Ann Arbor's Downtown Development Authority has resolved a dispute with City Council on the replacement of lighpoles along Main Street by agreeing to fund the entire project. During the budget approval process in May City Council tweaked the DDA budget, leaving the city responsible for about $280,000 of the $580,000 cost to replace the poles that are rusting out at the base. In October however City Council failed to approve funding for their portion of the project.
DDA Board Chair Sandi Smith says this work is too important not to be completed. Smith says the additional funds will come from money leftover from a more than decade old State Street Improvements project, and next fiscal year's budget. She says based on how long the entire lightpole replacement project will take having the funds split between two budget years won't be a problem.
