Arbor Update

Labor

U of M temp workers organizing

Posted by MarkDilley on 12. March 2007

Announced today is the effort by temporary workers in the School of Business to gain improvements in their working conditions.

The efforts will greatly benifit from solidarity from the community. Please consider lending a hand to the DIY union drive.

...present demands calling for health care access, wage improvements, full-time work status, and an electable/recallable manager, among other job-site improvements. This move brings to fruition a months-long, under-the-radar campaign being carried out by University of Michigan employees and the IWW to organize temporary workers and the unrepresented at the University of Michigan

Comment [31]

Local

Spring has Sprung!

Posted by Juliew on 11. March 2007

A&W is open.
Dairy Queen is open.
Dominicks is open.
The Shamrocks and Shenanigans run is Sunday through downtown Ann Arbor.
Zingermans 25th Anniversary Party begins with their Festival of Flavor Street Fair.

And even the weather is cooperating.

Comment [3]

Regional

New Catholic college planned

Posted by Murph on 7. March 2007

With Ave Maria University and Ave Maria School of Law relocating from the Ypsi-Arbor area to the built-from-scratch town of Ave Maria, FL (artist’s conception at right), plans are in the works to create a new orthodox Catholic college in the area.

The recently formed foundation behind The College of Saints Peter and Paul is holding fundraisers and examining local sites in hopes of opening the new school in the Fall 2008 semester. From the Detroit News:

Henry Russell, chairman of literature at the soon-to-be defunct Ave Maria College, said he and others at Ave Maria came to Michigan to create a small, Catholic college that pays close attention to the teachings of the church.

“When the college decided to pursue another vision, I decided to continue working on the same vision,” said Russell, board president of Saints Peter and Paul Educational Foundation.
. . .
Unlike Ave Maria College, the College of Saints Peter and Paul would likely be funded through many small donations that would create “a broader sense of ownership to all the Catholics in Michigan,” Russell said.
. . .
The College of Saints Peter and Paul would be unique to the state, Russell said. Faculty and students would be almost exclusively Catholic. Exceptions would be made for students still searching in their faith. While students will study economics and biology, they will be taught through the lens of the Catholic faith and the reasoning behind the faith, Russell said.

The College hopes to eventually enroll about 425 students.

Comment [3]

City Council

City Council: Historic Preservation Update

Posted by Juliew on 5. March 2007

Monday, March 5 at 7:00 pm.

City Council Agenda

Highlights:

• Historic Preservation District Update

• 200 South Ashley Street Site Plan

• Revised resolution to approve a contract with Quinn Evans|Architects for the planning and design of the Ann Arbor Municipal Center and Establish a Project Budget for the Police/Courts Building

Comment [4]

Local

Perseverance of the Link

Posted by Juliew on 27. February 2007

The AATA Link bus service started in September of 2003. For the first year, the buses always seemed empty. Ridership hovered around 200 riders per day. People pointed to the Link as an indication of the lack of interest in public transportation in Ann Arbor. Eventually the funding ran out and sometime in 2005, the Link ground to a halt. It seemed like a nice, but failed experiment.

However, in the fall of 2005, a partnership between the University, the DDA, and the AATA, reinvigorated the Link. The schedule was more predictable and the route was enhanced so it connected not only Main Street, Kerrytown, State Street, and South University, but also the Oxford/Trotter campus housing area. The changes seem to have worked. On December 5, 2006, The Link set a one-day record of 1,975 riders and in January of 2007, there were 32,956 passenger trips on the two Link buses.

Congratulations to everyone involved. This shows how difficult it is to get people to change their transportation modes and how important it is to continue and try to find the right routes and schedules. Eventually, it would be great to have the Link run for weekend hours, evenings on the whole route, and summer hours (it does run during Art Fair), but until then, this is a good start.

Comment [42]

Local

Budget Woes

Posted by Juliew on 21. February 2007

Ann Arbor Public Schools Invites Community to Budget Forums
Superintendent Todd Roberts invites Ann Arbor Public School parents, staff and community members to attend a forum on the state of the district’s finances. At these sessions, Superintendent Roberts, along with Deputy Superintendent for Operations, Robert Allen, will give an overview on how public school districts are funded, the district’s revenue projections and an overview of the district’s budget. They will also facilitate small group sessions in which attendees will be asked for input on district priorities and funding recommendations.

The remaining Ann Arbor Public Schools budget forum is tomorrow, Wednesday, February 21 in the Huron High School cafeteria at 7:00pm. A reader points out that the Ann Arbor news has a brief overview of last night’s meeting.

