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Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summaries
from Council Member Elizabeth Nelson
Accessible from A2COUNCIL.com and A2ELNEL.com/A2COUNCIL
For each City Council meeting, I provide links to the agenda on the City's Legistar website, CTN's YouTube video of the meeting, and to my newsletters and voting charts. I write summaries of agenda items, along with Legistar links, articles I've written (highlighted purple), and articles published on MLive. Look for highlighted text to find votes on development, affordable housing, and the City's Sustainability and Innovations department.
This page is displaying information from a single Council meeting - click here to return to all meetings.
March 15, 2021
This was the twenty fourth regular Council meeting since Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency and stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting was held online, via the ZOOM application.
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APPROVED: Beginning April 1 (through August 30), downtown street closures will be permitted so that restaurants and retail businesses adjacent or near to the closed streets are able to use the street for seating and sales. It will happen on the weekends (4 PM Thursday through 6 AM Monday) at the locations below: (Legistar)
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Main Street from William to Washington
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West Liberty Street from Ashley to Main
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East Liberty Street from Main to Fourth and from Maynard to State
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West Washington Street from Ashley to Main
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State Street from Washington to William
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Maynard Street on the east side or northbound portion only from Liberty to William
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APPROVED: Contract for $65,800 for OHM Advisors, Inc. to perform pavement condition rating services. Every two years, the city’s paved street system is assessed and rated with statistical reports. This contract will run through 2025. (Legistar)
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Note: The city terminated a previous contract (2019) with Hennessey Engineering intended to provide the same service through 2025.
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APPROVED: Contract for $1,393,088.95 with Bailey Excavating to replace water mains at Dunmore, Waverly, Weldon, and Hartford. (Legistar)
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NOTE: This agenda item was a substitute for the staff-recommended contract with DiPonio Contracting for the same job at a cost of $1,311,467. (Legistar)
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APPROVED: A site plan for construction of a one-story 24,529-square foot retail building with 81 parking spaces at 300 South Maple (where The Quarter was previously located). Lewis Jewelers will be one of multiple tenants. The development includes construction of a pedestrian connection (sidewalk) to Westgate Shopping Center. (Legistar)
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APPROVED: March 31 will be recognized on an annual basis as Transgender Day of Visibility by flying a transgender pride flag at City Hall, evaluating non-discrimination laws and policies, and reaffirming support and commitment to a diverse, equitable and welcoming community. (Legistar)
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APPROVED: A “Fair Chance” ordinance was approved at “first reading.” The ordinance will prohibit landlords from using criminal history as a determining factor in access to rental housing. An application for rental housing shall not require an applicant to disclose criminal history or authorize release of criminal history. (Legistar)
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Note: This ordinance was approved at “first reading” on 3/1/21. The vote at this meeting should have been final approval at "second reading" but significant amendments were made by legal staff, putting it back to “first reading".
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Additional Thoughts (Feb 27, 2021) - Fair Chance & Early Leasing Ordinances
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APPROVED: The city administrator will receive and track revenue from Marijuana Excise Tax so that those funds can be directed in a way that “intentionally reinvests in our community, acknowledges the past harm of criminalization, and supports populations disproportionately and negatively impacted by the 'War on Drugs'.” (Legistar)