This Ann Arbor City Council meeting was held in person at City Hall. Members of the public can participate in public hearings and public comment either in person or via phone.
A2Council Update Video
Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Summary
APPROVED: The FY2026 Budget adds 14 FTEs and $10,190,943 (+7.6%) in recurring expenditures; it also includes $1,956,899 in nonrecurring expenditures. (Legistar)
Council Members approved five amendments to the budget:
- $565,000 to support Rising Hope for Housing Program. Paid for with Marijuana Excise Tax Rebate funds, available for discretionary allocation. This amount was reduced from the $616,000 originally proposed for this amendment. Sponsored by Council Member Harrison.
- $500,000 to support “quick build” projects on major, multi-lane roads. Paid for by diverting funds previously allocated to maintain roads in the Capital Preventative Maintenance budget. Sponsored by Council Members Briggs, Akmon, Cornell.
- $136,000 to support eviction prevention through the Ann Arbor Housing Commission. Paid for with Marijuana Excise Tax Rebate funds, available for discretionary allocation. This amount was increased from the $116,000 originally proposed for this amendment. Sponsored by Council Members Watson, Ghazi Edwin, Briggs, Cornell, and Akmon.
- By resolution, Council would prohibit the purchase of drones with FY 2026 budget. Sponsored by Council Members Radina, Harrison, Mallek, Eyer, Ghazi Edwin.
- $50,000 to support mailers (“Equitable Communications”) promoting members of Council to residents. Paid for with FY 2026 General Fund balance. Any unspent funds from FY2025 allocation ($100,000) will be carried forward into FY 2026. Sponsored by Council Member Eyer.
The budget presentation given by City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr from the May 5, 2025 Council meeting can be found here: (link)
The whole of the city budget can be viewed on the City’s Financial Reporting page (along with previously adopted annual budgets): https://www.a2gov.org/finance-and-administrative-services/guide-to-finance-and-budget/budget-public-process/
MLive stories about the FY2026 budget:
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/04/15m-in-ann-arbor-marijuana-money-to-help-fund-unarmed-response-other-programs.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/04/bulletproof-glass-needed-for-ann-arbor-justice-center-due-to-new-hotel-across-street.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/04/about-20-downtown-ann-arbor-intersections-may-get-retractable-posts-for-street-closures.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/05/street-safety-advocates-convince-ann-arbor-on-500k-for-quicker-improvements.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/05/trumps-impact-on-community-has-ann-arbor-tapping-into-1m-contingency-fund.html
- https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/06/can-flying-drone-cameras-be-government-overreach-ann-arbor-to-adopt-new-policy.html
APPROVED: A total of $400,000 will be allocated to three local nonprofits. (Legistar)
- $140,000 to Shelter Association of Washtenaw County & SOS Community Services to support shelter diversion
- $100,000 to Community Action Network (CAN) to support summer programming
- $160,000 to Ann Arbor Housing Development Corporation (AAHDC) to support eviction prevention
- This uses funds set aside on December 16, 2024, to address negative impacts due to changes at the federal level. https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-december-16-2024/
APPROVED: $300,000 will be allocated to Food Gatherers of Washtenaw County to support food distribution services. This uses funds set aside on December 16, 2024, to address negative impacts due to changes at the federal level. (Legistar)
APPROVED: $300,000 will be allocated to the Community Mental Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan to support Ann Arbor-based substance abuse disorder treatment.This uses funds set aside on December 16, 2024, to address negative impacts due to changes at the federal level. (Legistar)
REMOVED: Marijuana Excise Tax Rebate Funds of $85,000 to be allocated to Home of New Vision to support a 24-hour crisis intervention facility for individuals in active addiction. This item was removed from the agenda because the program has lost funding from other sources and can not move forward. The $85,000 was added to funding available for amendments to the annual budget. (Legistar)
APPROVED: By resolution, the City Administrator is directed to explore a new system of records management for the Ann Arbor Police Department (AAPD). The current system used by the City is a regional platform called CLEMIS. It is proposed that an alternative system prioritize local ownership/control, privacy concerns, real-time analysis and local data, as well as integrate with unarmed crisis response, public health interventions, and support for returning justice-involved individuals. The City Administrator will consult with AAPD, technical and legal staff as well as the Independent Community Police Oversight Commission and report back to Council within 120 days with recommendations. (Legistar)
APPROVED: The Downtown Development Authority will accept a $200,000 grant and enter an agreement with the Michigan Department of Transportation to make improvements to one block of Fourth Avenue (between William and Liberty). It is described as creating a “link” to Liberty Street businesses and the Blake Transit Center. The project is expected to cost over $8 million and will be paid for by “the City and its collaborators.” (Legistar)
APPROVED: A parcel (0.9 acre) at 1155 Arlington will be annexed into the city. It is within the City’s water and sewer service area and current use is consistent with adjacent zoning and land uses. Proposed future zoning of R1A (Single family district) is recommended. (Legistar)
- The annexation and rezoning of this parcel were approved by the Planning Commission in March 2025: https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-march-18-2025/
APPROVED (First Reading): Proposed amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC) remove the requirement that property owners and residents within 300 feet would be notified of a request for a land division. Amendments remove the opportunity for nearby residents to weigh in and “submit comments in person or in writing to the Planning Commission, and… file comments with the Planning Manager prior to the end of the review period.” (Legistar)
- Proposed amendments are aligned with a resolution approved unanimously by Council on April 1, 2024 (Legistar) https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-april-1-2024/
- That resolution formally adopted the recommendations in an 82 page memo written by former assistant City Administrator John Fournier titled “A New Approach to Economic Development”. (link)
- From Fournier’s memo: “Amend city ordinance to eliminate land division notifications, since we are required under state law to approve these divisions anyway and the notifications serves no real purpose in the approval process”
- Fournier’s memo is an oversimplification that ignores several details. State law does not require that the city “approve these divisions anyway.” Rather, State law lays out the standard of review for local approval and specifically references what local discretion is permitted.
- From the Michigan Land Division Act MCL 560.109(5) “The governing body of a municipality or the county board of commissioners of a county having authority to approve or disapprove a division may adopt an ordinance setting forth the standards authorized in subsection (1)(b), (c), and (d)”
- In the subsections referenced above, state law authorizes some local standards that are objectively measurable, e.g. depth and width requirements or minimum area for a proposed division. However, state law also authorizes local standards that are more subjective, e.g. exceptional topographic or physical conditions and compatibility with surrounding lands.
- Land divisions in Ann Arbor are currently approved by City staff (“Planning Manager”) and the UDC includes additional process if a request is denied: the applicant may appeal to the City Planning Commission, a body of mayoral appointees. See UDC TABLE 5.27-1
- Currently, a nearby resident (within 300 feet) is notified about a land division and have an opportunity to express concerns. Their concerns may be within local discretion and Staff may agree and reject the request. At that point, an appeal before the Planning Commission would include the public record of both a report from Staff and concerns raised by local residents.
- Proposed amendments will make it virtually impossible for local residents to be made aware of a requested land division within 300 feet of their property. These decisions are made internally and without any notice, residents would have no opportunity to raise concerns, some of which could be within local discretion. A resident would have to obsessively follow the agendas of the City Planning Commission to be aware of or offer any feedback on an appeal.
- The changes were approved by the Planning Commission on March 18, 2025: https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-march-18-2025/
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