hieftje is reviewing the awards to firefighters and police officers that were made last Saturday.

8:12 p.m. Hieftje is reviewing the last winter and the work that human service agencies did. He’s worried about the capacity for that work if the winter is as back next year.

8:08 p.m. MC-1 Confirmation of June 2, 2014 nominations. Nominated at the council’s June 2, 2014 meeting for reappointment to the city planning commission were Wendy Woods and Eleanore Adenekan. Nominated at that meeting for reappointment to the commission on disability issues were Linda Evans and Larry Keeler. Those confirmations are being voted on tonight.

8:08 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to confirm the appointments.

8:08 p.m. MC-2 Nominations. Audrey Wojtkowiak is being nominated to the board of the Ann Arbor Housing Commission to fill the vacancy left by Christopher Geer. The vote on her confirmation will come at the council’s next meeting.

8:10 p.m. Mayor John Hieftje is reviewing the awards to firefighters and police officers that were made last Saturday.

8:12 p.m. Hieftje is reviewing the last winter and the work that human service agencies did. He’s worried about the capacity for that work if the winter is as bad next year.

8:14 p.m. Public Hearings. All the public hearings are grouped together during this section of the meeting. Action on the related items comes later in the meeting. On tonight’s agenda are five hearings:

• PH-1 Anderson-Pebbles annexation. This is a standard annexation into the city from Scio Township. The zoning for the 0.22 acre parcel at 375 Glenwood Street will be handled after the annexation is complete.
• PH-2 Bank of Ann Arbor addition. This is the site plan for the addition on the building at Fifth Avenue and Washington streets. [For additional background, see Downtown: Bank of Ann Arbor Site Plan above.]
• PH-3 116-120 West Huron site plan. This is the site plan for First Martin’s hotel project. [For additional background, see Downtown: Hotel Site Plan above.]
• PH-4 Scio Church sidewalk assessment. [For additional background, see Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Scio Church Sidewalk – Public Hearing above.]
• PH-5 Barton Drive sidewalk assessment. [For additional background, see Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Barton Drive Sidewalk – Public Hearing above.]

8:15 p.m. PH-1 Anderson-Pebbles annexation. Thomas Partridge says that the property should be required to have access to public transportation.

8:16 p.m. That’s it for this public hearing.

8:19 p.m. PH-2 Bank of Ann Arbor addition. Ray Detter is expressing support for this project. It takes a building that has been criticized as being “suburban” and making it an asset, instead of building something that is 180 feet tall, even though the site’s zoning would allow for that.

8:20 p.m. Thomas Patridge is advocating for a requirement that access for public transportation be provided at the site. The bank should be a good corporate citizen and give priority to considerations like that.

8:21 p.m. Edward Vielmetti is pointing out that the current site has Juneberry trees that are just now becoming ripe, and they are delicious. He hopes that the site after renovation will also have good landscaping.

8:22 p.m. PH-3 116-120 West Huron site plan. Ray Detter is expressing support for the project. He notes that a part of the project will preserve the facade of the bus depot.

8:22 p.m. PH-4 Scio Church sidewalk assessment. No one speaks during this public hearing.

8:26 p.m. PH-5 Barton Drive sidewalk assessment. Jeff Hayner says this is his neighborhood. He thanks everyone in the room and in the neighborhood who came together to get this done. It’s been at least 12 years in the works, he says. He encourages the pedestrian task force to take a look at the area. He’s questioning the cost for the project, however. It would have a long-term positive impact, he said. No offense to the public art commission, he says, but the council will be voting on $350,000 for decorative elements on the East Stadium bridges, when the approach to the bridge is in terrible shape.

8:26 p.m. Council minutes. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

8:26 p.m. Consent Agenda. This is a group of items that are deemed to be routine and are voted on “all in one go.” Contracts for less than $100,000 can be placed on the consent agenda. This meeting’s consent agenda includes:

• CA-1 Approve DTE LED Conversions ($69,555/$55,060 after rebates). [For additional background, see (Not) Downtown: Streetlight LED Conversion above.]
• CA-2 Approve contract with Black & Veatch Ltd. ($62,800).
• CA-3 Approve purchase of hydrofluorosilicic acid for water treatment from PVS Nolwood Chemicals (estimated $34,000/yr).
• CA-4 Amend service purchase order for stormwater services with the Washtenaw County water resources commissioner (increase of $30,000 for FY 2014 & FY 2015).
• CA-5 Approve contract with Recycle Ann Arbor for solid waste student move-out services ($35,000/yr). [For additional background, see Recycling: RAA Student Move-out Services above.]
• CA-6 Award contract for 8th Street sanitary sewer manhole replacement to Fonson Inc. ($47,193). [For additional background, see Physical Infrastructure: Manholes above.]
• CA-7 Approve a contract with Ann Arbor SPARK for economic development services ($75,000). [For additional background, see Business Services: Ann Arbor SPARK above.]
• CA-8 Approve amendment to contract with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office to provide drug abuse screening and monitoring services for mental health court ($44,200).
• CA-9 Approve amendment to contract with Washtenaw County Community Support & Treatment Services for mental health treatment services to sobriety court and mental health court participants ($76,242).
• CA-10 Approve amendment to contract with Reiser and Frushour PLLC to provide legal representation as court appointed counsel to indigent defendants ($40,000).
• CA-11 Street closings for the Firecracker 5K (Friday, July 4, 2014).
• CA-12 Street closings for Sonic Lunch (Thursday, July 10, 2014 and Thursday, July 31, 2014).
• CA-13 Street closing for the 2014 Washtenaw Indie Awards, Saturday (June 28, 2014).
• CA-14 Approve contract with Governmental Consultant Services Inc. for Lobbying Services ($48,000). [For additional background, see Business Services: GCSI Lobbying above.]
• CA-15 Approve May 22, 2014 recommendations of the Board of Insurance Administration ($66,142).

