November 2, 2021 Voter Guide
Absentee ballots for the November 2nd election have started arriving in the mail and you may be wanting a bit more information to help guide your voting. In Ann Arbor there are four separate proposals on the ballot which would amend the City Charter. All of these proposals were discussed and voted on by City Council this summer and that’s how they appeared on the ballot. I am voting yes on all four. Here's a summary of the four proposals:
Proposal A would amend the Section 14.3 subsection D to allow bids for public improvements to consider and weight factors that impact the contract’s overall value to the City beyond price. The Charter currently requires contracts to be awarded to the "lowest responsible bidder." In 2020, Council sought to improve the contracting process by creating a responsible contractor policy. However, this strategy didn't prove effective, because whether a firm is determined to be responsible is a binary decision. They either are or aren't, there can't be any weighting in the process. If the City was able to consider which bid provides the overall best value, the City could consider and rank factors that impact value beyond simply price such as: 1) the qualifications of management personnel assigned to the contract; 2) references from individuals or entities that the bidder has performed work for in the past; 3) the size, complexity, and success of past similar projects the bidder has performed; 4) whether the bidder participates in a bona fide apprenticeship program, which can impact the quality of work its employees provide; 5) the adequacy of benefits the bidder provides to its employees, which can impact employee morale and overall performance on the contract; and 6) the bidder’s past violations of state, federal or local employee protection laws.
Proposal B would amend Sections 13.4 and 13.5 to enable Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) if it becomes enabled by state law. I personally favor RCV and believes it encourages more voter participation by allowing voters to rank candidates as they align with their values. Updating our Charter now allows the City to utilize RCV immediately if the Legislature approves it for use in Michigan.
Proposal C would amend Section 14.2 to allow the City Administrator to establish, by ordinance, a procedure for making emergency purchases. This was a section of the Charter city staff recognized was missing when dealing with purchasing during the pandemic. The City currently has code language, but is missing authorization from the Charter.
Proposal D would amend Section 14.2 to allow the City Administrator to approve purchases equal or less than $75,000 (or the equivalent based on inflation). Currently, contracts over $25,000 are required to go to Council for approval. This dollar limit was set in 1995 and adjustments for inflation weren't incorporated.
Please reach out if you have additional questions.