Does Ann Arbor care more about art than public safety?
Reaction this morning has been strong among AnnArbor.com readers of the article describing Ann Arbor's City Council vote to eliminate 37 police and fire fighter positions while maintaining funding for public art.
The $79 million budget includes $1 million from cash reserves. It also trims 25 police positions and 12 fire positions over the next two years - though officials said those numbers could be reduced if unions agree to concessions, like paying more for heath care.
The art installations on the city parking structure at Fourth Avenue and Washington Street were part of an Ann Arbor public art effort.
AnnArbor.com files
That's not unusual in today's municipal climate in Michigan.
However, the contrast between that position and the vote on Tuesday night to keep more than $300,000 in the budget for public art projects does send an interesting message about the city's priorities.
In fact, council had the chance to vote to cut the public art contribution by 50 percent, but only 4 council members went for that option - so it was rejected. Other council members called preserving it an economic development tool.
The public art funds can't be used to pay for public safety staffing because they're in a different fund, Mayor John Hieftje said.
Instead, the money comes from a 1 percent payment from the city's capital projects budget, parks millage and the the water, sewer, stormwater and solid waste funds.
Oh, and at the same time, the city is going to dip into reserves for $90,804 to mow the city's parks.
So we have a parks millage that isn't paying for mowing; a sewer system that needs upgrades, but department funds headed toward paying for public art; and the city choosing to effectively tax itself for that 1 percent going into the art fund - while 37 public safety jobs evaporate.
I'm all for making hard financial choices. But it's hard to see the fiscal responsibility this morning from this collection of votes.
Comments
Dale R. Leslie
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 11:28 p.m.
I think the City should look outside the box and hire a successful businessman to be City Administrator. Ed Shaffran could delegate his day-to-day business operation to his underlings and run the City like a big business- which it is! He'd have to leave his four-letter vocabulary and his golf clubs in storage in City Hall. But, oh, what a job he would do! Ed, your hometown needs you!
outdoor6709
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 11:56 a.m.
So why is it AA voters still vote for the same people/philosophy year after year? If you want different results voter for someone who has priorities. AA voters are getting the government the deserve.
Jack
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 12:20 a.m.
The piece of this article that seems to get little or no attention is the fact that, if the police and fire unions were to contribute to their benefits, extensive layoffs might not be necessary. Perhaps it is their own arrogance and greed that is in fact causing the layoffs. Did they care enough for their fellow employees' jobs to offer to pay even half of what other City employees pay? No. And that despite the fact that they are paid more than the average City employee. I find it so odd that a public so willing to call City employees lazy and unworthy, a public who would gladly see the majority of them go without pensions and benefits, is so wrought up about the layoffs of personnel who will forego absolutely nothing in the way of concessions. Another contributor wrote that s/he waited an hour for a police response. We have waited as much as three. And that was in "good" times. Yet it seemed that every time one turned a corner, there was a police vehicle hoping to give a ticket.
say it plain
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 8:45 p.m.
All I want from this city these days is to fix the terrible roads. I just will *not* go out any more than I have to lol, I'll shop from home, because driving in this town is from hell. At this point for me, I don't feel worried about crime, nor fire, nor the aesthetics of the sidewalks in Ann Arbor. I just want to stop having to drive with teeth clenched, bracing for the rattling. This has got to be a public safety concern now, how messed up some of our roads are. I see people swerving swerving on Miller to avoid some of the worse holes/ruts/mounds, and someday someone's going to have an accident because of it.
Christy Summerfield
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 7:56 p.m.
The members of the armed forced get paid. They may volunteer for service, but they do get paid. I too have been upset about the green belt. I didn't vote for it and every time some park service here in the city is cut, I get angrier. I would like to see citizens volunteer to mow and otherwise keep up their neighborhood parks. When my son was growing up we lived in Burns Park and the trees overlooking the soccer field often had branches that were too low so parents took it upon themselves to cut the branches that could be dangerous to our kids because we couldn't get the city to do it. This whole debate over art versus public safety is a very sad one to me. We can't scrimp on public safety but art feeds the heart and soul and is an integral part of making Ann Arbor what it is. I don't think we can ask artists to volunteer any more than we can ask people to volunteer for the police or fire force. I don't begin to understand the budget of the city. I only know I'm troubled by how the money is spent. Too many expensive "studies" for example. We have a huge, major university filled with students who should welcome doing internships with the city and internships for for experience not pay.
moon crab
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 2:23 p.m.
