Hello neighbors!
This week, Ann Arbor City Council again considers a very short agenda. The one item on the regular agenda was postponed from the previous meeting: a purchase of parkland requiring eight votes (DC-1). This purchase had to be postponed due to absences— only seven members of Council attended the last meeting and the purchase requires eight votes.
LGBTQ+ HISTORICAL MARKER UNVEILING
A historical marker will be unveiled this week, celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ members of Ann Arbor City Council.
https://www.a2gov.org/news/posts/all-invited-to-historical-marker-unveiling-ceremony-sept-4/
Thursday, Sept. 4, 11:00 AM
South plaza outside of Larcom City Hall
301 E. Huron St.
In the 1970s, three members of a third party – the Human Rights Party – were elected to Ann Arbor City Council. Jerry DeGrieck and Nancy Wechsler were elected in 1972 and were the first elected officials to came out as gay/lesbian during their term of service. In 1974, Kathy Kozachenko was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in the U.S.
On my YouTube channel, you can find interviews about this period in Ann Arbor political history, including a conversation with Jerry DeGrieck. Other interviews: Colleen McGee, who served as a Democratic Council Member alongside Kathy Kozachenko, Ed Pear, City Attorney from 1973-1975, and Lou Belcher, a former Ann Arbor mayor who served as a Republican Council Member during Kozachenko’s term.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPDgzaa5Kc1IzClC2Q1OOyg69ci3pBu6a
A2Council Update Video
After every City Council meeting I send out an “A2Council Update” newsletter, which includes a summary video. Here is my A2Council Update video from the Council meeting of August 18, 2025:
Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Agenda
Below is my summary of issues on the City Council Agenda this week, with links to more information about each of them. If you have comments about any of these issues, you can email all of Council at CityCouncil@a2gov.org
Ann Arbor City Council Meeting
Tuesday, September 2 2025 7:00PM
Ann Arbor City Hall (2nd Floor)
301 E Huron St, Ann Arbor 48104
The full agenda (including a link to the latest published PDF agenda, and instructions for dialing into the meeting) is on the A2Gov Legistar website:
https://a2gov.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1251588&GUID=2A92826D-9BA4-41B9-9739-4912B39B4CBF
City Council meetings are broadcast live by CTN on Comcast (channel 16) and AT&T (channel 99) and online at a2gov.org/watchCTN
Meetings are also streamed live on the CTN YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ctnannarbor
How to reserve public comment
People that wish to comment at a City Council meeting must sign up with the City Clerk’s office in advance. Speakers are allotted 3 minutes, with the first 15 speakers allowed to speak in a 45 minute session near the beginning of the meeting. Remaining speakers will speak at the end of the Council meeting. Public comment can be made either in person or remotely via phone/Zoom audio.
To sign up for public comment, please go to or call the City Clerk’s Office at 734-794-6140 on the day of the meeting between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. At 4:00 PM, all speakers that have signed up are randomly ordered in “priority groups”. After 4:00 PM, speakers are added to the end of the applicable priority group in the order received. No new speakers will be added to the list after 5:00 PM. For more information, visit the City’s website:
https://www.a2gov.org/city-council/council-meetings-overview/
Questions to the Agenda
In preparation for a Council meeting, Council members can ask questions of staff about scheduled agenda items. Questions must be submitted by noon on the Wednesday before a Council Meeting, and answers are returned the next day (Thursday) by 5pm.
AC-1 (25-1545) Agenda Response Memo and eComments – September 2, 2025
This agenda item has a PDF attachment with all questions raised by Council Members, and the answers provided by staff.
Communications from the Mayor
MC-1 (25-1563) Appointments and Nominations for September 2, 2025
These appointments from the Mayor are being presented at this meeting, and will therefore be voted on at the next Council meeting.
- Steven Fisher – Downtown Development Authority
- Will Brinkerhoff – Public Market Advisory Commission
- Marcus Flores – Public Market Advisory Commission
- Jenna Carter – Ann Arbor Public Art Commission
- John Jourden – Ann Arbor Public Art Commission
MC-2 (25-1564) Resolution to Appoint Karlene Goetz to the Public Market Advisory Commission as a Non-registered Elector (7 Votes Required)
This appointment from the Mayor is being presented at this meeting, and will therefore be voted on at the next Council meeting. Seven votes are required because “the appointee is not a registered elector of the City of Ann Arbor”.
