Ann Arbor adopts 9 ‘behavioral norms’ for council members to follow
Updated May 08, 2021;
Posted May 07, 2021
Council Member Julie Grand, D-3rd Ward, speaks about new rules for governing Ann Arbor City Council members conduct, suggesting they can disagree on issues without putting forward conspiracy theories about each other s motives.CTN
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In a 9-2 vote, council adopted a new set of nine “behavioral norms” that council members are asked to follow:
Work with other council members to establish effective policies.
Encourage the free expression of opinion on policy issues by all council members.
Use the same care and caution when using electronic media as would be exercised when speaking face-to-face or through written memorandum.
Major apartment landlord raises issues with Ann Arbor’s new fair housing ordinance
Updated Mar 12, 2021;
Posted Mar 12, 2021
The Ann Arbor Housing Commission s new 32-unit State Crossing apartment complex at 1525 S. State St. on Dec. 31, 2020.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
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ANN ARBOR, MI Ann Arbor is close to adopting a new fair housing ordinance to keep landlords from turning away renters with criminal backgrounds.
But based on issues raised by McKinley Inc., a major apartment landlord in the area, officials say the city needs to carve out exceptions for private landlords who are federally required in some cases to take a person’s criminal history into account.
‘Toxic political tornado’ debate over Ann Arbor council rules continues
Updated Mar 11, 2021;
Posted Mar 11, 2021
City Attorney Stephen Postema discusses matters related to new council rules at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting March 1, 2021. The ACLU argues the rules violate free speech rights.CTN
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ANN ARBOR, MI Ann Arbor City Council members have said they want to end personal attacks between each other.
But new council rules aimed at doing so have been the subject of debate for several weeks now.
As the controversy continued this week, one official summed it up as a “toxic political tornado.”
“I got involved in this with good intentions and I thought it was going to simplify some things, but I feel like it’s snowballed into some kind of toxic political tornado,” Council Member Kathy Griswold, D-2nd Ward, said of rules she and a majority of council OK’d to outline potential consequences for personal attacks and a process for redress of gri
Ann Arbor contract for outside legal services in Gelman case jumps to $750K
Updated Feb 01, 2021;
Posted Feb 01, 2021
A county map of the Gelman dioxane plume originating in Scio Township and moving easterly through Ann Arbor s west side as of 2019. Small dots on the map mark the locations of drinking water wells, while different types of larger circles show the locations of monitoring wells and groundwater extraction wells for treatment operations by polluter Gelman Sciences. The red outlined area is the prohibition zone where groundwater use is prohibited per court orders.Washtenaw County
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ANN ARBOR, MI As the Gelman plume legal case continues to play out in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, Ann Arbor’s costs for outside legal services are growing larger.
Ann Arbor exploring policy on reporting bribes after councilwoman’s blog allegation
Updated Jan 13, 2021;
Posted Jan 13, 2021
Elizabeth Nelson, D-4th Ward, speaks at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting on July 1, 2019.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
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ANN ARBOR, MI An Ann Arbor council member’s allegation that an Airbnb property investor hinted at a potential bribe offer in exchange for her vote has been referred to the city attorney and police chief, officials said.
City Attorney Stephen Postema publicly discussed the issue with City Council’s Administration Committee and City Administrator Tom Crawford on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
“It’s certainly an appropriate topic to discuss,” Postema told the committee, which is now exploring whether the city should draft a new rule or policy concerning improper solicitations of council members and requirements for them to report such incidents when they happen.