tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15811988551071644332024-03-13T00:32:23.546-04:00Citizens' News Service - Ann ArborUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-23185918677648788952013-10-20T16:59:00.001-04:002013-10-20T17:04:07.725-04:00Al McWilliams nomination the the DDA BoardCitizen's News Servicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16355937108627910461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-29494309574869903982011-05-19T13:08:00.012-04:002012-09-24T18:09:47.007-04:00Ann Arbor Employee Car AllowancesIn 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-6890550050398462972011-05-14T12:09:00.002-04:002012-09-24T18:10:16.649-04:00KAREN'S* FY2012 BUDGET NEWSLETTER - Issue 1THE 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-17064936367278612732011-04-29T17:25:00.036-04:002012-09-24T18:09:05.078-04:00Ann Arbor Park FundingBackground
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-40501767754988957492010-06-10T12:27:00.015-04:002012-09-24T18:09:23.575-04:00 SingleStream Recycling - Additional Recycled PlasticsINTRODUCTION
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-39111008984000415402010-05-30T09:25:00.011-04:002012-09-24T18:11:03.123-04:00Solar Power at the Market Demonstration Project or Just Bad Investment?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-54394802022619566512010-03-19T10:16:00.008-04:002012-09-24T18:08:30.467-04:00 Single Stream vs Dual Stream Recycling
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 inGlenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-30486482537827543192010-02-05T13:43:00.012-05:002012-09-24T18:07:56.724-04:00Farmers Market - Financial TrendsAlmost 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. Glenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-91253590949413776892010-01-31T09:00:00.007-05:002012-09-24T18:07:24.216-04:00Here 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-39104914631815229782010-01-25T11:34:00.010-05:002012-09-24T18:05:57.689-04:00Private Public PartnershipsThere 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-72711545391328133152010-01-07T09:34:00.003-05:002012-09-24T18:05:10.275-04:00Sierra Club Statement to Council on the FITS Parking StructureGood 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-19665064733987552692009-06-04T18:45:00.016-04:002009-07-05T23:24:35.383-04:00What City Council Says in PrivateAre 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 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-19693099532819650052009-05-13T19:03:00.007-04:002009-06-04T23:00:41.323-04:00City of Ann Arbor Salaries and BenefitsHave 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-1638364947190504762009-01-30T14:27:00.010-05:002009-06-04T23:01:25.461-04:00Fuzzy Accounting - Paying for the Rog MahalDespite 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 Market Renovations - Financial 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 ServicesGlenn Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11223274723785201072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-12637400507789729572009-01-25T15:35:00.011-05:002009-06-14T22:59:24.079-04:00Farmers Market RenovationsThere 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-70142517849508749462009-01-10T12:28:00.012-05:002009-06-14T22:57:44.571-04:00Graffiti OrdinanceFINAL 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-2059709367683684782008-12-31T15:08:00.021-05:002009-06-14T22:58:07.920-04:00Proposed Graffiti OrdinanceGRAFFITI 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-11225064029564776042008-11-19T18:19:00.013-05:002008-11-19T19:30:21.488-05:00A Greenway for Bloomington, IndianaThe Bloomington, Indiana "Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation & Greenways System Plan" (click here) and B-Line Trail information (click here).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-91620374243685330202008-11-14T06:50:00.011-05:002008-11-19T19:24:40.528-05:00What Will Ann Arbor Look Like in the Future?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 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-82455464815923414402008-10-17T16:08:00.007-04:002008-11-03T13:05:05.925-05:00Ann Arbor Brownfield Redevelopment: Environmental Cleanup or Developer Subsidy?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 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-22543871168513282802008-03-15T17:43:00.034-04:002009-07-07T14:42:24.075-04:00$47,000,000 for City HallA $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 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-17335483707770019662008-02-28T00:31:00.039-05:002008-11-19T19:25:30.988-05:00Beautiful Greenway Built in 2 Years, 3 Months 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&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-14529588426297089982008-01-01T16:10:00.000-05:002008-01-01T17:33:58.377-05:00Is Booze the Answer to Golf Woes?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 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1581198855107164433.post-76411796742395480112007-12-10T23:41:00.000-05:002007-12-21T10:53:14.330-05:00 Is Council Violating the Open Meetings Act?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 whetherUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1