8:27 p.m. Outcome: The council approved the consent agenda except for items CA-1, CA-7 and CA-10.

8:30 p.m. CA-1 Approve DTE LED conversions ($69,555/$55,060 after rebates). Kunselman says he’s happy this is coming along. He has a question about why the DDA is not funding the project for conversion of lights inside the DDA district. Public services area administrator Craig Hupy says that the general fund pays for streetlights.

Nate Geisler, the city’s energy programs analyst, is explaining that the DDA is undertaking a streetscape framework planning effort and that gave rise to hesitancy by DDA board members to pay for converting those lights at this time.

8:32 p.m. Kunselman questions whether the DDA will be able to implement its streetscape framework plan without council approval, because they are city streets. Kunselman points out that there are cobrahead lights that are out on Division Street. “Point taken,” Hupy says.

8:34 p.m. Hieftje says that DTE owns the lights, but the city pays the electric bill. The DDA had historically paid for conversion of the LED lights. Briere recalls taking a series of tours with downtown merchants to look at the lights and how the lights work. She asks if Hupy can provide information by the next council meeting about which lights in the downtown have been decommissioned and not removed, or are otherwise not working.

8:35 p.m. Lumm is talking about doing LED conversion when a repair is needed.

8:36 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve CA-1 on the consent agenda.

8:37 p.m. CA-7 Approve a contract with Ann Arbor SPARK for economic development services ($75,000). Kailasapathy notes that she’d requested some information about SPARK when the council had debated the FY 2015 budget. She has concerns about the job creation numbers. She’s not talking about LDFA money, just the $75,000 from the general fund. She’s now reviewing the contributions of other municipalities, compared to the $75,000 that the city of Ann Arbor contributes.

8:39 p.m. Relative contributions that she’s discussing are here: [link]

8:42 p.m. Kailasapathy is reviewing the tax rebate given to Mahendra. She says she will not support the SPARK contract.

8:44 p.m. Petersen says that the concerns about the presentation of metrics are valid, but these are the metrics that were chosen. SPARK doesn’t tell companies where to locate, she says. She compares SPARK to the Welcome Wagon. Large floor-plate office space doesn’t exist in Ann Arbor, she says, but it does in Pittsfield Township. SPARK is agnostic about there companies locate, and she allows that Pittsfield is getting a better deal than Ann Arbor. SPARK isn’t taking sole credit for job creation, she says. She’ll support this, because SPARK is the only economic development agency we have.

8:45 p.m. Eaton moves to table, and points out that such motions don’t allow debate.

8:47 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted 6-5 to table this resolution. Voting to table were Kunselman, Kailsapathy, Eaton, Anglin, Briere, and Lumm.

8:48 p.m. CA-10 Approve amendment to contract with Reiser and Frushour PLLC to provide legal representation as court appointed counsel to indigent defendants ($40,000). Taylor, an attorney with Hooper Hathaway, provides legal services to this firm and asks the council to vote to allow him not to participate in the vote. They take that vote. He takes a seat in the audience.

8:48 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve CA-10 on the consent agenda.

8:48 p.m. C-1 425 S. Main Street rezoning of 1.1 Acres from D1 (Downtown Core Base District) to D2 (Downtown Interface Base District). The council is being asked to give initial approval to changes in two parts of the zoning code affecting the parcel at 425 S. Main, on the southeast corner of Main and William streets. Because these would be changes to the zoning code, which is expressed in city ordinances, any council action that might be taken would need a second and final vote at a future meeting, in order to be enacted. First up is the zoning. The next item will involve the character district overlay. [For additional background, see Downtown: Zoning, Character District above.]

8:49 p.m. Sabra Briere (Ward 1), the council’s representative to the planning commission, is reviewing the resolution. She encourages her colleagues to move it forward to a second reading.

8:51 p.m. Anglin is raising the question of heights in D2 – and ventures that D2 zoning is supposed to be 60 feet. Planning manager Wendy Rampson is now at the podium. She’s explaining the notion of “base zoning” – that’s D1 or D2 – and the character overlay districts. The height restrictions are not part of the base zoning, but rather the character overlay districts.

8:54 p.m. Kunselman elicits the fact that the Ashley Mews development, across the street, is a planned unit development (PUD) and is 110 feet tall.

8:55 p.m. Chuck Warpehoski (Ward 5) is glad to see this come forward, but he’ll have some questions about the character district resolution. He notes that the focus had been on the Huron Street corridor, but he’d asked that this parcel be included in the review of the downtown zoning. He says that D2 is the appropriate zoning, and he’s grateful that the parcel was included in the scope of the review as he’d requested.

