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City staff prepared a 32-page Report briefing City Council on the options to consider in responding to the order by the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality regarding Argo Dam. City Council reviewed the report at a Sept. 8 public work session. The session will be replayed tonight Friday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. on CTN Channel 16.

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As reported in the Ann Arbor Chronicle last week, the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality sent the City an order regarding the Argo Dam. The City is required to meet and take actions to address MDEQ's concerns. To that end, the City Council will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 5:45 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall to hear a presentation by staff on options available to the City. The public is invited to the presentation that will precede the regular City Council meeting which begins at 7 p.m.

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48 years ago today President Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. (News outlets claim he is spending the day at the White House, lunching with the entire Senate Democratic Caucus.) On his birthday, August 4, 1961, John F. Kennedy held the office of the presidency in a very different United States of America. To explore the journey of Obama from Hawaii to Washington D.C., visit the AADL for a wealth of material, including books, dvds, books on CD and videos about this history-making man.

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The City of Ann Arbor has released the Income Tax Feasibility Study and FAQ prepared July, 2009 by Plante, Moran. Print copies for citizen review are available in the Downtown Branch reference collection as well as two previous studies, the Income Tax Feasibility Summary prepared in 2004 by Plante, Moran and the Revenue Impacts of a City Income Tax for Ann Arbor prepared by the University of Michigan School of Public Policy in 1997.

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City of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County and State of Michigan offices will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day. City of Ann Arbor trash, recycling and compost trucks will follow their regular Friday schedule. Post Offices will close at 12 noon on Friday, July 3, and will be closed on the 4th of July.

Note also that most State of Michigan offices will be closed on Monday, July 6, as an unpaid furlough day.

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Most Michigan state government offices, including local Secretary of State and MichiganWorks! offices, will be closed due to the state budget crisis on the following days:

Friday, June 19            Friday, August 7
Monday, July 6            Friday, August 21
Friday, July 24             Friday, September 4

Vital public health and safety services like State Police road patrols, correctional facilities, psychiatric hospitals, veteran's homes and youth facilities will not be impacted. Unemployment Insurance Agency offices will also remain open. The State hopes to save $21.7 million with the furlough program.

Get ready to feel more comfortable when using the downtown library.

Our contractors have a portable crane set up on the city parking lot next to the library. They have just about finished removing the old air handlers from the building, depositing the pieces in a large roll-off container in the parking lot. The parts had to come out of the basement through a large pit on the north side of building that provides access to the basement through wide double-doors--intended for just such purposes. Those two pieces of equipment have been heating and cooling the building since it was originally constructed in the 1950s; the new units are expected to do a better job.

The library had a total of five air handlers, but the others are of more recent vintage.

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Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The City of Ann Arbor's annual Town Hall Meeting will be held Tuesday, April 14, 7-9 p.m. at the Community Television Network's new facilities on S. Industrial. Mayor Hieftje and City Administrator Roger Fraser will be on hand to answer questions after the State of the City presentation. Want to do some homework before the meeting? Check out the latest 2010 and 2011 budget info online. The Town Hall Meeting will be rebroadcast on CTN Channel 16.

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AAPS Superintendant Todd Roberts' presentation of the 2009/2010 schools budget will be broadcast on CTN Channel 18 on March 12 @ 11:00 a.m. and five subsequent dates. These difficult economic times are impacting all governmental bodies and this budget overview will provide the community with important information on the future of education in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor City Council Minutes

Ever wonder how much things in Ann Arbor have changed in the last century? Find out what life was like through the eyes of the body that's overseen it all, the Ann Arbor City Council, with the new Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Minutes archive. This collection features searchable and browsable sets of council minutes from 1891-1930, letting you see 40 years of local issues and legislation. And for all you genealogists, council minutes also contain a wealth of information about the individual citizens of Ann Arbor, whether they were making a request, receiving a citation, or working for the city. Take a look and find out that Ann Arbor hasn't changed that much: we've got speed limits (7 mph in 1902), public transportation fare disputes, and pigs still aren't allowed to run through the streets.