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Ann Arbor City Council members gathered at Larcom City Hall Monday night to discuss upcoming ballot proposals and approve a “right to sit” ordinance, requiring city employers to allow seating accommodations for workers when doing so does not interfere with their position. The evening marked the final City Council meeting before the general election on Nov. 5.
The meeting began with updates from Matt Carpenter, CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. Carpenter reviewed highlights from the 2024 fiscal year, including a $25 million grant to facilitate the integration of zero-emission hydrogen buses into The Ride’s fleet, communications with the U.S. Department of Energy regarding hydrogen hubs and progress toward a new bus terminal in Ypsilanti.
Next, the meeting moved to a public commentary period, during which community members spoke to the council about low-income emergency assistance funding, fire safety and ballot proposals city residents will consider on Nov. 5.
During public comment, former City Councilmember Kathy Griswold expressed concern with an ordinance amending the city’s fire prevention codes. Currently, fire prevention codes require that fire apparatus access roads have at least 26 feet of unobstructed width in the vicinity of a building that is more than 30 feet tall. However, the council stated in the ordinance text that the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority has struggled to provide this width while maintaining space for protected bike lanes. To address this conflict, the ordinance would remove the 26-foot requirement.
Griswold said the change seemed to deprioritize fire safety rather than addressing the root issue of road width or seeking alternative solutions.
“They … (say) removing section D105.2 will address this conflict point,” Griswold said. “Why in the world do we want to address a conflict point? … We are trading off not doing anything with the possibility we are going to have people burning in tall buildings.”
Also during public comment, former City Councilmember Anne Bannister spoke in support of a resolution to approve an emergency low-income assistance funding contract in the amount of $110,310.12. The resolution would allow for the provision of emergency basic-need assistance to city residents who meet the eligibility criteria to help prevent utility shutoffs or evictions.
Additionally, Bannister called for community members to support upcoming ballot proposals C and D so that Ann Arbor residents’ voices can be better reflected in city policy. Ballot Proposal C would remove the references to a candidate’s party on future ballots, in effect eliminating primaries and partisan elections in the city. Ballot Proposal D would utilize city funds to create public financing for City Council and mayoral candidates who agree to receive campaign donations in lower amounts and only from individuals.
“This is an example of City Council in the county working together to do good works for the community, but too often the influence of big money in our local elections is undermining the voices of Ann Arbor residents,” Bannister said.
Song argued that ballot proposals C and D will not increase participation in local politics as intended by their writers and advocates, who have formed an organization supporting the proposals, the Coalition for Ann Arbor’s Future.
“These ballots as written do not fix these issues,” Song said. “We know what ‘get out the vote’ looks like. We know what it looks like because we saw it in 2022. People came out in record numbers for issues that are important to them, for candidates who spoke to their values. There’s no great mystery to local politics.”
City Councilmember Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, D-Ward 3, said that if Proposal C were passed and partisan elections were eliminated, it would become more difficult for candidates of marginalized backgrounds to get elected.
“I also want to highlight that when we get rid of partisan elections, diversity decreases in terms of people who receive power based upon ethnic or racial diversity,” Ghazi Edwin said. “That’s limited because for people like me who have different sounding names, assumptions are made about my political beliefs and my values.”
After approving the consent agenda, the council considered ordinances up for a vote.
City Council unanimously passed a “right to sit” ordinance which will require city employers to provide seating for their employees as long as it does not interfere with their work. The ordinance was sponsored by Councilmembers Ghazi Edwin, Chris Watson D-Ward 2, Travis Radina, D-Ward 3 and Cynthia Harrison D-Ward 1.
City Councilmember Jen Eyer, D-Ward 4, said she personally understood how important the ordinance could be, explaining that her mother’s nursing career was cut short due to a multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Later, Eyer’s mother took a retail job to help provide for her family, which accommodated her condition.
“I visited her one day in the shop and I noticed that they had a stool for her,” Eyer said. “I was probably 12 or 13 and I just remember being so grateful. She was able to help make some more money for the family without coming home just completely wrecked or exhausted.”
Councilmembers also considered the proposed changes to the city’s fire prevention code. The council approved the changes, though a second reading and vote will be required for the ordinance’s official passage.
City Councilmember Dharma Akmon, D-Ward 4, said the change enacted by the ordinance considered both fire safety and pedestrian safety.
“I would suggest that this is a balanced approach to looking at safety holistically,” Akmon said. “We know that wide roads are dangerous for people, and there are many things that we want to do to our roads to make them safe for everybody.”
Daily Staff Reporter Amanda Venclovaite-Pirani can be reached at amandavp@umich.edu.
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