8:55 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to give initial approval to the rezoning of 425 S. Main from D1 to D2.

8:56 p.m. Recess. We’re in recess.

9:05 p.m. We’re back.

9:05 p.m. C-2 Main Street Downtown character overlay zoning districts building massing standards. This is the second of two downtown zoning items. The focus of the deliberations will likely be the 100-foot height limit the planning commission has recommended for the D-2 zoned area of the Main Street character area. All other D-2 areas of the downtown have a 60-foot height limit. [For additional background, see Downtown: Zoning, Character District above.]

9:07 p.m. Briere is reviewing the planning commission discussion on this item. She says the commission had heard from many members of the community on this issue. The commission had split on this 6-3. [Briere voted as one of the three dissenters.] She’s explaining the rationale for those in the majority – that it would be suitable to terrace a 100-foot building away from the neighborhood.

9:09 p.m. But Briere points out that the city council’s resolution stated D2 at 60 feet. The basic premise of the majority was that even in winter there would be available sunlight, but Briere didn’t think that was the main issue.

9:10 p.m. Lumm complains that there’s no minutes available from the planning commission’s deliberations on the 6-3 vote. [Deliberations are reported in detail in The Chronicle's report of the planning commission's May 6, 2014 meeting.] Lumm asks planning manager Wendy Rampson to explain why the planning commission changed the height from 60 feet to 100 feet.

9:13 p.m. Rampson is reviewing basis of the planning commission’s decision. The commission felt that a 100-foot height would provide some flexibility so that someone would not try to build out the site to 60 feet everywhere on the parcel as one massive building. Rampson says the minutes will be ready by the council’s next meeting, noting that the commission’s meeting was very long.

9:17 p.m. Anglin says this is a unique site. His fear is that the council will be asked to approve the change on a second reading at its next meeting. Now is the chance for the council to set the zoning correctly. He doesn’t want to start the ball rolling toward a second reading on a time schedule. He doesn’t want to approve this tonight.

9:18 p.m. Kunselman asks Rampson what the zoning was before the A2D2 process. It was C2-A or C2-AR, she thinks. There were no height limits. Kunselman notes that this would be the only D2 with a height limit of 100 feet. Why not just leave it D1 and reduce the allowable height from 180 feet to 100 feet?

9:21 p.m. Rampson tells Kunselman that the point of A2D2 was to provide certainty for a property owner about what could be built. He ventures that that never works, and that’s why he’d voted against the A2D2 zoning. He agrees with Anglin that he wouldn’t support moving it forward tonight. Warpehoski says he’s also concerned, but says that moving it to second reading would allow the setting of a public hearing, which would provide a chance for people to weigh in.

9:23 p.m. Petersen asks Anglin if he’s making a motion to postpone. Anglin is reiterating his point that it’s important to set the zoning the way the council wants. Briere says she’s reviewed The Chronicle’s report of the planning commission meeting. Those who spoke at the public hearing were not the adjacent neighbors, she says. She really wants to return it to the planning commission. She moves to refer it to the planning commission for reconsideration.

9:25 p.m. Hieftje says this would accomplish Anglin’s objective. Kunselman says he’ll support this. Lumm says she’ll support Briere’s motion. Lumm was surprised to see the recommendation from the planning commission, as it was different from the council’s direction.

9:26 p.m. Taylor says that moving something from first to second reading is a well-established way to solicit additional input, and he’d oppose the motion to refer it back to the planning commission as an unnecessary step.

9:28 p.m. Briere says Taylor is right about the procedure being well-established, but she appeals to an argument that Leigh Greden had made when he was on the council: He knew that he’d be voting against it at second reading, so it was a waste of time to vote to move it to second reading. Petersen is saying she supports referring it back to planning commission.

9:30 p.m. Hieftje asks Briere if there were people on the planning commission who were on the fence: Would she expect a different outcome from the planning commission? Briere says she thinks there were some people on the fence. She stresses that zoning is the council’s purview. She says there’s no harm and no foul in saying to the commission: This is not quite what we want.

9:32 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to refer back to the planning commission the the Main Street character district overlay for D2, after amending the height limit recommended by the planning commission – from 100 feet to 60 feet.

9:32 p.m. City attorney Stephen Postema whispers something in Hieftje’s ear. Hieftje points out that the zoning change to which the council had given initial approval is impacted by the council’s decision to refer the character district question back to the planning commission.

9:35 p.m. The council reconsiders item C-1.

9:35 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to table C-1.

9:38 p.m. The council is now reconsidering item C-2. Warpehoski is arguing for moving it along, based on the fact that the parcel is currently zoned D1 where a structure that’s 180 feet tall can be built. Taking a step toward rezoning it to D2 is a step forward. Kunselman suggests replacing the references to 100 feet to 60 feet.

9:39 p.m. Kunselman says if the public wants a height limit greater than 60 feet, the council will hear that.

9:40 p.m. Briere says that this seems simple, but there’s all kinds of other language in the character district that refers to stepped back construction. She says this is about by-right development, so it’s important that the council get it right.

9:43 p.m. Eaton is suggesting that the First Street character overlay language be swapped in. Rampson points out that the First Street character was designed for the industrial buildings abutting the Allen Creek corridor.