This article should be much more clearly labeled as an Opinion piece, and not included as News at all. I only noticed the "topic" headers after scrolling up at the end of the article... when the writing devolved from a specious comparison of unrelated items into snide commentary. To chime in with others' comments, this false equation (- 37 public-safety jobs, + some useless art) is misleading, sensationalistic, and definitely not news.
Paula Gardner
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 11:05 a.m.
@Jack, The city sets up the budget and chose the existing structure. Now that this vote is done, it's a chance to move above the "can we move money around to fund certain things?" question that you're focusing on here and keep the discussion going of whether that budget serves our priorities.
Jack
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 5:44 a.m.
Ms. Gardner's response is disingenuous at best. I suspect that there are state and federal laws that govern moving money from one designated fund to another. And I suspect that Ms. Gardner knows this. If she is not aware of this, she isn't much of a reporter. If she is, she is not the type of reporter that wishes to educate the public, only the kind who desires to sensationalize, much like a tabloid writer.
Paula Gardner
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 2:41 p.m.
They're only unrelated items if you're looking at line items in a budget that doesn't allow people to move money among various funds. In a bigger picture, everything the city spends money on combines into our collective set of municipal priorities. This week's vote gives us a chance to discuss whether we agree with what this budget tells us is most important to Ann Arbor.
blahblahblah
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:46 p.m.
The $300,000 -$400,000 spent on art and lawn mowing is small potatoes compared to the $10 million plus the city is preparing to spend on the U of M parking structure called Fuller Station, to be built on city parkland. The vote for this project should be coming before council soon, so it's not too late to contact your elected officials and let them know such a frivolous project is way out of line given the current budget situation.
MikeyP
Sat, Jun 4, 2011 : 4:02 a.m.
LOL, city parkland! It's adjacent to a railroad track next to a bridge that is a homeless magnet (and not the kind cuddly ones!), adjacent to the Survival Flight helipads and next to a major street and is across the street from one park that is in front of another park with another park about 500 yards west of that last park. Oh, and just east of this "parkland" is Fuller-Mitchell field and, for good measure, Nichols Arboretum. And the icing on the cake... this "park" has been a parking lot for 20 years! If Ann Arborites can't give up this "park" then there's no hope for them. Is this "park" even counted in the list of 157? If so, then you'll still have 156 parks, pretty much all of them far more safer and relaxing than this one could ever be. If not, you still have 157!
Christy Summerfield
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 7:59 p.m.
Amen to that and thank you for pointing it out.
areyoukiddingme
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:41 p.m.
re: @Jake C Ann Arbor's April unemployment rate is 6.2% (down from 7.0% last month). The national average is 8.7% (down from 9.2% last month). The Michigan average is 10.1%, down from 11% last month. How many of the .8% are actually working? Or are they still unemployed but no longer being included because their unemployment benefits have been exhausted? How many of .5% nationally, .9% in Michigan and .5% in A2 are on public assistance? We always hear in the news about unemployment going down, which is a good thing. Are there any reports on unemployment down and public assistance recipients up? Until both those figures go down, I won't believe the hype that unemployment is down.
CincoDeMayo
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:40 a.m.
@Gary I am not familiar with "Gold plated benefits", but I would argue that benefits given to employees do not "evaporate the moment they are used", but rather strengthen entire communities every time that they are used.
genetracy
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:18 a.m.
As much as the people in A2 hate cops, I say go ahead, let's fight crime with wall murals.
Jake C
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 2:41 a.m.
@Bill: "The reality is that without the University of Michigan Ann Arbor would be just a very small and not very significant community in Michigan." That's like saying that without the film industry, Los Angeles would be just a small and not very significant community in California. Or that without the Atlantic Ocean, Miami would just be a swamp. They exist, so it's irrelevant to argue what Ann Arbor would be like without U of M. Ann Arbor will continue to have essential city services, just not at the previous level that it has enjoyed for the past decade. Will that result in people and businesses moving away from our community? That remains to be seen. For the time being, Ann Arbor's unemployment rate blows away the rest of the state of Michigan, and is actually far better than the national average: <a href="http://milmi.org/admin/uploadedPublications/463_econsit.htm" rel='nofollow'>http://milmi.org/admin/uploadedPublications/463_econsit.htm</a> So obviously Ann Arbor has been doing something very right in regards to attracting businesses. I'd argue that slashing what makes out city unique would be the absolute worst possible thing we could do at this time of economic hardship.
