tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15811988551071644332011-09-12T09:53:21.416-04:00Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-29494309574869903982011-05-19T13:08:00.012-04:002011-05-19T13:35:45.843-04:00

In our effort to help the city identify some areas where cost reduction could occur without cutting citizens services I asked my Council member if he could supply a list of the city employees that receive a monthly car allowance. The following table is the information that we received. Detail Earnings by Employee City of Ann Arbor Master Company Select: Company is CAA - City of Ann Arbor and

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-6890550050398462972011-05-14T12:09:00.002-04:002011-05-15T08:18:57.126-04:00

THE FY 2012 BUDGET The FY2012 budget is on the May 16, 2011 Council agenda. Under our city charter, the city administrator proposes a budget which goes into effect unless 7 council members vote to change it. The proposed budget continues the trend of cutting basic services, especially police and fire, which will see 10 layoffs plus elimination of vacant positions. Mayor Hieftje and his

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-17064936367278612732011-04-29T17:25:00.036-04:002011-05-14T12:26:30.048-04:00

Background The Ann Arbor Parks are funded from two sources. One is the city general fund which obtains money from the general city property taxes. The other is from special additional taxes that the citizens have agreed to pay, the Parks Millage. In 2006 the Ann Arbor City Council proposed a new Parks Millage of 1.1 mills. This millage replaced two smaller millages that expired that year.

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-40501767754988957492010-06-10T12:27:00.015-04:002010-06-10T14:01:07.365-04:00

INTRODUCTION The Ann Arbor City Council recently voted to spend over $6.7 million dollars to convert the recycle program from dual stream to single stream recycling. The primary argument made to justify the expense was that additional materials would be collected and that the sale or diversion of these materials from the landfill would pay for the additional cost of the program, including the

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-39111008984000415402010-05-30T09:25:00.011-04:002010-05-31T15:20:00.282-04:00

On June 3, 2008 an articles in the Ann Arbor News by A. Nash had the headline: Ann Arbor Farmers Market invests in solar collectors . The article reported: The project is one step toward a city goal of having municipal operations running on 30 percent renewable energy by 2010, and about 20 percent of the entire community on renewable energy by 2015. "It's a good place to show off the

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-54394802022619566512010-03-19T10:16:00.008-04:002010-03-19T14:35:46.485-04:00

INTRODUCTION Many citizens have criticized the City Council's decision to change from the current dual stream recycling program to a single stream approach. In the current dual stream approach paper and cardboard are kept separate from the glass, steel, and plastic containers. Under the proposed single stream approach the citizens would be required to put all recyclable materials in a

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-30486482537827543192010-02-05T13:43:00.012-05:002010-02-06T13:25:03.939-05:00

Almost every sector of the city is in fiscal difficulty. The Ann Arbor Farmers Market is not an exception. The following bar chart of the Market expenses illustrates some of the reasons. The graph shows operating expenses only, any large one time expenses such as replacing the lighting are not included The Market was operated by an independent contractor to the city until about 2000. During

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-91253590949413776892010-01-31T09:00:00.007-05:002010-01-31T10:28:45.545-05:00

Here is an article that appeared in The Independent. The link to the original article is: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/todmordens-good-life-introducing-britains-greenest-town-1830666.html var articleheadline = "Todmorden's Good life: Introducing Britain's greenest town"; Todmorden's Good life: Introducing Britain's greenest town'Grow your own' fever has

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-39104914631815229782010-01-25T11:34:00.010-05:002010-01-25T16:23:25.248-05:00

There are many comments on the blogs that indicate the financing of many Ann Arbor development projects are misunderstood. These are the comments of the nature: "The developer is willing to risk his money to build something. The citizens should welcome this because the city will get more tax revenue” This may be how projects were financed many years ago, but it is not the way most of the

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-72711545391328133152010-01-07T09:34:00.003-05:002010-01-07T09:41:21.963-05:00

Good Evening Mayor Hieftje, members of Council, City Administration. I appear before you tonight as a member of the Executive Committee of the Huron Valley Group of the Sierra Club representing 3000 members in the area. At our December 14, 2009 meeting we passed a resolution in opposition to recent city actions concerning Fuller Park and the proposed Fuller Intermodal Transportation Station.