9:44 p.m. Warpehoski asks if council and planning commission need to be in concurrence on this. No, Rampson says. That’s just for the master plan.

9:45 p.m. Kunselman asks if the council approves the change to 60 feet, would the planning staff can clean up the other language before the second reading?

9:48 p.m. Based on Rampson’s response, Kunselman thinks the planning staff can deal with the other language, and describes not voting on a final change until October or November. Anglin is complaining about Stalinist architecture and how developers threaten to build those kinds of buildings.

9:50 p.m. Outcome: Kunselman’s amendment is approved over dissent from Taylor.

9:51 p.m. Outcome: The council has given initial approval to C-2 as amended.

9:51 p.m. C-1 The council now takes up C-1 off the table.

9:52 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to give initial approval to C-1.

9:52 p.m. Recess. We’re now in recess.

9:58 p.m. We’re back.

9:58 p.m. DC-1 Improve Liberty Plaza. This resolution would direct the city administrator to “work collaboratively with the property owners adjacent to and near Liberty Plaza, the general public, PAC [park advisory commission], the Ann Arbor District Library, and the DDA to develop a conceptual design for an improved Liberty Plaza…” Funding for the collaborative work in the amount of $23,577 would come from the parks and recreation budget. [For additional background, see Downtown: Liberty Plaza above.]

9:59 p.m. Taylor is explaining the background to the resolution. He says there’s been a good deal of discussion about people’s aspirations for downtown parks not at Liberty Plaza. But Liberty Plaza is already there, even though it does not meet our “collective aspirations,” he says. Ann Arbor needs a downtown park that is vibrant and has green space.

10:02 p.m. Petersen says she’d originally had a concern that the resolution didn’t incorporate Library Lane. She feels strongly that the entire block should be considered as a whole. Petersen moves to refer the issue to the park advisory commission. Hieftje suggests to Petersen that the council can talk about it a bit. He says that he sees this resolution as a reaction to work that PAC has already done in making recommendations on downtown parks.

10:06 p.m. Kunselman questions the funding allocation. He says that the city has just one park planner – Amy Kuras. So he was not sure he wanted to place that responsibility on her. He wondered why direction had to be given to staff and PAC, saying that PAC doesn’t need direction to act in this manner. He suggests that the University of Michigan landscape architecture students could be a partner on the design. He notes that Mike Martin is attending the meeting, but wouldn’t call him to the podium. [Martin is attending because of a resolution related to a hotel project by First Martin Corp., which comes later on the agenda.]

Kunselman has heard rumors that First Martin is planning to demolish the Michigan Square building (west of Liberty Plaza) in the next year, and he wants to know if that’s true before redesigning the park.

10:08 p.m. Kunselman said that the problem of people hanging out at Liberty Plaza wouldn’t be solved through redesign. But the UM had solved its problem with people hanging out at State and North University by doing the only thing that works – removing the seating. He says that it’s important to have downtown beat cops. He says he’ll support Petersen’s motion to refer it back to PAC.

10:10 p.m. Hieftje asks Powers to comment. Powers says the amount was the amount included in the “parks fairness” budget resolution. He doesn’t know if it’s enough money. Sumedh Bahl, community services area administrator, comes to the podium.

10:13 p.m. Briere is reflecting on her perceptions of Liberty Plaza. She was happy to see it on the agenda, and had added her name as a sponsor. She didn’t know if this was enough money. She supports it but doesn’t object to referring it to PAC.

10:15 p.m. Kunselman asks if this means that Liberty Plaza would jump ahead of developing a master plan for the Allen Creek Greenway. Hieftje says that if Kunselman can be a bit patient, there will be a master plan proposed soon.

10:18 p.m. Hieftje says that an Allen Creek Greenway master plan might be prepared before the end of the budget year. Kunselman asks if there’d been any council direction to start any of the activity that Hieftje has described. Yes, Hieftje says, there was a resolution involving 415 W. Washington. Kunselman reiterates the fact that staff has not been directed specifically to develop a greenway master plan. He’s reiterating the lack of resources for park planning. There are 157 parks in the city and he wonders why Liberty Plaza has become the most important one. Kunselman will support the referral to PAC.

10:21 p.m. Lumm says she’s going to propose some amendments to this resolution. She’s adding language about an “integrated plan for the Library Block.” She’s ticking through a number of amendments to various resolved clauses.

10:21 p.m. Taylor says that Lumm’s amendments are not “friendly,” so the council will need to vote on the amendments.

10:23 p.m. Hieftje says he’s been told by experts that without the newsstand downstairs and the restaurant adjacent to it, Liberty Plaza can’t succeed because it doesn’t have “eyes on the park.”

10:26 p.m. Hieftje is contrasting Liberty Plaza with Sculpture Plaza, at Fourth and Catherine. He says Liberty Plaza needs to be redesigned. He doesn’t mind postponing this, but wanted the council to talk about this tonight. He describes the resolution as providing seed money. Liberty Plaza has been “festering” there for quite some time. Petersen says there’s a shining light in Liberty Plaza, which is the sensory garden, and she hopes that if Liberty Plaza is redesigned, an alternate place can be found.

10:28 p.m. Teall says that Library Lane and Liberty Plaza are not connected. It’s asking too much of the resolution to expect it to connect the whole block.

