Proposal A

Ypsilanti voters will see two city proposals on next week’s general election ballot.  

Ann Arbor voters will consider three city proposals for next week’s November 3rd general election.  

Ann Arbor voters will soon decide whether or not to approve a $1 billion millage that would go towards upgrading the infrastructure of the Ann Arbor public school district.  As part of that coverage, WEMU's Patrick Campion presents a retrospective on the impact of Proposal A, which was designed to improve financing for Michigan's schools.

Earlier this month, Ann Arbor voters approved Proposal A, which would convert the old "Library Lot" in a new park and civic center.  In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair talks to Will Hathaway, one of the leaders of the Ann Arbor Central Park Ballot Committee, about the potential, environmental impacts the new park grounds may have on the city.

Now that the votes have been counted, the winners and losers from the mid-term election begin to move forward based on election results.

89.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry spoke to Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, who was overwhelmingly elected to his third term, but at the same time lost the battle to defeat Proposal A, which was on the city ballot.  He talks about how he plans to move forward in light of that and about other city cares and concerns.

Ann Arbor voters approved Proposal A on Tuesday. It requires the city-owned "Library Lot"  be reserved for development of an urban park and civic center commons. Alan Haber is a member of  the Ann Arbor Committee for Community Commons and helped lead the petition drive that put Proposal A on the ballot. Haber joined 89.1 WEMU's David Fair to discus the win and what comes next.

Ann Arbor's Proposal A  won voter approval on Tuesday. It allows for creation of an urban park and civic center commons on the downtown 'Library Lot.'  Jen Eyer served as volunteer spokesperson for the  group, 'Voters for a Responsible Ann Arbor." That group sought to defeat Proposal A. So, what now? Eyer shares her thoughts in a conversation with 89.1 WEMU's David Fair. 

Passion and politics. Development versus preservation.  Controversy, divisiveness, and even litigation.  All of it surrounds a relatively small parcel of land in downtown Ann Arbor.  What happens next with the so-called “Library Lot” will be decided on November 6th.  89.1 WEMU’s Jorge Avellan has more on Ann Arbor’s Proposal A.

The November general election is just over a week away, and there's still time to become more informed on what's on the ballot.  More information on Ann Arbor's Proposal A and getting a last-minute, absentee ballot are just some of topics discussed in this week's "Civic Matters" with WEMU's David Fair and the CivCity Initiative's Mary Morgan.

Over 130 people attended a panel discussion held at the downtown Ann Arbor Public Library branch Thursday night.  Proposal A, which will appear on the November 6th ballot in the City of Ann Arbor, was the topic of discussion.  89.1 WEMU's Jorge Avellan attended and has the story.
 

There's only two weeks left until the general election.  In the meantime, Ann Arbor will be hosting forums regarding the Library Lot and other issues, and the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners will discuss financial security.  These are just a few of these issues discussed in this week's "Civic Matters" with WEMU's David Fair and the CivCity Initiative's Mary Morgan.

A lawsuit says Michigan is short-changing local governments $4 billion dollars a year.  If it succeeds, it would blow a giant hole in the state budget and send legislators and state budget officials scrambling to find a fix. 

Michigan schools need to spend more money helping students with special needs.  That’s the finding of a study commissioned by the state Legislature in 2015.  

Former state House Speaker Curtis Hertel is being remembered today as a leader whose willingness to compromise helped lead to a historic overhaul of how Michigan pays for public schools.  He died over the weekend at the age of 63.