CynicA2
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 4:16 a.m.
The only reason unemployment appears to be declining here is because the unemployed are either leaving, or are collecting some other form of public assistance - in either case, they are no longer counted in the unemployment numbers. How many can continue to live here without a job? Not many, I'll wager. And public assistance doesn't go far, either. There are greener pastures for jobs (and no useless greenbelts!), out of state! This city is shrinking, not growing - just drive around and check-out the numbers of vacant homes. It may be less than elsewhere in this god-forsaken state, but the same trends apply.
CincoDeMayo
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:33 a.m.
Even my kids say they like the parks.....but they want to be safe in them and alive to enjoy them.
Jake C
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 2:47 a.m.
For those who can't be bothered to click through to the link I provided, Ann Arbor's April unemployment rate is 6.2% (down from 7.0% last month). The national average is 8.7% (down from 9.2% last month). The Michigan average is 10.1%, down from 11% last month. (These numbers are not seasonally adjusted, just raw data. Seasonally adjusted numbers are available from the link for the state and nation as a whole, but not for A2.) So why exactly should our city want to be more like all the rest in Michigan, instead of continuing to do what makes us unique and investing in parks and public art? I spent a wonderful afternoon with my family at a local park along with several dozen other families. That's why we live in Ann Arbor, not because there's an officer on every corner.
zip the cat
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 1:07 a.m.
I left a2 eons ago for just this reason. They could care less for the people who live here. I avoid going near your city.
justcary
Sun, Jun 5, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.
Someone please zip the cat! Thanks for staying away while reading our news!
DDOT1962
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 3:58 a.m.
And we're a better city for it...
justcary
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 11:58 p.m.
Oh, Paula Gardner and annarbor.com, I am wincing now. I find it strikingly imprudent and amateurish to offer a poll after a heavily slanted editorial piece. What's more, two of the available responses are overt suggestions as to how the reader should think about the issue. You say: "...the vote on Tuesday night to keep more than $300,000 in the budget for public art projects does send an interesting message about the city's priorities." I say, YES! Here's the message: public art IS a priority–an investment the attractiveness of our town. Funds ARE set aside in a 'bucket' for beautification, so our long-term vision is not subject to raids if the public safety department is bloated and the local news organization is fueling panic like Chicken Little. A great message about the city's priorities! A victory for the taxpayers!
tomnspats
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 9:27 p.m.
The police that you see sitting around the courthouse are waiting to go to court. The police you see on Hogback road are not Ann Arbor police they are Washtenaw County Sheriffs .A lot of these people are there on their days off . They get paid but they have no choice about showing up.
leaguebus
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 9:18 p.m.
Is a human life worth more than some $1M piece of art that will stand in front of the City Hall for a hundred years? If you can answer question yes, then keep the 1% stipend. It will be interesting to see what will happen if one of the high rises or a dorm catches fire. Penny wise can sometimes be pound foolish.
Eric S
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 9:16 p.m.
I think it that whoever built an arts funding system that couldn't be raided was brilliantly fore-thinking. Let's face it: I've been hearing about Ann Arbor budget challenges for more than 15 years, and "severe" funding challenges for the past 5. Arts funding would have been gone many years ago if not for permanent earmarking, and it wouldn't be coming back for years, if ever. Parks, public landscaping, and road beautification fall into the same class. And, if you stop those "luxuries" and put money only into essentials, you eventually get a drab place that outsiders don't want to move to and the place starts a slow death. Remember that Ann Arbor didn't even do proper street maintenance until the Street Millage in 1984 forcibly earmarked the money, and those were better economic times.
justcary
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:11 a.m.
Forward-thinking, perhaps. Or, prescient.
Elaine F. Owsley
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 8:14 p.m.
Public art should be like any other "frill". You buy it if you have discretionary income, after you have paid for the necessities. You don't pay for it off the top and ahead of things like public safety. Ann Arbor can't afford frills, if they can't support the common good budget items.
Christy Summerfield
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.
I'm wondering why we can't get some of our citizens to organize a fund to pay for the art. And U of M has an art department--the students ought to be happy to donate work that will get them exposure and add to their resumes. Unpaid internships are the norm these days. I think we just don't take advantage of what the U could help the city with.
alan
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 10:48 p.m.