10:29 p.m. Teall says that many people have responded to the Library Green Conservancy by saying that we should focus on improving Liberty Plaza, but no one has done that. This resolution would do that.

10:30 p.m. Warpehoski is sizing up how he sees the issue.

10:30 p.m. Lumm has now sent her amendments around via email.

10:35 p.m. Petersen reiterates the desirability of connecting Liberty Plaza and Library Lane, even if they are not currently connected. Taylor allows that integrated planning on a large scale does on occasion make sense. But he feels that a park that is already here and that has design challenges can be addressed. “These parks will not be connected,” he says, because there is private land between them.

10:36 p.m. Eaton is arguing for considering Liberty Plaza and the Library Lane lot at the same time, as they have many common traits.

10:37 p.m. Eaton will support Lumm’s amendments as well as Petersen’s motion to refer it to PAC.

10:39 p.m. Powers clarifies that the money in the resolution is in the FY 2015 budget. Anglin feels that it’s a budget amendment and might need 8 votes. Powers explains that it’s not a budget amendment, because the money is already there, so it doesn’t need 8 votes.

10:39 p.m. Briere says she’ll support the amendments.

10:41 p.m. Kunselman ventures that there’s an easement that connects the Liberty Plaza and Library Lane, and a gate that First Martin uses to periodically block off access so that there’s no opportunity for adverse possession.

10:42 p.m. Kunselman wonders if First Martin is interested in working with the city. Putting up a retaining wall, blocking the stair and back filling the area is essentially the basic option, Kunselman.

10:43 p.m. Hieftje says that there’s no easement, as Kunselman had contended. Mike Martin, from the audience, tells Hieftje that he’s right.

10:44 p.m. Hieftje says that if this resolution is attached to the Library Lane project, it will take years to accomplish anything, he cautions.

10:48 p.m. Here are Lumm’s amendments: [.pdf of Lumm's amendments]

10:49 p.m. Warpehoski is citing parliamentary procedure: a motion to refer takes precedence over a motion to amend. So he’s moving to refer the unamended resolution to PAC.

10:51 p.m. Lumm doesn’t want to refer the resolution without her amendments.

10:54 p.m. Kunselman asks Taylor why this was not brought up to PAC before bringing it to council. Taylor says it’s not necessary, as it’s the council’s prerogative to set policy. If passed as drafted, it would have established Liberty Plaza as a priority of the council. Hieftje notes that the referral is now the question before the council.

10:54 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to refer to PAC the unamended resolution allocating funds to move forward a process for the redesign of Liberty Plaza.

10:56 p.m. Closed Session. A vote to go into closed session fails. So the council votes instead to suspend the rule on a unanimous vote required for going into closed session after 11 p.m.

10:56 p.m. They’re still in open session.

10:56 p.m. DC-2 Approve 2014 Ann Arbor Jaycees Carnival. The event will take place at Pioneer High School June 25 to June 29, 2014.

10:57 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the Jaycees Carnival.

10:57 p.m. DC-3 Kids Day This resolution was added to the agenda just today, so it’s not a part of the consent agenda with other street closing resolutions. This would close State Street between William and Washington for Kids Day on Saturday, June 28, 2014 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

10:57 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the street closing for Kids Day.

10:57 p.m. DB-1 Approve the Anderson-Pebbles annexation 0.22 Acre, 375 Glenwood Street. This is a standard annexation, from Scio Township.

10:57 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the Anderson-Pebbles annexation.

10:57 p.m. DB-2 Approve Bank of Ann Arbor headquarters addition. The council is being asked to approve the site plan for an addition to the Bank of Ann Arbor headquarters at 125 South Fifth Avenue. The site plan involves reorienting the main entrance – moving it from the center of its South Fifth Avenue side to the southeast corner of South Fifth and East Washington. Existing doors will be replaced with windows. A 9,179-square-foot third-floor addition would be constructed over the rear of the building’s east side. [For additional background, see Downtown: Bank of Ann Arbor Site Plan above.]

10:57 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the site plan for the Bank of Ann Arbor addition.

10:57 p.m. DB-3 Approve 116-120 West Huron Street Site Plan and Development Agreement (First Martin hotel). The council is being asked to approve the site plan for First Martin’s proposed extended-stay hotel at 116-120 West Huron Street. The proposal calls for a six-floor, 88,570-square-foot building with a ground-floor restaurant or retail space and an extended-stay hotel on the upper five levels. The hotel will be operated by Marriott. [For additional background, see Downtown: Hotel Site Plan above.]

10:57 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the First Martin hotel project.

10:57 p.m. DB-4 Approve Amendment to contract with Widgery Studio, LLC to fabricate and install public art at the Stadium Boulevard Bridges ($353,552). The council is being asked to approve a contract with Widgery Studio LLC to fabricate and install public art at the East Stadium Boulevard bridges. The city had already contracted with Widgery on May 20, 2014 for $8,248 to finalize the structural design of the artwork with an engineer. This amendment to the contract on tonight’s council agenda adds art fabrication and installation services to the existing agreement, bringing the total compensation to $353,552 for all services. [For additional background, see Physical Infrastructure: Art above.]

