Title
Resolution Directing the City Administrator to Include Funding in the FY20 City Budget to Conduct the Lower Town Area Mobility Study
Memorandum
Development in the northern areas of the City can reasonably be expected to add demand to the City’s mobility network. The confluence of Pontiac Trail, Broadway, Plymouth Road, Moore Street, Wall Street, and Maiden Lane (also known as Lower Town) has the potential to become a mobility chokepoint.
City Council desires to mitigate the potential impacts of development on the City’s quality of life. In December 2017, City Council passed a resolution (R-17-472) directing the City Administrator to review and update previous studies of vehicular, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian movements leading to, and traveling through, the Lower Town area. Staff prepared a draft scope and cost estimate for Lower Town Area Mobility Study. In January 2018, the City’s Transportation Commission reviewed and provided comments on the scope of this study. The scope of work, cost estimate and comments from the Transportation Commission were submitted to City Council in February 2018.
On April 23, 2018, a request for proposal (RFP No. 18-21) was issued for the Lower Town Area Mobility Study. Proposals were received from three consultant teams on June 1, 2018. A team of staff members reviewed the proposals and selected two consultant teams for interview. After the interviews, staff presented an agreement with the best qualified team to Council for approval.
However, Council citing concerns with the project budget and delivery schedule direct the City Administrator to review the contract with the selected team and deferred consideration of the final agreement until February 19, 2019 at which time Council did not approve to amend the FY19 budget by the required 8 votes, although a majority of Council did vote to approve the agreement.
Budget/Fiscal Impact: Work for this project was recently entered into the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), during the CIP update process in fall 2018.
Funding for the Lower Town Area Mobility Study was not included in the FY 2019 approved budget; however, funding is available within the existing Major Street Fund Balance. Funding of $649,478.00 can be reallocated to the study in the FY20 budget.
Staff
Prepared by: Howard Lazarus, City Administrator
Reviewed by: Nicholas Hutchinson, P.E., City Engineer
Raymond Hess, Transportation Manager
Craig Hupy, Public Services Area Administrator
Approved by: Howard Lazarus, City Administrator
Body
Whereas, Existing traffic conditions in the Lower Town Area do not meet the aspirations of our community;
Whereas, Increased commuter traffic and development in the northern areas of the City and neighboring townships and increased enrollment at the University of Michigan and expansion of Michigan Medicine and University research facilities, can reasonably be expected to add demand to the City’s mobility network;
Whereas, Council (Resolution R-17-472) directed the City to conduct the Lower Town Area Mobility Study, to review and update previous studies of vehicular, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian movement leading to and traveling through the Lower Town Area;
Whereas, The City’s Transportation Commission reviewed and provided comments on the scope of the study;
Whereas, In response to RFP No. 18-21, the City received three proposals and selected the best qualified consultant team and presented the team’s proposal and the need for a budget amendment to Council for its consideration.
Whereas, After multiple deliberations City Council voted not to amend the approved FY19 Budget to accommodate this effort on February 19, 2019, citing issues concerning the cost of the study and the extended period of performance.
Whereas, The need to evaluate the Lower Town area and the multimodal avenues of approach still exists.
RESOLVED, That the City Council directs the City Administrator to include funding in the amount of $649,478.00 in the FY20 Operations and Maintenance budget of the Major Street Fund to accomplish the objectives of the study.
RESOLVED, That the City Council further directs the City Administrator to reopen negotiations with the qualified firms who initially submitted with a revised scope of work that addresses Council’s concerns about cost and delivery schedule, and to bring the revised contract back to Council for consideration not later than the second meeting in September 2019.
Sponsored by: Mayor Taylor and Councilmember Ackerman
As Amended and Approved by Ann Arbor City Council on March 4, 2019