Ann Arbor residents will vote Nov. 3 on whether to create a municipal electric utility that could eventually replace DTE Energy in the city.
City Clerk Jackie Beaudry certified Tuesday, Aug. 4, that the grassroots group Ann Arbor for Public Power collected 5,383 valid signatures, 426 more than the 4,957 required to place a charter amendment on the general election ballot, according to MLive.
More than 100 volunteer petition circulators gathered signatures across three filing dates this summer. After 250 duplicates and 271 other disqualifications were removed from the 5,904 total signatures submitted, the petition cleared the threshold of 5% of registered city voters.
"For the first time in Michigan's history, a true alternative to DTE Energy will be on a local ballot," executive director Brian Geiringer said in a statement Thursday, Aug. 6.
What a 'yes' vote would do
The charter amendment would create a nine-member municipal electric utility board as part of city government, with board elections set for 2028. City Council would appoint four of the nine members and retain veto power over board decisions.
The amendment itself does not commit the city to acquiring DTE's infrastructure. Any condemnation proceedings would require separate action by City Council or voters after a feasibility study. City-hired consultants estimated in 2023 that acquiring DTE's local power infrastructure could cost between $281 million and $1.15 billion.
Opposition raises objections
The Ann Arbor Responsible Energy Coalition, a DTE-backed group that has received $1.8 million from the Detroit-based utility, is disputing the petition process. Spokesperson Rudy Harper said the group's rolling submission of signatures across three dates violates Michigan's Home Rule City Act, which Harper said contemplates a single filing on a single date.
The coalition argues a "yes" vote would saddle the city with roughly $1 billion in debt and that households could face an immediate 30–40% increase in electric bills, an additional $550 to $700 per year for a typical family. The coalition also notes the proposed board would require no utility or engineering experience of its members.
Harper said the coalition has raised its concerns with the city and still believes the group did not gather enough valid signatures, even counting the supplemental sheets.
Supporters' case
Ann Arbor for Public Power president Sean Higgins said the group believes breaking DTE's monopoly on distribution is the only path to the city's climate goals. Supporters cite municipal utilities in Lansing, Holland, Traverse City and Grand Haven as models, arguing a feasibility study will show lower rates in the medium to long term along with grid upgrades and fewer outages.
The campaign began collecting signatures after the public power issue stalled at City Council in 2025. The ballot question arrives days after Yousef Rabhi, a public power supporter, defeated incumbent Mayor Christopher Taylor in the Tuesday, Aug. 4 Democratic primary. Taylor had argued a DTE takeover would be too costly. Neither responded to MLive's requests for comment on the certification.
Ann Arbor voters approved a separate Sustainable Energy Utility in November 2024, an opt-in supplement that installs city-owned solar panels on participating homes at a $600 yearly rate. Ann Arbor for Public Power argues the SEU is limited and that most residents still rely exclusively on DTE, a majority of whose power comes from fossil fuels.