10:59 p.m. Lumm is reviewing the discussions the council has had in the past on the public art program and the return of much of the money to the funds of origin. She remains unconvinced that this is the optimal investment the city could make with the money. She’s thanking members of the art commission for their effort. “It is a nice project,” she says.

11:00 p.m. Teall is inviting John Kotarski and Bob Miller to the podium to give a presentation on the bridges art. They are vice chair and chair, respectively, of the Ann Arbor public art commission.

11:08 p.m. Lumm is asking about the approach to the bridge to the west. Bob Miller notes that the art is located at Rose White Park. At that location looking west, he doesn’t think it’s going to conflict. Kunselman is asking about the durability of the glass panels. Is it replaceable? Yes, explains Miller, they can be replaced one louver at a time.

11:08 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the funding for fabrication and installation of public art at East Stadium Boulevard bridges.

11:11 p.m. DB-5 Approve $37,500 for affordable housing needs assessment. Kailasapathy expresses concern that the trust fund should be used for capital construction. It’s a small amount, but the small amounts can chip away at the balance, she says. Briere reads aloud the policy, which allows money in the affordable housing trust fund to be used for analysis, which this is.

11:14 p.m. Lumm says she’ll support this. She allows that perhaps the policy on allocation could use some updating.

11:16 p.m. Mary Jo Callan, director of the office of community & economic development, has been asked to the podium to explain how the assessment will start. The policy on allocation of funds does need to be updated, Callan says. The housing & human services advisory board (HHSAB) is interested in working on that with the city, she says.

11:20 p.m. Kunselman asks CFO Tom Crawford to the podium. Kunselman ventures that there is no affordable housing trust fund, but rather just an account where the city keeps track. Crawford explains that for the city’s audit, the fund is folded into the general fund. It’s noted as a restricted line item. Kunselman is proposing to change the allocation from the affordable housing trust fund to the general fund. This is just a study, he says, and he doesn’t think the city should be using the affordable housing fund for that.

11:22 p.m. Lumm prefers to use the affordable housing fund. Hieftje agrees with Lumm. The needs assessment will guide the construction of affordable housing, he says.

11:24 p.m. Briere says that the existing policy does not specify only capital investment, so she wants to pay for it out of the affordable housing fund.

11:25 p.m. Outcome: Kunselman’s amendment fails, with support only from Kunsleman, Eaton, Warpehoski, Angin, and Kailasapathy.

11:26 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the $37,500 from the affordable housing trust fund to pay for the housing needs assessment.

11:26 p.m. DS-1 Approve a Contract with NuView, Inc. to replace the city’s human resource and payroll system ($570,900). The staff memo accompanying the item explains why the existing software, acquired in 2007, is being replaced:

In 2007, the City installed a Human Resource and Payroll system called Ultipro, by Ultimate Software. The Ultipro system included modules for Recruiting, Benefits Administration, Human Resource Administration and Payroll. The City has experienced a variety of issues related to the underlying database architecture utilized by Ultimate Software. In addition, due to changes such as new legislative requirements, the increase in recruiting volume and the increase in manual data entry involved in benefits administration, the City has found the Ultipro system unable to meet its Human Resource needs.

11:26 p.m. Lumm has asked a staff member from HR to explain this in detail.

11:27 p.m. The topic is recruitment of veterans. The goal is to make the “onboarding” of candidates paperless.

11:28 p.m. Not all the data will be migrated to the new system. The systems will run parallel for a month or more as a safety check.

11:29 p.m. Kailasapathy is pleased to see the five-year cumulative savings that was provided by the staff analysis.

11:30 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the contract with NuView for the human resources and payroll system.

11:30 p.m. DS-2 Transfer funds to authorize State Revolving Fund (SRF) debt payment and loan forgiveness for stormwater and rain garden components of the skatepark project (Not To Exceed $157,264). [For additional background, see Physical Infrastructure: Stormwater above.]

11:31 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the the transfer of funds in connection with the skatepark rain garden.

11:31 p.m. DS-3 Approve contract with Dawn Farm for drug abuse counseling and rehabilitative services ($108,174). [For additional background, see Courts Human Services above.]

11:31 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the contract with Dawn Farm.

11:31 p.m. DS-4 Set assessment roll for Pontiac Trail Sidewalk ($72,218) [For additional background, see Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Pontiac Trail Sidewalk above.]

11:31 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to set the assessment roll for the Pontiac Trail sidewalk.

11:31 p.m. DS-5 Set public hearing for the Pontiac Trail sidewalk special assessment project. [For additional background, see Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Pontiac Trail Sidewalk above.]

11:32 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to set the public hearing on the Pontiac Trail sidewalk special assessment project – for July 21.

11:32 p.m. DS-6 Set public Hearing for the Stone School Road sidewalk project. [For additional background, see Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Stone School Sidewalk above.]

11:32 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to set the public hearing on the Stone School Road sidewalk special assessment project – for July 7.

11:32 p.m. DS-8 Approve a contract with Emergency Restoration Company for the renovation of restrooms and locker Rooms in Fire Stations #3 and #4 ($149,500). [For additional background, see Physical Infrastructure: Fire Station Restrooms above.]

11:32 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the contract with ERC for fire station restroom renovation.