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-19665064733987552692009-06-04T18:45:00.016-04:002009-07-05T23:24:35.383-04:00

Are you curious about the secret email messages that Ann Arbor City Council members send to each other during public Council meetings in which all communications are supposed to be open to the public? Now you can read what they say in private when they should have been listening to public comments and their colleagues conducting council business. These City Council e-mails were obtained by the

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-19693099532819650052009-05-13T19:03:00.007-04:002009-06-04T23:00:41.323-04:00

Have you ever wondered what city employees make? Click on the links below to see a list of all city positions with salary and benefits. This list is for salaries and benefits used in preparing the budget for fiscal year 2010This is the similar list for fiscal year 2011.The list is organized by the fund the position is charged to. Some positions, such as community services administrator and

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-1638364947190504762009-01-30T14:27:00.010-05:002009-06-04T23:01:25.461-04:00

Despite a sinking economy and rising unemployment, the City of Ann Arbor is rushing to build a police/courts building that would more than double the size of the Larcom building. City employees have nicknamed this building the Rog Mahal.The February 2, 2009 council agenda includes a resolution to hire Lansing based Clark Construction Company to construct the building. This $35.9 million

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-43165454405859940162009-01-28T15:02:00.004-05:002009-06-14T22:53:30.738-04:00

On May 7,2007 Council was asked to approve a contract with Becket and Rader for consulting on the proposed modifications to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. The services were to include concept drawings for site plan review, construction drawings for construction bids and construction management. Council approved the contract and a project budget of approximately $1 million.The Community Services

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-12637400507789729572009-01-25T15:35:00.011-05:002009-06-14T22:59:24.079-04:00

There are two basic issues with using storm water fees to fund the Farmers Market renovations. The first is whether this is an appropriate use of the storm water fees and second, even if it is, is this a good storm water project. Education is now claimed as a primary reason for doing the project at the Market. Is the education benefit worth the expense of the storm water treatment? The final

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-70142517849508749462009-01-10T12:28:00.012-05:002009-06-14T22:57:44.571-04:00

FINAL VOTE JANUARY 20, 2008The city has proposed an ordinance that would fine any one with graffiti on their property if it was not removed within two days of receiving a notice from the city. The fines are $100 for a first offense. The maximum fine is $500, but each day the graffiti remains is considered a separate offense.This is a bad ordinance for several reasons. The first is that it

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-2059709367683684782008-12-31T15:08:00.021-05:002009-06-14T22:58:07.920-04:00

GRAFFITI and CRIMEOur City Council has proposed an ordinance that would impose large fines on property owners with graffiti on their buildings. The proposed ordinance was sponsored by Council members, Teall, Hohnke, Taylor and Greden. A copy of the ordinance is attached.This is simply a bad ordinance. Most building owners probably don't want the graffiti. They probably see themselves as

Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-11225064029564776042008-11-19T18:19:00.013-05:002008-11-19T19:30:21.488-05:00

The Bloomington, Indiana "Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation & Greenways System Plan"  (click here) and B-Line Trail information (click here).

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-91620374243685330202008-11-14T06:50:00.011-05:002008-11-19T19:24:40.528-05:00

We currently have an important opportunity for input on what Ann Arbor will be like in the future, as the city is on the verge of approving changes to the Ann Arbor zoning ordinance for downtown. Many of the proposed changes could have an impact on surrounding neighborhoods. The zoning and parking amendments are the first of three documents that are being amended that are going to have an

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-82455464815923414402008-10-17T16:08:00.007-04:002008-11-03T13:05:05.925-05:00

The requirement that a site be cleaned up before it is redeveloped is a result of the Love Canal disaster in Niagara Falls, New York. Hooker Chemical had used an abandoned canal site as a toxic waste dump for many years. When they sold the site to the City of Niagara Falls, it was disclosed that Hooker Chemical had used the location for disposal of toxic waste. Hooker Chemical stipulated in the

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-22543871168513282802008-03-15T17:43:00.034-04:002009-07-07T14:42:24.075-04:00