- Karlene Goetz – Public Market Advisory Commission
MC-3 (25-1565) Appointment to the Renters Commission (1- Step Appointment, 8 Votes Required)
This appointment from the Mayor is being presented at this meeting, and will therefore be voted on at the next Council meeting. A “one step” approval process is being requested, which requires 8 votes.
- Toya Pace – Renters Commission
Consent Agenda
Below is the list of items included on the Consent Agenda. If no one on Council specifically requests that an item be pulled for discussion, the whole of this list will be approved in a single vote.
CA-1 (25-1507) Resolution to Approve Street Closing for the Ann Arbor SPARK Tech Trek (a2Tech360) on Friday, October 3, 2025, from 6:00 AM until 8:00 PM
CA-2 (25-1508) Resolution to Approve a Street Closing for the University of Michigan Credit Union Touchdown Tailgate on Friday, October 3, 2025 from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM
CA-3 (25-1519) Resolution to Approve Street Closings for the Ann Arbor Marathon Running Event – Sunday, October 12, 2025
CA-4 (25-1517) Resolution to Approve Street Closure of Detroit Street between Catherine and Fifth Streets on Friday, December 5, 2025 from 7:00 AM until 11:00 PM for KindleFest 2025
CA-5 (25-1468) Resolution to Accept and Appropriate Grant Funds from Washtenaw County from the Washtenaw County Older Persons Millage ($200,000.00) (8 Votes Required)
CA-6 (25-1522) Resolution to Appropriate $1,000,000.00 in LWCF Grant Funds and City Matching Funds for Buhr Park Outdoor Ice Arena Improvements (8 Votes Required)
CA-7 (25-1374) Resolution to Accept Awarded Funds from the University of Michigan for the Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation “ATTAIN AACE 2.0: The Ann Arbor Connected Environment Reimagined” ($121,285.00)
CA-8 (25-1413) Resolution to Approve a Construction Contract with RAM Construction Services of Michigan, Inc. for the Equalization and Retention Building Roof Repairs – RFP #25-33 in the Amount of $709,510.00 and Appropriate $57,000.00 from the County Mental Health Millage Fund Obligated Fund Balance (8 Votes Required)
CA-9 (25-1459) Resolution to Approve a Purchase Order with Microsoft Corporation via Dell Marketing L.P. And Appropriate Funding ($145,487.28) (8 Votes Required)
CA-10 (25-1464) Resolution to Approve a Best Source Contract with ClearGov Inc. for Digital Budget Book Software (October 1, 2025 – June 30, 2029) ($114,644.22)
CA-11 (25-1466) Resolution to Approve a Grant Agreement Between the City of Ann Arbor and Community Mental Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan
Public Hearings
Anyone wanting to comment on these issues may speak for 3 minutes, without having specifically reserved time. Issues subject to public hearing will also be up for a vote by Council later in the meeting.
There are no public hearings on the Agenda
Ordinances – Second Reading
In order to amend the city code, Council must vote to approve the change, via ordinance, at two Council meetings. The following proposed ordinances were approved at a previous Council meeting, and are also subject to a public hearing as listed above.
There are no second readings on the Agenda
Ordinances – First Reading
In order to amend the city code, Council must vote to approve the change, via ordinance, at two Council meetings. The following proposed ordinances are being introduced for “first reading”. If approved, the ordinance will be voted on at a subsequent Council meeting (“second reading”), where it will also be subject to a public hearing.
There are no first readings on the Agenda
Motions and Resolutions
DC-1 (25-1386) Resolution to Approve Purchase of Park Land on Fuller Road at Furstenberg Nature Area and Appropriate $108,500.00 (8 Votes Required)
Due to absences at the last meeting, this resolution (requiring eight votes) was postponed to this meeting. The City would purchase a 0.26 acre property for $108,500. The parcel is adjacent to and would expand Furstenberg Nature Area on Fuller Road.
Additional Thoughts…
I also posted this on my website
https://a2elnel.com/post/eight-votes-in-the-dark-selling-the-kline-lot-415-w-washington/
Eight Votes in the Dark: Selling the Kline Lot & 415 W. Washington
The most interesting item on this week’s agenda is a communication. The City Administrator has offered recommendations for the sale of City-owned property at the Kline lot and 415 W. Washington.
AC-2 (25-1561) 415 West Washington & Kline’s Lot July 28, 2025, City Council Work Session Supplemental Information
BACKGROUND: KLINE LOT
A previous Council designated the City-owned Kline lot for the potential development of affordable housing and directed public engagement and an evaluation of feasibility. Public engagement revealed strong community support for affordable housing. In 2021, Jennifer Hall of the Ann Arbor Housing Commission identified the property as ‘high priority’ and estimated that City development of the property could include up to 600 units of affordable housing.