11:33 p.m. DS-9 Approve award of a construction contract to Lanzo Lining Services Inc. Michigan for the 2014 sewer lining project ($1,566,121). [For additional background, see Physical Infrastructure: Sewer Lining above.]

11:34 p.m. Lumm is asking what all is included. The answer from staff is that there could be additional locations where work could be done.

11:34 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the contract with Lanzo Lining Services.

11:34 p.m. DS-10 Award a construction contract with Douglas N. Higgins Inc. for the Arbor Oaks water main replacement project ($1,324,357). [For additional background, see Physical Infrastructure: Water Main above.]

11:34 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to award the construction contract with Douglas N. Higgins Inc.

11:34 p.m. DS-11 Approve installation of traffic calming devices on Larchmont Drive ($55,000). The project would install three speedhumps. [For additional background, see Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Larchmont Traffic Calming above.]

11:35 p.m. Lumm says that the neighborhood is so excited – as the application went in five years ago. She’s thanking staff who worked on this.

11:38 p.m. Eaton notes that $60,000 had been budgeted for the whole year. Is this $55,000 taking up most of the whole year’s budget? Nick Hutchinson is explaining that the $55,000 that’s being brought forward is from FY 2014. The actual cost of this particular project is just $8,800, Hutchinson explains.

11:38 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the installation of traffic calming devices on Larchmont.

11:39 p.m. DS-12 Approve a contrast with Northwest Consultants Inc. for the Fuller Road, Maiden Lane, E. Medical Center Drive bridges rehabilitation project ($187,184) According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, the project includes “re-painting of each bridge, repairing corroded structural steel, bridge abutment and pier (substructure) repairs, expansion joint removal and replacement, bridge deck patching, placing an overlay on the existing bridge decks, bridge railing repairs, guard rail upgrades, brush trimming and removal around the perimeter of the bridge structures, and other related work.” [For additional background, see Physical Infrastructure: Fuller Road Bridges above.]

11:41 p.m. Briere wants to know if the amenities that would complete the Border-to-Border Trail are included in this work. Hupy explains that this resolution is for maintenance of existing bridge structures. Kunselman says it’s his understanding that there’s a lot of “human activity” near the location. He wants to know if assistance will be provided to those people who are living in tents. Hupy says there will be plenty of notice given before construction starts.

11:41 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the contract with Northwest Consultants Inc. for the bridges rehabilitation project.

11:42 p.m. DS-13 Approve a contract with The Greenway Collaborative Inc. to support the pedestrian safety and access task force ($75,000). This is a contract that had originally been recommended by staff to be awarded to a different vendor, but without issuing an RFP. After issuing an RFP, The Greenway collaborative was selected. The task force was established through a council resolution passed on Nov. 18, 2013. Confirmed as members of the task force on Jan. 21, 2014 were: Vivienne Armentrout, Neal Elyakin, Linda Diane Feldt, Jim Rees, Anthony Pinnell, Sarah Pressprich Gryniewicz, Kenneth Clark, Scott Campbell, and Owen Jansson. [For additional background, see Sidewalk/Pedestrians: Pedestrian Task Force Consultant above.]

11:42 p.m. Lumm thanks Powers and staff for listening to the concerns of council on this project.

11:43 p.m. Lumm is concerned that this effort could be expanded in its scope and could require additional funding.

11:43 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the contract with The Greenway Collaborative Inc. to support the pedestrian safety task force.

11:43 p.m. DS-14 Approve contract with Recycle Ann Arbor for multi-family recycling incentive pilot program ($95,694). This resolution is based on recommendations in the city’s solid waste plan. [For additional background, see Recycling: RAA Multifamily Pilot above.]

11:46 p.m. Kunselman asks RAA staff to come to the podium. Kunselman says that he’s heard it might be the last opportunity he has to ask Tom McMurtrie a question. “As a city employee,” that’s correct, McMurtrie says. Kunselman gets clarification that it’s city employees who do trash collection. He asks what kind of outcomes could be expected.

11:48 p.m. The RAA staff member says the point of the study is to understand the nuances of recycling in multi-family units: transience, language barriers, a willingness to go down from the third floor to put recyclables in container. They want to figure out what makes multi-family units tick. It’s a nut that no one nationally has cracked, he says.

11:50 p.m. Lumm is talking about Palo Alto and Seattle as benchmarks. She asks how much improvement McMurtrie thinks is possible. Based on the percentage of recyclables in the waste stream, McMurtrie thinks there’s potential for improvement.

11:53 p.m. Lumm asks why the work needs to be contracted out. Hupy indicates to Lumm that in him and McMurtrie she’s looking at the staff. Taylor says he thinks this is great – as it’s an area where improvement is needed. Hieftje ventures there’s a “gold mine” out there as far as how much additional material can be recycled in multi-familiy housing units.

11:53 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the contract with Recycle Ann Arbor for a multi-family recycling incentives pilot program.

11:53 p.m. DS-15 Reimburse Resource Recovery Systems for repair of baler infeed conveyor at the Material Recovery Facility ($39,480). RSS operates the city’s material recovery facility under a contract. The typical pattern is for RSS to handle the replacement of equipment with reimbursement from the city. [For additional background, see Recycling: Baler Infeed Conveyor Repair above.]

