Connecting the County

continued

Well, it wasn’t the library. That was my best guess as the site of the “u196” meeting I was looking for. I had decided at the last minute to check out the group that’s planning a countywide transit system, but no agenda was posted on its website, MovingYouForward.org. The March agenda had named the Ann Arbor District Library as the location. But not this time: a library clerk confirmed that no meetings were scheduled there.

Wi-fi, however, is at the library, and I found the minutes of the March meeting of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board posted at TheRide.org. The website confirmed that this was indeed the right date for the u196 meeting—but it was to be held at AATA headquarters on South Industrial. No time was mentioned, so I could only assume I’d be very late. Or very early. Sigh. Back down the stairs; back into the car.

The reception area at AATA headquarters was empty, but the door was unlocked. Peeking into the gloom, I was fairly confident I could hear voices. By the time I gathered my courage to creep down the unlit hallway, though, the meeting had ended.

The u196 board isn’t required to announce its meetings: the “u” stands for “unincorporated,” meaning the body does not fall under Michigan’s Open Meetings Act. Though it technically includes all seven members of the AATA board, only three attend any given meeting, so that body never reaches a quorum. And to be fair, when asked AATA staff will graciously notify any member of the public of the meetings.