It is an opinion that art is a frill, not shared by everyone.
nixon41
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.
Ann Arbor has their heads you know where. Hand everything out free to those in need while we work hard to pay their way. Stop this nonsense NOW. Get with it AnnArbor!! Why doesn't the city council get rid of some of their people & then move their offices to the basement where our protection had to be for years.
Dog Guy
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 8 p.m.
Let us compile a national list of taxpaid and committee-selected art which is of any artistic worth. 1) . . .
Jerome Blue
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:51 p.m.
Too much of Ann Arbor is style over substance.
15crown00
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:36 p.m.
Stop the artsy crap.PROTECT the people FIRST.
B.G. Watkins
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:35 p.m.
I think this is un unfair comparison. The council offered several ways where few, if any, fire/police staff will be laid off. The big issue is contributions for healthcare. Ann Arbor teachers are taking wage freezes and contributing more to their healthcare. The simple fact is that until we figure out how to manage skyrocketing healthcare costs, NO business is going to be able to continue offering plans like they have in the past. And most people won't vote to change it until they feel the effect themselves. Art brings a lot of tourism to Ann Arbor and is one thing that keeps the city so vibrant. If they give a half percent this year, it's only a short-term band-aid that doesn't really address the issue anyway.
Chris
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:20 p.m.
I'm confused. Are the funds for Art available to be re-purposed or not? If no, then this is a specious argument. As to the comment about the park millage, how have funds for that changed in the last couple of years? If the income from that millage is down, that might explain the need to use other sources to pay for mowing.
63Townie
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:58 p.m.
Our elected "leaders" are ignoring the populace. Folks have made it perfectly clear in a number of methods, whether speaking at city council meetings, writing emails, calling, you name it, that we want public safety maintained. They turned a deaf ear to the requests without even offering up any kind of compromise. But we have wonderful works of art, greenbelts and beautiful golf courses to gaze at. Talk about screwed-up priorities! Is a recall campaign the only way to get them to take notice?
Bill
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.
Check with the city council, maybe there is a recall campaign fund available for use for such a cause!
Ray
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:31 p.m.
A good example of Ann Arbor caring more about art than public safety is the large metallic sculpture with sharp edged metal plates in Hanover Park (across the street from Blimpy Burger). Was this placed there to maim blind persons? <a href="http://arborwiki.org/city/Hanover_Square" rel='nofollow'>http://arborwiki.org/city/Hanover_Square</a>
justcary
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:04 a.m.
I take it you are lacking an "eye" for good sculpture! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
alarictoo
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:25 p.m.
Dear City Council: I, and, I am sure, the many other members of the Ann Arbor community who get to see storm water/sewage backups into our basements every time the city's overtaxed sewage/storm water systems get hit by a large rainfall, would much rather see city funds going toward repairing this longstanding issue than to have our tax dollars spent on this questionable "economic development tool". Is a set of priorities based in the realities of "the common man" really so much to ask? Until the systemic problems in these areas are resolved I believe that diverting even 1% of the budget from them to pay for "public art" is outrageous. Anyone else?
Christy Summerfield
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 8:03 p.m.
Yea, I forgot about the problems with the sewage backup. Don't know how because my basement floods every time we have a heavy rain. I've totally given up on cleaning it because it's only going to flood again. Instead, I'm moving out of Ann Arbor. Oh, the first time the basement flooded, right after I moved in, the city did pay for many items. My understanding is they aren't doing that anymore.
bunnyabbot
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:49 p.m.
file a damage claim with the city. You'll get a check from them, the same as all the others that do so whenever the cities ignored problem reappears everytime it rains hard, keep all your receipts and take pictures. Also add your name to the list of homeowners suing the city for that very thing. Also you should be able to get a sump pump installed in your basement at the citys expense, they've done it in the past so make some phone calls and throw a hissy fit.
Bill
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:24 p.m.
According to last night's Council meeting, there is $40 million plus in one of the funds. Seems that the city might look at how to best utilize the resources already available and funded by the tax payers.
eastsider2
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:10 p.m.
AA.com - please include the following information in any future articles/columns about City Budget issues- Why does Heiftje say "The public art funds can't be used to pay for public safety staffing because they're in a different fund"? Is this because of legal constraints on the money (whose law? city? state? fed funds? What's the process for change?) or because that's how it was set up in the budget ( again - what does it take to change that)? Some other reason? Are there aspects of our city charter that are preventing the shifting of funds when necessary? Why might we not want to do it? Is there -any- other reason council voted this way besides, "public art is a good development tool"? On the surface, this seems to be public safety vs. art and the majority here think public safety wins. But isn't journalism's job to go beyond that surface that we can all see to expose the deeper issues so we all can understand?