11:55 p.m. Teall invites McMurtrie to the podium to congratulate him on his retirement. Solid waste has changed so much in the time that Teall has been on the council. McMurtrie notes that it’s been almost 24 years and he finds it rewarding to do work that touches on every single resident.

11:55 p.m. Teall invites McMurtrie to the podium to congratulate him on his retirement. Solid waste has changed so much in the time that Teall has been on the council. McMurtrie notes that it’s been almost 24 years and he finds it rewarding to do work that touches on every single resident.

11:56 p.m. Hupy says that there’s a new staff member who’ll be taking over for McMurtrie. McMurtrie’s retirement party will be held on July 1 from 3-5 p.m.

11:56 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the reimbursement to RSS for repair of the MRF baler infeed conveyor.

11:56 p.m. DS-16 Amend Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority budget for fiscal year 2014. This is a routine type of adjustment, which has been approved by the DDA board. [For additional background, see Downtown: DDA Budget Amendment above.]

11:58 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve the amendment of the DDA budget.

11:59 p.m. DS-17 Goldstone vs. Warner settlement.

11:59 p.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve a $35,000 settlement.

12:01 a.m. Briere to planning commission. As a result of the background work by the city attorney’s office on terms of appointments to boards and commissions, it was determined that Briere needed to be reappointed in order to continue to serve beyond the end of June.

12:02 a.m. Outcome: The council has voted to approve Briere’s appointment to the planning commission until Nov. 17, 2014.

12:02 a.m. Communications from council. Briere has now invited Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Paul Krutko to the podium because he had not had an opportunity to answer questions on the SPARK funding item, which was tabled earlier in the meeting. Krutko says that SPARK is a complicated organization. Krutko says that two reports that had been questioned by a member of the public were about two different activities – work for the state compared to work for Ann Arbor. There’s a variety of reports that SPARK has to provide. He’s sorry that it’s confusing, he says.

12:07 a.m. Krutko is now responding to more questions from Briere.

12:15 a.m. Lumm is telling Krutko that she shares the concerns about SPARK’s reporting. She doesn’t have a problem with the $75,000. She’s saying that more councilmembers wanted to table instead of postpone. She’s reviewing the importance of being good stewards of public funds. Now there’s back and forth between Lumm and Krutko. Lumm says that once a reconciliation of the numbers is achieved, then everyone will be comfortable.

12:16 a.m. Kunselman is now talking about the complexity of economic development. Kunselman asks if layoffs are computed as a part of the jobs numbers.

12:18 a.m. Krutko says there are 22 SPARK staff members. Responding to the lower unemployment figures in this area, Kunselman quips: Thank god for you!

12:21 a.m. Taylor expresses his concern about the tabling and calls it a “self-inflicted wound.” Ann Arbor had a reputation previously for being against growth, he says. That had changed. But now this was a step backward, Taylor says. He indicates that the council had not made a responsible, professional and temperate decision.

12:23 a.m. Warpehoski expresses his dismay that the council had tabled the SPARK resolution (without debate). Kunselman is now taking a turn, defending the tabling action as opposed to postponing.

12:24 a.m. Kailasapathy says she looks at it as a question of how much Ann Arbor taxpayers give – through Act 88 money, which is levied countywide.

12:25 a.m. Kailasapathy says that the council has not said that it won’t pay the $75,000. It’s a matter of getting the information and getting the numbers reconciled, she says.

12:27 a.m. Petersen regrets she used the term, “Welcome Wagon” to describe SPARK’s work – because SPARK is more complex than that. She says that when councilmembers had questions in advance of the FY 2015 debate, they’d had some additional questions and they were given answers within a week.

12:28 a.m. Petersen says that some of the questions have been asked only very recently and many of the questions about SPARK have been answered.

12:31 a.m. Lumm says she would have preferred to postpone instead of tabling, but she knew it would be taken up back up off the table. Briere says she plans to bring this back on July 1 [but the council's next meeting is not until July 7].

12:33 a.m. Teall says she is angry not just that the SPARK resolution was tabled but that there was a rush to table. She reiterates that she’s angry about the fact that the council has departed from the style of interaction that they’d agreed to at their planning retreat.

12:34 a.m. Hieftje is ticking through standard talking points in support of SPARK and economic development.

12:34 a.m. Hieftje says that the tabling was “over the top.”

12:35 a.m. Clerk’s Report. Outcome: The council has voted to accept the clerk’s report.

12:35 a.m. Public Comment. There’s no requirement to sign up in advance for this slot for public commentary.

12:37 a.m. Kai Petainen says that the difference in the jobs numbers reported by Ann Arbor SPARK and the state stems from how the numbers are reported. He’s reading aloud a note about intent to hire as being recorded as a success, but in the other report there are actual jobs reported.

12:39 a.m. Edward Vielmetti is now addressing the council. He said he thought they tabled something earlier in the meeting, but had they then discussed it at length later. They can discuss whatever they like, but he calls it “not a stunning display of council effectiveness.”

12:40 a.m. Closed Session. The council has voted to go into closed session to discuss pending litigation.

1:05 a.m. We’re back.

1:05 a.m. Adjournment. We are now adjourned. That’s all from the hard benches.

A sign on the door to the Ann Arbor city council chambers gives instructions for post-meeting clean-up.

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