City Police, Fire and Emergency Management Reductions
Layoffs and other service reductions in the City of Ann Arbor’s Safety Services Unit (Police, Fire and Emergency Management) may go into effect for the 2007/2008 fiscal year budget. More information is here.

Input can be submitted via the City of Ann Arbor’s Web site at www.a2gov.org/ourtown or during one of two Town Hall meetings scheduled in April:

• Wednesday, April 4, 6:30 p.m., Clague Middle School, Media Center, 2616 Nixon Road.
• Thursday, April 5, 6:30 p.m., Slauson Middle School, Media Center, 1019 W. Washington.

Comment [9]

City Council

City Council: President's Day Edition

Posted by Juliew on 20. February 2007

Tuesday, February 20 at 7:00 pm. (One day later due to President’s Day holiday)
City Council Agenda

Highlights:

• Plymouth Road Plaza Planned Project Site Plan
• 200 South Ashley Street Site Plan
• Resolution to Approve a Professional Services Agreement with Quinn Evans Architects for the Planning and Design of the Ann Arbor Municipal Center ($962,600.00) and Establish a Project Budget for the Police/Courts Building ($1,011,000.00)
• Resolution to Approve an Option to Purchase Agreement with Village Green Residential Properties LLC for the Sale and Redevelopment of City-Owned Property Located at First and Washington
• Resolution to Approve Street Closing for The Arena’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Celebration on March 17, 2007
• Monthly parking permit price hike

Planning Commission (Moved to Thursday due to President’s Day Holiday)
Thursday, February 22 at 7:00 pm.
Planning Commission Agenda

Highlights:

• The February 22 agenda has not been posted as of 2/19/07.

Comment [31]

City Council

City Council/DDA Joint Work Session: Parking

Posted by Juliew on 11. February 2007

Monday, February 12 at 7:00 pm in the DTE Community Room, DTE Building, 425 S. Main Street and televised on CTN channel 16

Joint City Council/DDA Work Session Agenda (8 MB .pdf with Attachments)

Agenda:
1) DDA Mid-Winter Retreat Report:

• Existing off-street monthly parking permit shortage
• Create new parking spaces, preferably by adding onto existing structures and implementing the Fifth & Division project. Leave large open lots (S. Fifth Avenue lot, S. Ashley lot) available for future development
• Alter parking management, including discouraging employee parking subsidies
• Develop new alternative transportation options and incentives, including explorations into a new city trolley and additional downtown circulator

2) Immediate Projects

• Fifth & Division (brief presentation)
• Downtown parking study (brief presentation)
• Adding levels to Liberty Square and/or Ann Ashley

3) Other Topics for City Council Input

• Evening parking enforcement
• Removing City parking subsidies for City employees
• Developing a trolley system and/or commuter rail system

Comment [33]

City Council

City Council: Citywide Culture Edition

Posted by Juliew on 4. February 2007

Monday, February 5 at 7:00 pm.
City Council Agenda

Highlights:

• First phase of the budget and implementation strategy for planning and design of the new court and police building
• Community events funds disbursements from the 2007 budget
• Georgetown Commons rezoning
• Approval of professional services agreement with Denison Consulting, LLC to Facilitate Implementation of a Citywide Culture Survey

Planning Commission
Tuesday, February 6 at 7:00 pm.
Planning Commission Agenda

Highlights:

• Public Hearing and Adoption of Flood Mitigation Plan

Comment [6]

Regional

Proposal A comes home to roost

Posted by Murph on 4. February 2007

What seemed like a good idea in 1994 is becoming more and more visibly a fiasco. Proposal A was widely adored at the time of passage for using an increased sales tax to fund schools while providing tax breaks to homeowners. With both municipal and school budgets now relying significantly on the sales tax, the drastic drop in sales tax revenues that comes from economic downturns is threatening a death spiral of faltering schools and cities reinforcing Michigan’s economic crisis.

• The Michigan Suburbs Alliances explains the state revenue sharing formula (pdf), based on the sales tax, and the impact of its downward trend.
• The Freep notes that, in a down housing market, property values and sale prices are falling – but the cap on taxable value increase over the past 12 years means that tax bills are still rising from their artificial lows of the past decade – and the “pop-up” that happens at sale can discourage buyers.
• The A2News reports that school officials across the State are panicking at the service cuts the expected $224/student revenue shortfall would force.
• As has been previously discussed on this site, Proposal A is insidious in transferring property tax burden onto homeowners in the long term – the taxable value of corporate property is effectively capped forever, while private homes “pop up” on average every five years.

With the hangover from yesterday’s feel-good anti-tax measures upon us, perhaps we as a State can move past the fallacy of bleeding our way to health and work on real solutions. Or, perhaps not.

Comment [21]