In the fall of 2024, a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests revealed that the City had engaged in months of negotiations for the sale of the City-owned Kline lot in order to develop a “Sports Illustrated Resort” complex. Exposure of the Sports Illustrated Resort deal led to significant public outcry among local attorneys who raised concerns about the financial terms, residents who found the plan exceedingly tacky, and community members who remembered the plan for affordable housing.
A majority of Council (seven) supported moving forward with a Sports Illustrated Resort, but the sale of City property requires eight votes for approval. In January 2025, that deal was aborted when a minority of Council (four) expressed opposition to the plan, telegraphing that a transaction would not be approved.
BACKGROUND: 415 W. WASHINGTON
In the summer of 2024, City Council considered a similar transaction for the City-owned property at 415 W. Washington. That west side property is fraught with more challenging conditions: its location on a flood plain prompted one former City staffer to declare it unsuitable for residential development. In 2023, it was rezoned for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow its future development as a five story building with at least 15 units of affordable housing.
https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-april-17-2023/
In June 2024, a majority of Council approved a noncompetitive process for the sale of 415 W Washington: six months of exclusive negotiations with a company (4M) co-owned by Heidi Poscher.
https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-june-3-2024/
As happened with the Sports Illustrated Resort deal, public outcry scuppered the deal. Residents pointed to the fact that Poscher was a significant donor to Council campaigns and the Mayor. This year, the Michigan Daily reported that Heidi Poscher is also a convicted felon, who engaged in wire fraud (misappropriating investment accounts) and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
https://www.michigandaily.com/news/focal-point/a-local-developer-an-fbi-inquiry-and-money-in-ann-arbor-politics/
PUBLIC PROCESS TO PRIVATE PROCESS
Reacting to the failed Sports Illustrated Resort and 4M/Poscher deals, City Council directed a decidedly less transparent process for the sale of these City-owned properties: use of a private broker. In this way, the details and negotiation of proposals would not be public record and would not be accessible by FOIA request – all communication would be held by the broker. In February 2025, a private broker was hired for $700,000 in order to solicit and receive bids for the sale of two City properties: the Kline lot and 415 W. Washington.
https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-february-18-2025/
At a work session this summer, Council was presented with general descriptions of bids received (and deemed suitable) by the broker for the sale of the Kline lot and 415 W. Washington.
https://a2gov.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1318466&GUID=335642EA-B8C8-4924-8C83-2EF27A401CFB
“KEY INFORMATION”
This week’s agenda includes brief summaries of the bids chosen by the broker as well as the City Administrator’s recommendation for which proposal should be accepted.
AC-2 (25-1561) 415 West Washington & Kline’s Lot July 28, 2025, City Council Work Session Supplemental Information
Among the documents are questions from City Council members (see attachment 1 “July 28 Council Work Session“), one of which is especially interesting:
Question: In addition to the answers that Council posed on Monday, can you please share the entire proposals for the potential developers selected as finalists on both sites?
Response: With this transmission staff has provided the key information on each of the finalists. If for some reason you still are seeking additional information please reach out to the City Administrator.
This response reveals both nothing and everything. If the question had been answered, the full proposals (as requested by the Council Member) would become public record. As happened with the Sports Illustrated Resort deal, those proposals would be scrutinized by an educated public of local attorneys, environmental activists, housing experts, and other interested community members. Residents would almost certainly reach out to elected members of Council with concerns.
The intent to withhold details from the public was clear enough when City Council hired a private broker. However, this week’s non-response suggests something else: if full proposals can not even be shared with Council Members, then our elected representatives will not be scrutinizing details and substance, either. Apparently, City staff expect that recommendations will be approved by elected representatives based on general bullet-point summary, only.
This week’s agenda begs a few questions:
- What is the obligation of elected City leaders to responsibly manage City assets on behalf of the community?
- If it is legitimate to withhold details from the public, is it also legitimate to withhold details from elected representatives?
- How far can decisions be driven behind the curtain (or delegated) in order to avoid accountability to the public?
The sale of City Property requires eight votes, so at least eight members of Council will have to approve the proposals for the Kline lot and 415 W. Washington. It will be interesting to see if they are willing, with or without knowing the details of either.
Thank you for taking the time to be informed about our local government!
Elizabeth Nelson