Carole
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 10:48 p.m.
Agree wholeheartedly -- I don't remember ever voting for an "art fund" -- who set up what, when and where? And, why can't changes be made. It seems to me the city voted in these changes -- so vote to change them to allow funding to keep the AAFD and AAPD fully staffed. And, do away with DDA and even more funds will become available.
Boo Radley
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:09 p.m.
This entire issue is just more extortionary tactics by the mayor and council. And it is working ... everyone seems to believe that if all public safety employee would just pay another $50 each pay towards their health care, the city could save those 37 jobs. Just keep drinking the kool-aid y'all ... how does it taste?
MB111
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 5:35 p.m.
I'm stunned that so many people are defending the budget decisions. There are difficult choices to make both in Ann Arbor and Lansing, yet the critics of decisions in lansing are supporting the local decisions. I suspect blind party allegiance, and lack of independant thought, are the culprits.
northside
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:12 p.m.
I'll just speak for myself and say that my criticisms of this site's coverage do not mean that I agree with the city's budget decisions. It seems like this site is creating a story - police/fire vs. arts/parks/etc - that doesn't exist. This site has a track record of posting articles that are highly critical of public spending but provide little context or real information.
Tom Whitaker
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:26 p.m.
What party allegiance is that? I see a group of City Council members who call themselves Democrats, acting like the Republicans in the State Legislature (and Governor's office). They are attacking public sector unions, while supporting their own pet programs. Some of them even donated to Snyder's campaign. No, the problem is not allegiance to party, it is the lack of allegiance.
scan
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 5:15 p.m.
"The public art funds can't be used to pay for public safety staffing because they're in a different fund, Mayor John Hieftje said." What exactly is confusing about this? Why are you so upset? This says the money could not be used for public safety anyway. Are you saying art should have been cut just to make it fair or what?
MikeyP
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 3:37 a.m.
Hey, at least the speed limit on Huron Parkway is artificially low so we have more time to gaze on the murals as we drive past. But wait, if there are fewer cops then our odds of being pulled over for speeding there are lower too... so then we might just miss them anyway. So, nevermind!
Tom Whitaker
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:15 p.m.
No. What people are saying is that this Percent for Art program was created by City Council to skim millage and fee revenues from various dedicated funds and use the money for a purpose that has no direct relation to the reason those millages were created, or the reason those fees were collected. It was perfectly reasonable, therefore, given the dire cuts to public safety proposed, to expect the City Council to end Percent for Art, return the money already skimmed back to the respective funds and use it for those dedicated purposes. Furthermore, it is perfectly reasonable for City Council to use the same logic they used to create Percent for Art and create a new program called "3% for Public Safety." I think police and fire protection for our water system, sewer systems, and all these new government buildings is much more closely aligned with the function of that public infrastructure than a water fountain in front of City Hall or murals on Huron Parkway.
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 4:49 p.m.
Let's not forget the Profiles in Courage action of my Council Representative 'democrat' Margie Teall, who actually has suggested raising the 'tax' to 2%, during one of the worse financial crisis since the Great Depression. And she was on the subcommittee that actually VOTED to approve the City Building water fountain too. Wow, what leadership.
Jake C
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:54 p.m.
I agree with northside that this article does a good job of getting people angry, but I'm not sure whether it actually tries to recommend any solutions. Since this is an Op-Ed piece, what would Paula suggest doing differently? So we know that the "Arts" budget is about $300,000. If we cut the whole thing that would save, what... 2, maybe 4 fire/police positions, depending on whose position gets saved and if the unions agree to any benefits reductions? Will that automatically make us 2-4% "safer"? And what would be the downsides of cutting the arts budget? In a throwaway sentence, Paula acknowledges that several board members consider it to be one component of economic development, and I happen to agree with that. I understand that the city is making tough decisions and tough cuts (like any household has to do when income goes down) but the hardest part is always deciding what parts of the budget are essential investments in future growth, which are are necessary for current operation, which parts are nice but expendable, and which ones are just luxuries. How about we talk about this: What makes Ann Arbor special, and what should get priority for investing in our shared future? Why do people move to Ann Arbor and continue living here? Is it our large & well-run police & fire departments? Is it our unique city culture, which includes public art displays? Our parks and bike paths and museums? Nice neighborhoods? Our mall & strip-malls, and downtown area shops & restaurants? Our world-renowned University? There's tons of room for discussion about what parts of the city budget are the most important to make our city continue to be great, but I'm not sure whether this Op-Ed adds to that discussion or detracts from it.
