"A" Says Take Bus, Bikes, Feet Figure In "B"
‘A’ Says Take Bus
When the automobile first came into use, the adage was "Get a horse.” Proposal A on Monday’s ballot would change that in Ann Arbor to “Take a bus.”
City electors will decide on a charter amendment to levy on property owners 2.5 mills ($25 per $10,000 assessed valuation) for operation of a public transportation system.
This amendment, Proposal A on the ballot, is worded: “Shall the charter be amended to require the levy of a tax of two and one-half mills annually for the purpose of providing funds for operating and equipping a public transportation system for the city?”
The actual charter amendment would not be tied to the Teltran bus system being proposed by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority. The money gained by approval of the amendment would be used for that system initially, but if the future a better system of public transit arose, the millage could be applied to it instead.
Basically, Teltran would provide transportation from anywhere in Ann Arbor to anywhere by the use of small van buses, like the Dial-A-Ride vehicles, and express buses, like the city’s regular bus.
Supporters of Teltran say it can be operated so that when transfers from a small bus to an express bus are necessary, the customer will not have to wait.
The millage would provide about $1.5 million in revenues, and the other $500,000 necessary to operate Teltran would come from rider fees (a 25 cent base fare) and state transportation funds.
Bikes, Feet Figure In 'B'
Two of the oldest modes of transportation, bicycles and feet, could stage a comeback in Ann Arbor if voters are so inclined at Monday’s election.
Proposal B on the ballot, called the highway safety bonding proposition, would provide the city with authority to sell $1,790,000 in general obligation bonds with most of it designed to serve the biking and walking public.
Proposal B is worded thus: “Shall the city of Ann Arbor, County of Washtenaw, Michigan, borrow the principal sum of not to exceed $1,790,000 and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefore, for the purpose of paying the cost of highway improvements and related safety facilities consisting of reconstructing bridges, constructing sidewalks, a pedestrian overpass and bicycle paths to increase the safety of pedestrians and cyclists . And constructing curb ramps and cuts for handicapped persons?”
The largest feature of the bond issue is $800,000 proposed for construction of between 95 and 100 miles of bicycle paths throughout the city.
The bond issue would also provide $635,000 for bridge repairs, with $360,000 going for reconstructing the Stadium Blvd. bridges over State Street and the Ann Arbor Railroad and $275,000 for repairs to the Broadway Bridge. Without repairs to the Stadium bridges, city officials say that section of Stadium may be closed within a year.
The bond sale would allocate $225,000 for a pedestrian overpass over 1-94 adjacent to the Stone School Road bridge; $100,000 for paving existing gravel walkways and constructing new gravel walks; and $20,000 for construction of handicapped wheelchair ramps and curb cuts in heavily traveled areas. A $10,000 appropriation is included for miscellaneous bonding fees.
The cost to taxpayers for this bond issue would be about .31 of a mill ($3.10 per $10,000 assessed valuation) the first year, decreasing annually over the 15-year retirement period. It had been previously stated the millage rate would be about .26 of a mill, but this was based on a 20-year bond retirement plan, for which the total costs would have been higher.