Government

Updated: Stadium Boulevard reopened near Crisler Arena after water main break

Repair crews work to fix a broken water main on Stadium Boulevard east of Main Street this afternoon.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Stadium Boulevard east of Main Street and west of South Industrial has been reopened to traffic now that repairs have been completed on a large water main break that occurred across from Crisler Arena this morning.

With Poll: Ann Arbor officials wonder: Do residents care more about parks than public safety?

City Administrator Roger Fraser gives a presentation on "big ideas" for the fiscal year 2010-11 budget to the City Council Monday night.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

City Administrator Roger Fraser says he's noticed something about Ann Arbor residents: They seem to care more about parks than they do public safety.

Yousef Rabhi enters race for Washtenaw County's 11th District

Ann Arbor native and current University of Michigan student Yousef Rabhi formally entered the race as a Democratic candidate for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners 11th District seat on Monday.

Buckets of money: Why the city of Ann Arbor can't use the money it has for what it really needs

Most Ann Arbor residents watching the city's budget situation have probably heard officials use the word "buckets" to describe how city dollars are tied up in various funds - each with its own set of restrictions.

That's why, for instance, the city says it can't use the nearly $750,000 budgeted for a new sculpture in front of city hall to save the jobs of firefighters facing layoffs. The art bucket can't bail out the general fund bucket, they say.

Ypsilanti's Harriet Street corridor will benefit from grants for building improvements

Ypsilanti's Harriet Street corridor will benefit from $20,000 to plan its future - including opportunities for renovating and redeveloping buildings, as well as addressing such challenges as higher rates of foreclosures in the area.

The funds represent part of the annual federal Community Development Block Grant awarded to the city.

Michigan Capitol Confidential Daily: Superior Township cardiologist to challenge U.S. Rep. John Dingell for 15th District seat

A cardiologist from Superior Township plan to take on U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, for the U.S. 15th Congressional District seat, the Michigan Capitol Confidential Daily reports.

Robert L. Steele, who is running as a Republican, told the Daily he hopes the race will draw the attention of conservatives all over the country.

With poll: Debate over runway expansion at Ann Arbor airport heats up

An aerial shot of the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, courtesy of the city.

Residents living in a subdivision next to a small airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., watched in disbelief last April as a twin-engine plane crashed into a nearby house and burst into flames.

The pilot had radioed the air traffic control tower seconds earlier to say he was going to turn back due to mechanical difficulties. But his aircraft went down, and he was killed on impact.

With poll: Tough budget decisions lie ahead for Ann Arbor City Council

Ann Arbor City Council members are going into a Monday night budget session knowing that Michigan's slumping economy is battering and bruising the city's finances - just as it has other cities across the state.

The tough decisions council members must make in the next three months became clearer this weekend as they received detailed reports from city administrators. A series of budget impact sheets outline more than $5.2 million in newly proposed cuts, on top of millions already trimmed from the budget.

19 Ann Arbor firefighters, 9 police officers facing layoffs

Just three weeks after agreeing to voluntary concessions that included a 4 percent reduction in compensation, Ann Arbor firefighters could be taking another hit.

Members of the firefighters union have been informed the city is looking at laying off 19 firefighters starting in July and eliminating another vacant position. That's six more positions than were previously slated to be cut.

Washtenaw County residential property values still falling in 2010 but pace slows

Dave Woodside, a special deputy from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department, attaches an eviction notice to the door of a house in Ypsilanti in 2008.

File photo

Residential property values fell last year in all but two communities in Washtenaw County, based on 2010 assessment reports.

Only York Township and Ann Arbor Township showed gains in home values, while other communities fell from a low of 1.4 percent in Manchester to highs of 13.8 percent in Salem Township, 13.5 percent in Ypsilanti and 13.3 percent in Chelsea.

But overall drops were less acute than in 2009, when 14 communities recorded double-digit value drops - and none improved. That compares to four communities with double-digit drops this year.

FOIA Friday: Ask again after your appeal is denied

(Frogger | Wikimedia Commons)

Ypsilanti resident files complaint over new police chief's relationship with officer

Ypsilanti's labor attorney has been asked to weigh in after a city resident filed a complaint over the new police chief's relationship with an officer in the department.

The issue surfaced at the City Council meeting this week when Mayor Pro Tem Trudy Swanson-Winston presented a letter from resident Megan Turf. In the letter, Turf questioned why Lt. Amy Walker was promoted to chief since she is in a relationship with someone in the workplace.

Government Fleet: Ann Arbor nationally recognized for efforts to cut back petroleum use

Those hybrid vehicles cruising around town are getting noticed.

The city's electric car costs 2 cents per mile to operate.

The city of Ann Arbor's success in using alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles to keep its fleet green is the focus of a new report today.

Government-Fleet.com reports the city's Green Fleets program is the focus of this week's MotorWeek Clean Cities Success Story. It says the city, which set a goal in 2004 of reducing its fleet's petroleum usage by 10 percent by 2012, has a new goal of 30 percent by the end of 2010.

With poll: State of the State: Gov. Jennifer Granholm says no more education cuts, vows to restore merit scholarships

In her eighth and final State of the State address, Gov. Jennifer Granholm delivered a farewell to Michigan's manufacturing-based economy and said an educated workforce is the future.

"We cannot turn back," she said. "Diversifying our economy, educating our people, and protecting them along the way - this is the path forward."

The governor said she was drawing the line on further education cuts this year. She also promised to restore a popular Michigan Promise scholarship program, as part of her proposed state budget plan for fiscal year 2011 that she will unveil on Feb. 11.

With new administrator in place, Washtenaw County officials ready to focus on challenges ahead

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners hired Verna McDaniel tonight as the next county administrator, ushering in a new era of leadership in county government - and a new style.

McDaniel, deputy administrator since 2007, replaces outgoing administrator Bob Guenzel, who is retiring in May after nearly four decades with the county.