Ypsilanti Sends Police Budget Ballot Initiative to Governor Whitmer for Review

The Ypsilanti City Council has forwarded a Charter Amendment ballot initiative to Governor Gretchen Whitmer that would require voter approval for any increases in the police department budget.

The initiative, known as the Ypsi Ballot Initiative Group proposal, was filed with the city clerk on July 19, 2024, after collecting enough registered elector signatures to qualify for the ballot.

On April 7, 2026, Ypsilanti City Council members voted to send a Certificate of Sufficiency to Washtenaw County clerk and the governor for review in accordance with Michigan law.

The ballot proposal would create a charter amendment requiring any increase to the city police budget that exceeds the previous year's expenditures to be approved by a majority of voters in a regular citywide election.

"It is proposed that City Charter Section 5.04 be amended to provide for a limit in the City Council's provision to budget police expenditures above the previous year's budgeted expenditures unless such an increase be approved by a majority of voters in a regular city-wide election in a ballot question pertaining to no other issue," the petition language states.

Council member Patrick McLean, Ward 2, expressed concern that the proposal would fundamentally alter how the city operates.

"It is holding our budget hostage," McLean told The Eastern Echo. "There is no good reason to put anything before the voters that creates an inherent, internal contradiction within our city charter. This would make our city charter make no sense. And it would make our city almost ungovernable."

McLean raised specific concerns about the timeline implications. Michigan law requires that a budget be adopted by June 7 each year.

"We would have to start, I believe, a 2029 budget while we're busy doing the 2026 budget," McLean said. "If the budget wasn't approved by the required date, it could trigger other actions, such as the appointment of an emergency manager, which he said could harm the city."

Councilor Desirae Simmons, Ward 3, pushed back on these concerns, describing some of the pushback as fear-mongering and misinformation.

Council member Amber Fellows, Ward 3, shared similar views, telling The Eastern Echo that the initiative will not defund the police department.

"It's just: every time we want to increase the budget, it has to be approved by the vote of the people," Fellows said. "It is really a matter of a compelling argument from future council governments, like, 'Hey, we need an increase.' And if the argument is compelling, then the voters might support that, but overall, it is just some more democracy, and so I find it pretty abhorrent that people are advocating against it."

Fellows said the proposal brings decision-making to the hands of the public and said the community should move towards addressing social issues as a collective.

"To get more into organizing social needs by collective decision-making, I think is the direction we should go towards, so that is going to look like shifting away from traditional government models, and putting more things on the ballot," Fellows said.

Before the proposal can appear on ballots, it must be reviewed by the governor, who brings back adjustments that need to be made, according to City Attorney Randolph Barker.

During the public comment portion of the April 7 meeting, some residents spoke in favor of the proposal and bringing the original language to a vote on a ballot.

Many mentioned recent incidents, including the police response to a man who barricaded himself in his home and a fatal shooting by Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputies, as reasons for their support.

In materials shared online, organizers at YpsiBIG argue that this initiative is necessary to rethink what safety means, and that oftentimes, residents aren't even aware when the police budget increases.

"Currently, the general public has no say in changes to the police budget. The budget has frequently been raised at the last moment by the approval of council, and while citizens can express public comment in either support or disapproval, it is ultimately not up to us," the group stated in a Google document.

The initiative still needs an explanatory caption approved by the Attorney General before it can proceed to voters.

The ballot would appear if approved in the November 2026 election alongside the gubernatorial and Senate races.

However, the proposal faces a significant hurdle: the city must still finalize its budget by June 7, 2026, regardless of whether the ballot initiative is approved.

If the ballot language is approved by voters, it would take effect after the election and would govern future budget decisions.

The city attorney noted that the governor has the authority to send the initiative back for modifications before it reaches voters.

The process highlights the tension between direct democracy through ballot initiatives and traditional municipal governance structures.

Proponents argue the proposal brings transparency to police spending and ensures residents have final say over increases.

Opponents contend the measure would make budgeting nearly impossible and could force the city into emergency status with the state.

The initiative has enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, but approval by the governor and Attorney General are still required before it can reach voters.

The November 2026 ballot will include the Ypsilanti police budget initiative if it clears all remaining legal hurdles.