MikeyP
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 3:33 a.m.
Yeah, tough decisions... so which of the 157 parks are being sold? The one on this side of the street, or the one across the street from it, or the one 500 feet west of that one, or the one at the other end of the street or the one across the street from that one? I mean, neighborhood parks are fine, but does every neighborhood need SEVERAL of them? Especially since they're tax drains instead of taxable entities? I keep hearing how it's terrible the U keeps buying property in Ann Arbor and taking it off the tax rolls... but that gripe rings hollow when the city opts to take over 150 parcels (some quite large!) off the tax rolls themselves. Not to mention that the U is the biggest game in town and if it weren't for them being here neither would be most of the taxpayers, most of the restaurants (that pay taxes too of course), stores, etc. The point is that "tough" decisions aren't being made, because if they were they'd be politically damaging to those making them (just look at what's going on with Snyder and his tough calls... how is that recall silliness going anyway?) No parks will be touched, those are sacred cows. But cops and firefighters? Expendable.
Bill
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:22 p.m.
It is unfortunate that so many in the Ann Arbor community believe Ann Arbor is some idealistic haven to which draws people to live. The reality is that without the University of Michigan Ann Arbor would be just a very small and not very significant community in Michigan. In the current economic times, public officials need to be fiscally responsible which should include not only cutting but eliminating "art" from the city budget. According to the Council meeting last night, there is more than $1 million in this fund at the moment, so a year or two without additional funding shouldn't be a major problem. If it takes rewriting the city charter, perhaps the Council could spend their time wisely doing such in order to retain fire and police protection. Without adequate essential city services few people will be interested in living in Ann Arbor.
Jake C
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 5:04 p.m.
@Shadow wilson: Good point! The last time I called the Police department, I'd just discovered my car had been broken into, in my own driveway within the past 10 minutes (that was all the time I was away from my car before someone busted open the lock). It took about an hour for the police to show up. They told me to fill out a report of the stolen items for insurance purposes, and left. "Nothing we can do unless it turns up on its own", they said. "Maybe it will show up in a pawn shop or a nearby ditch". I told them I'd suspected a specific person of doing the crime, and they told me that procedures dictated they wouldn't take fingerprint samples because it wouldn't be worth it. This was 3 years ago. Doesn't exactly make me inspired in our public safety system at its peak (let alone after cuts), so I've learned to take responsibility for protecting my own family instead of waiting for the police to show up when they feel like it. Are you worried about public safety cuts? This might be a good time to make sure your smoke alarms are up-to-date, that you have fully-charged and non-expired fire extinguishers, that the locks and alarms to your home are fully functional, and that if you choose to own a gun for self-defense, that it's properly maintained and stored. If your home gets broken into by armed criminals, you can't afford to wait 1 minute for a police response, let alone 5 minutes.
shadow wilson
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 4:02 p.m.
To those of you rightfully pointing out the futility of the argument because of the separation of funds my prediction is you will quickly change your tune when you call the cops or need a the fire dept and when in the past they might have come in 5-7 min and now it is more like 10-20min.....that will seem like forever.
alan
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:43 p.m.
Journalistic integrity is now gone. Why not try a headline such as "City Cuts 37 Public Safety Jobs so They Can Use The Money For Wall Murals Instead"? Just about as accurate. You should be ashamed.
Jack
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 12:01 a.m.
Paula - I wonder what circles you have identified in which you believe that question has arisen. Perhaps circles the news has created by misleading headlines? And if you really did think as you say, why was it not reflected as such in the article, i.e., that "some circles" see this as an issue?
Mich Res and Alum
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 5:49 p.m.
Paula, if the question was worth raising in a column, wouldn't it be worth examining some of the complexities of the situation? That would have been doing the readers and residents of Ann Arbor a quality service. Instead you decided to not do the research, not present any of the complexities of the issue, and decided to use a sensationalist headline to stir up page hits. The only thing clear to me is AA.com's constant money grab in the form of stirring up sensationalist news for the sake of page views and online advertising dollars.
