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The Ann Arbor City Council<\/a> met in Larcom City Hall Monday evening to hear staff updates from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments<\/a>, Public Services Administration<\/a>, Ann Arbor Housing Commission<\/a>, Sustainable Energy Utility<\/a> and the Downtown Development Authority<\/a> on recent projects. The SEU, a new voluntary renewable energy program, and the Downtown Service Team<\/a>, responsible for maintaining downtown cleanliness, are both expected to begin pilot programs within the next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Skye Stewart, PSA chief of staff, began the meeting by notifying<\/a> the council on two recent studies \u2014 the Ann Arbor Water Distribution Plan Update<\/a> and the Sanitary Sewer Collection System Comprehensive Plan<\/a> \u2014 which assess the city\u2019s water and waste collection system. Stewart said the sewage system in southeast Ann Arbor would need upgrades to support growth outlined in the city\u2019s recently adopted Comprehensive Land Use Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most pressing constraint in the sanitary collections is the sanitary collection system in the South-Southeast part of the city,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cAnd we will need to deal with that to be able to unlock the density envisioned in the Land Use Plan in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n The council then heard a presentation<\/a> from SEU executive director Shoshannah Lenski. Through the SEU\u2019s energy service<\/a>, households can use renewable sources such as solar and geothermal energy while remaining connected to the city\u2019s DTE Energy<\/a> grid. The council\u2019s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget<\/a> identifies the launch of the SEU in 2026 as the city\u2019s top priority, with the initial program expecting to be trialed in the Bryant neighborhood<\/a> in the coming months.\u00a0<\/p>\n