greg

So it sounds like we have to create an account in the payment portal. Maybe the State of Michigan will do the right thing to save me from this inconvenience.

My mom would send me with a dollar and a quarter when I was going to eat school lunch. I know nothing of these systems.

Are you saying they actually *can* bill us later, or that they should be able to, but don't?

I was just thinking about whether I needed to create an account or whatever it takes. I would very much like to avoid that if possible!

I was very satisfied with AADL when I first started using it, but it just keeps getting better. 🚀

Update: I was told by a reliable source that there will be a bus bike rack at Bikeapalooza Saturday so everyone can practice!

More Neighbors A2 volunteers put together a fact sheet directly addressing some of the foundational claims you are going to hear in that meeting. Hope this helps!

drive.google.com/file/d/1EDcH...

Fueled by tacos and hope, our members gave 🔥 comments at #A2Council Planning Commission last night.

Tonight we have Handlebar Happy Hour at Bløm Meadworks sponsored by the DDA and the Bicycle Alliance of Washtenaw! Pizza! $1 off drinks! 5-7PM.

Learn more about Neighborhood Week below! 🧵

Their case is based on the premise that the City is lying to us. They don't want any experts to fact-check them.

Resources | Neighbors for More Neighbors A2

And this page offers many resources.

www.moreneighborsa2.org/resources

Others have shared some good resources. If there's any appetite in-the-weeds policy and data analysis, I would link folks to the Housing Appendix to the CLUP.
hdp-us-prod-app-aagov-engage-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/4217/5010/33...

You might suggest that your "non-HOA" also invite another "discussion" run by positive, energetic people who dream of a more inclusive Ann Arbor. We could probably put something together.

Why do businesses and municipalities feel they have to reinvent the bike rack? Please stop.

Photo of terrible Bike rack with this post: Bike rack is finally here After months of research, design, & fabrication... the official bike rack has been installed and is ready for bike parking outside of Craig's Coffee. Still plenty of good weather left to come ride on down and see it for yourself Have a great week. Don't forget to drink coffee #craigscoffee #casscorridor #bikerack #bikeparking - at Craig's Coffee.

Please don't do months of research, design, and fabrication to make a bike rack. Just buy and install a good simple bike rack that works (not this one).

Neighborhood Week | Neighbors for More Neighbors A2

In #AnnArbor home prices and pedestrian crashes are 📈. What can we do about it?

Learn & network at Neighborhood Week, with events kicking off THIS SUNDAY! Here are some highlights. 🧵
#A2Council

Neighborhood Week | Neighbors for More Neighbors A2

Dear #A2Council: My path to local advocacy started with this hashtag. Now I am personally inviting each of you to join us at Neighborhood Week, a series of fun events beginning in only 5 days! There is something for everyone. Spots are limited - register now!

MoreNeighborsA2.org/NeighborhoodWeek

I walk to/from an elementary school w/kids multiple times per week and I have concluded that stop bars are only suggestions for 50% of drivers. A red light on Packard is apparently an invitation to stomp on the gas pedal.

We got "raised crosswalks" on Granger near Burns Park Elem. and they are almost unnoticeable driving. City engineers say that they can't have both ADA compliant sidewalk-crosswalk links AND proper stormwater mgmt over a raised crosswalk. (AFAICT other cities figured it out.)

When we define the problem so that it's outside of our control, we absolve ourselves of responsibility for solutions. "High prices are Blackstone's fault" lets us keep living our comfy lives. It's too uncomfortable to acknowledge our complicity in systems that benefit us.

I'm pushing on this because A2P2's promise of lower rates feels problematic to me and I can't trust the organization making that claim if it doesn't have a big asterisk next to it. Why not fund much of this work with a millage? That would be honest.

More napkin math... So we could we get 14% savings for not using a publicly traded company and pay interest on a bond, instead. Let's call that 4% so we have 10% of $178m/yr to play with. Is that enough to cover upgrades, legal, admin, & ?
Struggling to find much savings during the life of bond.

What is this $160M figure? Is it all DTE revenue from city ratepayers or something else?

Chelsea didn't have to buy a quarter-billion to one-billion dollars worth of infrastructure badly in need of upgrades.

But some combination of taxes and rates will have to pay x where x is infra + upgrades + legal + administration, no? Conservatively, call it's $500M all in, and pick a 20 year horizon, that would be $25M/year.
I'm no expert in this, happy to learn what's wrong with my napkin math.

I have no ideological problem with muni for electricity, only practical concerns about financials & feasibility. Some people's assurances of lower rates strike me as misleading without better modeling. I know you're hobbled without a P2 study, not your fault. But lower rates feel a long way off.

I know P2 might be needed to answer my Qs, but is there any model of cost and ROI we can apply? Let's assume infra costs one of [$300M|$600M|$900M]. Add upgrades, legal fees, admin, etc. What do costs look like for for taxpayers and ratepayers? At what date will rates become lower?

IIRC, the estimate from the P1 study was $260M-$1B+ to buy DTE's outdated infrastructure. A2 could spend $$$ just for planning + lawyers. If successful, then we're stuck with buying the infra financed by a huge bond? ROI of lower rates is how far away? I need a real fiscal plan to support this.

Or, in the words of some local nextdoor users, "The crosswalk law gives pedestrians a false sense of security." #a2council

This certainly isn't affordable. I would dig into the "naturally occurring" aspect, too. How did the cheapest market-rate housing arrive in A2? It's likely to have been built decades ago during one of our building booms. We need to continue building so that we have more "NOAH" for the long run.

After the August election and a huge Summer Game, it seems like Eli should probably be allowed to take a vacation this year. 😅

Poster: Ann Arbor isn't built for everyone. Let's change that. September 14-20, 2025. Neighborhood Week. Envisioning how Ann Arbor Lives and Moves Together.

Neighborhood Week 2025 registration is now open!

Review the agenda, sign up to give a ⚡ talk, read the FAQ, and REGISTER for Neighborhood Week events here:

MoreNeighborsA2.org/neighborhoodweek

#neighborhoodweek2025 #annarbor #michigan #housing #visionzero #transportation #A2Council