Paula Gardner
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:51 p.m.
It reflects the question that's circulating in some city circles right now as residents react to the vote last night. And I believed it was worth raising in a column.
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:23 p.m.
"Does Ann Arbor care more about art than public safety?" Yes.
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:22 p.m.
"So we have a parks millage that isn't paying for mowing; a sewer system that needs upgrades, but department funds headed toward paying for public art; and the city choosing to effectively tax itself for that 1 percent going into the art fund - while 37 public safety jobs evaporate" Bingo. Couldn't have said it better myself Paula.
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 4:51 p.m.
Better check, I think this might be a cosmic event. Lol.
Brian Kuehn
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:45 p.m.
For once Mr. Goldsmith, Paula and I are all on the same page.
Robert
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:20 p.m.
It's an idiots argument. The headline is leading and the article biased. The author and people who see a relationship between a arts funding and public safety cuts clearly do not realize the complexity behind budgeting and allocation. It's not an if than situation. If we cut arts than we fund safety. I understand that logically it does not make sense that the City votes to maintain arts funding and then votes to decrease Public Safety, however, they are two separate budgets therefore unrelated.
justcary
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:07 a.m.
Then. If THEN. Or, either/or.
Snehal
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:19 p.m.
AnnArbor.com, Are you trying to be CNN of Ann Arbor? It is really a misleading sensationalizing heading on a topic which is a matter of intellectual debate.
Robert Stone
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:17 p.m.
Very disturbing that so many people don't see a problem with spending public money on public art while cutting back on public safety. Has it occurred to anyone that there are a lot of wealthy people in town who could fund public art with private donations?
squidlover
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:17 p.m.
Paula, Thank you for the follow-up column with a poll. It is a very important topic that predictably ignited (no pun intended) a lot of strong reaction (although I doubt city council will care what is said and how the vote goes). However, I do feel that your headline was over-simplified. There should be a better way to ask the readers if they believe that it is justified to cut public safety services while funds for public art projects go untouched.
Steven Perry
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:14 p.m.
On several occasions when I've visited the courthouse downtown and the police department off of Hogback while going through the adoption and name change process, I always encounter several officers sitting around shooting the s... for more than a typical 30 min break. It seems the job that could be performed by one person, a.k.a. watching people go through a metal detector, was being done by 3-5 officers including one of them reading a book. Granted, I feel 25 positions in the police department may seem a bit steep to cut, however, I definitely feel they could cut back on staffing in certain departments to place officers where they're truly needed if they want to keep the public safe, the street.
Awakened
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 11:38 a.m.
And often officers are sitting around the court after being subpoena'd for court and have to wait hours during the plea bargaining being done by lawyers behind closed doors. The real scandal is they are mostly there on overtime. The deals should be made BEFORE the court date so we don't have to pay for this.
Brian Kuehn
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:43 p.m.
The deputies at the Hogback location are part of the County Sheriff Department, not Ann Arbor PD. If there is over-staffing at the Hogback location, it has nothing to do with the Ann Arbor PD's situation.
StephinA2
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:37 p.m.
Steven: I am quite sure the officers at the Washtenaw County Courthouse and the facility on Hogback are Washtenaw County Sheriff Department employees, not AAPD.
xmo
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:12 p.m.
Why don't we go to an "All-Volunteer" Force like the Army,Navy Air Force and Marines! It might take a while to get a COP or Fireman to the site where they are needed but it would be a lot cheaper! This way we would have more money for trees, parks and ART!
alarictoo
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:19 p.m.
@xmo - You volunteer first, and I bet a lot of people will follow suit! ;^)
mojo
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:59 p.m.
Let's not forget about 'precious' farmland/greenspace - not even located in Ann Arbor proper - that is basically funded with cuts - Police and Firefighter salary cuts.
Ypsi Gizmo
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 12:48 p.m.
Oh yes, let's keep all of the (gasp) trailer parks out by hiding inside a greenbelt. Love the NIMBYism of the fake liberals in Ann Arbor. We'll pay higher taxes to make sure that people who need an affordable place to live don't settle in precious Ann Arbor.
northside
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 9:50 p.m.
Sure, people might vote differently on the same millage 8 years later. Not exactly a profound insight there, so nothing 'fixed.' The point remains the same: mojo is completely wrong to link the greenbelt millage with the current cuts in police and fire. There is no connection.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 7:12 p.m.
