Ann Arbor Public Power Proposal Qualifies for November Ballot
Ann Arbor, Michigan, August 6, 2026. More than 5,000 Ann Arbor registered voters signed a petition for a public power city charter amendment, qualifying the proposal for the November 3 city election ballot. The city clerk certified the count on Tuesday. “This preliminary success is due to the incredible people of Ann Arbor, especially the over one hundred volunteer petitioners who worked to give voters a choice this November,” said Brian Geiringer, executive director of Ann Arbor for Public Power. “For the first time in Michigan’s history, a true alternative to DTE Energy will be on a local ballot.”
The amendment would create a new municipal electric utility as a department of city government, along with a process to select governing board members in 2028. Similar boards run municipal electric utilities in Lansing, Holland, Traverse City, Grand Haven and elsewhere. The new Board would prioritize renewable energy, a just transition for workers, and ratepayer equity. The new utility would be fully compatible with, and complementary to, the city’s useful but limited sustainable energy utility (SEU).
Currently, most city residents and businesses rely exclusively on DTE’s dirty power (two-thirds coal and gas generation, only ten percent wind and solar in 2025). A municipal utility could contract for renewable power on the wholesale market. “The only way for the city to achieve its climate goals is to break the DTE monopoly on distribution,” said A2P2 president Sean Higgins. “We can set an example for other Michigan communities.”
Only the first step is on the November ballot. Nothing in the proposed charter amendment commits the city to any specific course of action regarding DTE. Condemnation proceedings would require separate action by Council or the voters, ideally once a proper feasibility study documents a financial benefit for the city. “We’re confident that a thorough, objective study will show lower electric rates in the medium to long term, with grid upgrades and fewer outages,” Geiringer said. “That’s been the experience of other cities.”
The campaign faces well-funded opposition. A2P2’s successful petition drive overcame over a half million in spending by DTE’s local front group, which reports $1.2 million still available, all of it raised from DTE and other outside groups. “We know that DTE will spend massively this fall to mislead voters,” Geiringer said. The opposition continues to cite cost figures from a “municipalization study” that DTE paid for and that A2P2 debunked point by point. “They have money, but we have people,” said Geiringer. “We’re confident that voters will see through the misinformation and fear mongering.”
Voter approval this November would cost the city very little. The Board’s powers are limited, because the Charter gives City Council final approval over budgets (and over utility rates and borrowing). Spending should only amount to a few hours of staff time a month to support Board meetings. In the meantime, the city can study the public power option. “Once we establish the utility, we can continue the conversation,” Geiringer said. “But this is an important beginning.”
Ann Arbor for Public Power, a nonprofit grassroots citizen group, has been leading the municipalization effort since 2020. For more information, go to https://annarborpublicpower.org