Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

City Council: Chapter Amendments

1. October 2007 • Juliew
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Monday, October 1 at 7:00 pm.
Ann Arbor City HallCity Council Agenda

Highlights:

  • Packard Marketplace Planned Project Site Plan (postponed from September 24)

  • An Ordinance to Amend Sections 1:271 through 1:275 and Sections 1:277 through 1:278 of Chapter 12, to Add a New Section 1:279 to Chapter 12 of Title I, to Amend Sections 1:281, 1:284, 1:286, 1:292 and 1:295 and to Delete Section 1:283 of Chapter 13 of Title I, and to Amend Section 5:148 of Chapter 58 of Title V of the Code of the City of Ann Arbor (Financing Local Public Improvements, Special Assessments and Territorial Annexations)


  1. Unfortunately, the agenda item about the chapter amendments is currently linked to last week’s City Council B-1 agenda item on the City’s website. So there is no explanation of how the sections are going to be amended. Because these are items regarding financing and special assessments, it could actually affect a lot of people. Or not, but we don’t really know. Guess we will just have to watch and find out. Maybe this is the City Council equivalent of a cliff hanger.


       —Juliew    Oct. 1 '07 - 04:15AM    #
  2. The .pdf of Public Hearing 1 (PH-1 and B-1) is here. It is a very large (10MB) download and is 52 pages of edits. It is still linked incorrectly on the agenda.


       —Juliew    Oct. 1 '07 - 10:26PM    #
  3. The October 1 City Council meeting video is now posted.


       —Juliew    Oct. 18 '07 - 12:44AM    #
  4. I spent a great deal of time reading this (thanks a bunch, Juliew) and still can’t claim great expertise. But the gist is that the city has redefined what improvements to water mains, sewers, etc. are a public responsibility and what are private (i.e. subject to special assessments). One startling point was that apparently developers can pay for an improvement but the city can later determine on the basis of a sort of amortization table that the property still owes a special assessment some years later. Those seeking to know more will want to become familiar with something called the “Handy-Whitman Index” regarding “Distribution Plant Mains, Average All Types”.

    I am curious though as to why the document was amended throughout so that City Council was no longer capitalized – the charter now refers to a diminished “city council” – a generic designation?


       —Vivienne Armentrout    Oct. 18 '07 - 10:08PM    #