STEVE WILCOXEN

YPSILANTI, MI – Facing projected shortfalls citywide and struggling to bring new officers on board, should Ypsilanti make cuts to its police department? He had the backing from other city leaders, including Council Member Jennifer Symanns, Ward 2, who noted staffing shortages across other industries. “To me it’s just crucial for the city as a whole that we have a properly staffed police department,” she said. Council Member and Mayor Pro-Tem Nicole Brown, Ward 1, said she believed short staffing could be worsening the issue. Wilcoxen noted those decisions were one-time expenses, and City Council hadn’t intended them to carry over into future years without further discussion.

YPSILANTI, MI - It’s been nearly three years — and a global COVID-19 pandemic — since Ypsilanti leaders voted to remove the Peninsular Paper Dam across the Huron River. The dam, built in 1867 to provide power for paper manufacturing for the Peninsular Paper Co. and rebuilt in 1920, no longer generates power. Only two of 33 sampled locations showed pollutants exceeding levels threatening human health, requiring removal, according to the study. As for the decommissioning of the dam itself, the process is slow even once final designs are ready, he said, and it could be years before the Peninsular Dam is no more. For more information on the town hall meeting and dam removal process, visit the City of Ypsilanti’s Peninsular Dam page.

YPSILANTI, MI - Matt Korovesis and Megan Lowlor had an important question whey they were looking for an apartment in Ypsilanti last year. City Council Member Steve Wilcoxen, who represents Ward 2 and wrote the new rules, agrees. After all, he said, he knew city residents who kept them. “It’s fun to do it.”More from The Ann Arbor News:Eastern Michigan University extending remote classes one weekYpsilanti City Council wards will shift this year. ‘Help us bounce back,’ some residents sayAnn Arbor dogs can be labeled dangerous if they ‘provoke’ others under new law

It was an all hands on deck effort this past weekend to repair a Black Lives Matter mural that was defaced in September in Ypsilanti.

YPSILANTI, MI - Ypsilanti is moving forward with the development plan for the 220 N. Park St. affordable housing project. Several residents expressed traffic, density and environmental concerns, but some officials said the development plan will continue to evolve through multiple meetings between Renovare, City Council and community members. “If council wants to explore this (development plan), then we go into negotiation for potential site control. Read more: Traffic, property value concerns voiced by residents over Depot Town affordable housing projectSome residents commented that City Council is pushing the plan forward without public input. “I don’t think anybody in my neighborhood is concerned about affordable housing,” said resident Jill Dieterle.

YPSILANTI, MI – Outdoor dining permits for Ypsilanti businesses are being extended through 2021. The Ypsilanti City Council on Wednesday, Oct. 21, unanimously approved the sidewalk café permit extension -- set to expire on Nov. 1 -- until May 2021, to allow restaurants in downtown and Depot Town to continue offering outdoor dining. Heated patios & carryout: What Ann Arbor-area restaurants will do to keep people coming this winterCity officials also discussed the possibility of outdoor dining in igloo-type tents in the colder months. Council Member Steve Wilcoxen raised the question of whether an igloo technically makes for outdoor dining if patrons are confined in structured space. “The whole point of outside dining is you have plenty of air flow,” Wilcoxen said.