Neighbors, I hope you're enjoying the unofficial start to summer as much as I am! Our next Council meeting is Monday, June 5th at 7pm. Before I get to a preview of our agenda, here are some updates about things going on around Ann Arbor. 3rd Annual A2ZERO Week, June 4th-10th In June 2020, the City's plan to achieve a just transition to community-wide carbon neutrality, known as A2ZERO, was unanimously adopted by City Council. Each year, the Office of Sustainability and Innovations organizes A2ZERO Week to commemorate the passing of the plan and to celebrate the work done by the City and our many collaborators in the sustainability space. Check out the full calendar of events at: https://www.a2gov.org/departments/sustainability/Newsletter-Events/a2zero-week/Pages/default.aspx Ann Arbor Summer Festival, June 9th-25th Ann Arbor's 3-week festival features music, dance, food stands, movie screenings and more. A full listing all Summer Festival events can be found at: https://www.a2sf.org/ Allmendinger Park Food Truck Series Kicks off on June 12th Some of our Ward 4 neighbors have put together a food truck series that will take place weekly on Mondays from 5-6:30 from June 12th-July 24th. Sign up for weekly updates and menu details.
City Council Meeting, Monday, June 5th at 7pm
Please reach out if you have questions, concerns, or thoughts on any of the agenda items. Email: DAkmon@A2gov.org | Phone/text: 734-492-5866
Agenda Response Memo to Councilmember Questions
There are a few ways to share your thoughts on agenda:
Email City Council: CityCouncil@a2gov.org
Comment at the meeting (remote or in person): Call the City Clerk's office at 734-794-6140 beginning at 8 a.m. on the day of the meeting to reserve a public speaking time. NOTE: you do not need to reserve time to speak during a "public hearing" item.
A few items of note from the agenda
CA-11 Resolution to Approve a Construction Contract with Cadillac Asphalt, LLC (RFP No. 23-17, $6,447,000.00) for the 2023 Street Resurfacing Project, and to Appropriate $890,000.00 from the Stormwater Fund; $3,527,710.00 from the Local Street Fund; $25,000.00 from the Sewage Disposal Fund; and $25,000.00 from the Water Supply System Fund. This year's resurfacing plans include approximately 4.7 miles of resurfacing work on 23 local streets, as well as segments of the shared use asphalt path along Huron Parkway. In addition, this contract will include the installation of traffic calming devices on Granger.
C-1 An Ordinance to Amend Section 10:176 of Chapter 127 (Bicyclists) of Article III (Impounding) of Title X (Traffic) of the Ann Arbor City Code (Akmon, Briggs, Ghazi Edwin, Radina, Watson). The proposed amendment would allow impounded bicycles to be donated to a tax-exempt organization. The current City Code requires that impounded bicycles be sold by the Ann Arbor Police Department (AAPD). An example of a local 501(c)(3) organization that could be the recipient of donated bicycles would be Common Cycle Community Bicycle Repair which is a community-based organization dedicated to empowering Ann Arbor to ride bicycles. Through their bike distribution program, Common Cycle repairs donated bicycles and distributes them to local residents for use in the community.
C-3 An Ordinance to Add Chapter 92 (Humane Pet Acquisition) to Title VII of the Code of the City of Ann Arbor (Akmon, Cornell, Ghazi Edwin, Harrison). This ordinance is the outcome of a conversation with someone who attended my first coffee hour in November. She made me aware of the issue of animal breeding facilities that don't adequately provide for the health and welfare of the animals they breed and that federal and state guidelines do not provide protection. As a result, a number of local municipalities are implementing local laws to address this issue. If passed, Ann Arbor's Human Pet Acquisition ordinance will prohibit pet stores from selling dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, long-lived birds, and large reptiles. This does not prohibit adoption or the sale of pets sold from the same location they are bred. We know of no pet stores in Ann Arbor that currently sell pets; as such, this ordinance prevents it from happening in the future.
DC-2 Resolution Directing the Planning Commission to Prioritize Rezoning of the Plymouth and Washtenaw Corridors to TC1 (Disch, Song, Watson, Radina). Two areas of Ann Arbor have been rezoned TC1 (Transit Oriented Corridors) to support dense housing along transit corridors. Two areas (Washtenaw and Plymouth Road) remain to be rezoned to TC1. In order to restrict from these areas the further creation or expansion of single-story development with high ratios of automobile parking and that are arranged in ways that don't promote multi-modal transportation, this resolution directs TC1 rezoning to be prioritized above all modifications to the zoning category except those requested in December 2022.
DC-7 Resolution to Direct the City Administrator to Evaluate Bonding Affordable Housing Millage Revenue (Song, Watson, Radina). In response to Ann Arbor's housing affordability crisis, City Council and the Ann Arbor Housing Commission have been working to create affordably priced units through our Affordable Housing Millage. With housing construction costs increasing by over 50% since 2019 and increasing costs of debt, we are faced with difficulty financing these projects. Bonding potentially offers lower interest rates, and this resolution directs our City Administrator to work with the Ann Arbor Housing Commission to evaluate bond financing that leverages the affordable housing millage revenue to secure the best terms for more immediate financing for affordable housing units and/or acquiring more parcels.
DC-8 Resolution Directing City Administrator to Identify Incentives that Would Support Voluntary Efforts to Increase Emissions Reductions (Akmon, Briggs, Disch, Radina). In accordance with our A2Zero plan, we want to promote sustainable forms of energy. One of the key strategies for getting there is to transition from using gas to heat our homes to using electric, both because we can achieve greater efficiency and because electricity can be sustainably sourced (e.g. through solar). This resolution is in response to resolutions passed in both the Environmental and Energy commissions and directs the City Administrator to identify methods to incentivize this transition.
How Council Voted
The Ann Arbor Voting Charts Project is a community-maintained record of voting history for City Council. Check out the May 15th, 2023 Voting Chart.
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