'If you're referring to the Greenbelt that was approved by voters in November 2003 BACK WHEN UNEMPLOYMENT WAS 3%. ' There, I fixed it for you. You're welcome.
northside
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 5:31 p.m.
If you're referring to the Greenbelt that was approved by voters in November 2003. And if I remember right the margin was about 2-1 in favor (somebody correct me if that's wrong). It has nothing to do with the current cuts.
A2K
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 3:08 p.m.
The "greenspace" rule is what keeps Ann Arbor from turning into a hideous sprawl of strip-malls, trailer-parks and other eyesores *cough-Westland-Taylor-cough* The reason Ann Arbor isn't a trailer-park hell is through 60 years of administrative people and active residents keeping the nay-sayers/only-think-for-the-moment-moneygrubbers OUT.
northside
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:53 p.m.
Could you come up with more shamelessly sensationalistic headline for this poll? "Does Ann Arbor care more about art than public safety?" So much for objectively gauging public opinion on an issue.
John B.
Tue, Jun 7, 2011 : 6:57 p.m.
When has aa.com ever been objective? Just look at their ownership. Like William F. Buckley Jr. in his day (RIP), they probably wouldn't fly anywhere because they couldn't find any airplanes with two right wings! QED.
cibachrome
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:49 p.m.
The use of fire as an economic development tool is a pretty clever methodology. Higher taxes, building permits and inspections, insurance payments and other monies supplied for the replacement structures ought to generate some pretty big revenues for the city. As for crime, well it doesn't really affect Ann Arbor, does it? Traffic control? Speed limits are an impediment to enlightened citizenry in pursuit of their economic brainstorms and food bistro notions. As long as it doesn't affect the Great and Powerful Campus, who actually cares?
mun
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:27 p.m.
That big dig behind the library is no work of art.
DFSmith
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 11:52 p.m.
mun; it is a piece of "performance art" in progress. So, it is neither a performance, nor is it art!!!!!
Bertha Venation
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:54 p.m.
You've got that right, Mun!
northside
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:26 p.m.
Paula reaction has been strong because the article appears to be profoundly misleading. The opening sentence gives readers the impression that if funding for parks/arts/social services had been cut that the 37 police/fire positions would have been retained. Based on the numbers in the article that is not true. annarbor.com does a wonderful job whipping readers into a frenzy over public spending decisions. It does a very poor job of providing any context or information behind those decisions. For example, there is no mention of the social service programs still being funded or what they do. As a result readers who are utterly ignorant of those programs mislabel them "charity" and speak as if the city is just making donations.
northside
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 4:21 p.m.
Ryan correct me if I'm wrong but there's nothing in your article that mentions that information. And not a single example is provided of the human service programs that were spared. As a result there's a false comparison made: police/fire vs. arts/parks/services. From the first sentence on the impression is given that the 37 police/fire who are losing their jobs is a direct result of the funding for arts/parks/services. That false comparison is continued with the poll and misleading headline on this page: "Does Ann Arbor care more about art than public safety?"
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:41 p.m.
For the first time this year, the city's human services money will be channeled through a new coordinated funding process approved last fall by the City Council, Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, United Way, Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and Washtenaw Urban County Executive Committee. The city, county, United Way and Urban County released a joint request for proposals to eligible agencies for human services funding. I've written about this before. If you click the following link, you can download the recommended funding plan, including a complete breakdown of current funding and proposed funding for 2011-12 for various agencies. I haven't seen any official documentation yet on where the extra $85,600 will go. <a href="http://www.annarbor.com/Final%20Funding%20Recommendations_April%2013%202011.pdf">http://www.annarbor.com/Final%20Funding%20Recommendations_April%2013%202011.pdf</a>
Bertha Venation
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:25 p.m.
Of course Mr. Mayor and City Council care more about art than public safety. They always have.
Bonsai
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 2:09 p.m.
I don't understand why you included the "It's all taxpayer money...." choice in your poll. Shouldn't it really read "City leaders should rewrite the city charter/ordinance to allow the art fund to be spent on public safety"?
Macabre Sunset
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 6:44 p.m.
What they should do is stop the practice of requesting separate millages for popular projects. Those separate millages increase the tax rate and keep the general fund too low to actually budget anything. The firefighters dug their own grave. They decided they wanted fewer, more highly-paid workers. Any resulting problems are entirely their own fault.