A $47 million city hall. This is what the mayor and council majority want us to get instead of things like help replacing sidewalks, replanting trees or more help for human service agencies. Click here for architectural plan and budget. Can we afford it? Read Councilperson Sabra Briere's speech. Costs continue to climb: click here. More ...Click here to see what Mike Anglin, Vivienne Armentrout

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-17335483707770019662008-02-28T00:31:00.039-05:002008-11-19T19:25:30.988-05:00

 Ann Arbor has an opportunity to create a Greenway in the Allen Creek corridor and recapture the rich history that existed at the turn of the century. This video shows what a determined city half way around the world did to create excitement and eliminate serious environmental problems for their citizens.Byoung-Suk Kweon, Ph.D. joined the UofM Faculty in the Fall 2007, moving here from Texas A&M

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-14529588426297089982008-01-01T16:10:00.000-05:002008-01-01T17:33:58.377-05:00

About a year ago Ann Arbor was awarded a new Class C liquor license. The council committee formed to review applications is expected to make a recommendation at the January 7, 2008 council meeting. The finalists are Everyday Cook, a Kerrytown business owned by Mary Campbell, and the city golf courses. ... The golf “crisis” may be more about creating a justification to sell off Ann Arbor park

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-76411796742395480112007-12-10T23:41:00.000-05:002007-12-21T10:53:14.330-05:00

Nearly every meeting of the Ann Arbor City Council includes a closed session. There was even a closed session at the recent council retreat. According to some past council members, the current council has dramatically increased the number of closed sessions. The increase in closed sessions has made these former council members and many citizens question whether

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-62807375038057273182007-11-05T07:22:00.000-05:002007-11-08T11:43:50.034-05:00

Hastily called meeting just prior to new council members taking officeA special meeting called by City Council on October 22, only 3 weeks before the inauguration of the new City Council members, to approve another $3.9 million in architect fees received 2 hours prior to the meeting. Click here for the architect's proposal. (The document is 35 MB so will take a couple of minutes to download).

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-74768607910925902582007-09-23T02:30:00.000-04:002007-12-09T19:33:57.259-05:00

The Ann Arbor City Council majority is rushing to approve a massive new city hall complex. City employees have named it the Rog Mahal, for city manager Roger Fraser. Ann Arbor residents have been excluded from the decision process but they will get stuck with the bill, which has risen to over 57 million dollars. This is more than double the amount the the Community

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-15897091796090323852007-08-23T22:27:00.000-04:002007-08-28T23:42:56.062-04:00

Ann Arbor city residents have seen services reduced because of budget belt tightening, but Council's tight fisted ways don't apply to city administrator Roger Fraser's perks. The Council majority has even ignored warnings from the city's outside auditor about Mr. Fraser's improper expenditures.more ...

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-44180366666111359932007-07-02T20:29:00.000-04:002007-08-25T22:55:29.126-04:00

When voters were asked to approve a parks millage increase, they were told the general fund contribution to parks spending would not be reduced more than the general fund contributions to other expenses.But parks were shortchanged by $1.4 million: streets are defined as parks, the mayor and council, city attorney, city finance department and city administrator each had budget increases of over

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-88650626775707724752007-07-02T00:46:00.000-04:002007-07-13T18:51:57.728-04:00

Doug Cowherd, chair of the Sierra Club's Huron Valley Group, comments on City Council's broken pledgeLast year Ann Arbor's City Council put a tax increase to provide additional funds for parks on the November 2006 ballot. Council unanimously passed a resolution stating that if the increased millage passed, then other funding for the parks would not be reduced if the City's general fund revenue

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-47902146677745601002007-07-01T23:41:00.000-04:002007-07-14T23:47:21.465-04:00

Linda Berauer, chair of the Ann Arbor Park Advisory Commission, speaks about the parks budget charade.

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-10191466238034016042007-07-01T19:18:00.000-04:002007-08-28T23:43:48.838-04:00

Have you ever wondered why your taxes are so high but the city is always short of funds?Here are the top 3 reasons:1. The City moves money by charging $8,500 per employee for IT services.2. There's also $9.5 million in the fiscal year 2009 budget for the proposed civic center. High water bills and selling off of public property are used to finance this.3. Parks funds are raided.more ...

Citizens' News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10328172738821599325noreply@blogger.com4