ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The group pushing Ann Arbor to create its own electric utility will hold an online town hall Wednesday, Oct. 28, as early voting continues on the measure, Proposal E.
Ann Arbor for Public Power plans to take questions over Zoom starting at 8 p.m. Executive director Brian Geiringer said many voters remain unsure what the proposal does, and state Sen. Jeff Irwin, an Ann Arbor Democrat, is expected to help answer them.
A yes vote would write a city-owned power company into Ann Arbor’s charter, plus a process for choosing who sits on its board in 2028. City leaders and DTE Energy oppose it. City officials warn that buying out DTE’s local system could top $1 billion, and the City Council has told the city attorney’s office to challenge the measure in court if it passes.
Supporters counter that a yes vote carries no cost by itself, since any takeover of DTE’s equipment would need later action and a final vote of residents. An early study put the price anywhere from a few hundred million dollars to more than $1 billion.
Proposal E is one of five city questions on the Nov. 3 ballot. The others would renew a street, bridge and sidewalk repair tax of up to 2.125 mills, continue a 0.20-mill tax for new sidewalks, change how duplicate signatures on candidate nominating petitions are counted, and push back the date newly elected city officials take office.
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