City of Ypsilanti — Police Budget (Washtenaw County)

What it does

It is proposed that City Charter Section 5.04 be amended to provide for a limit in the City Council’s provision to budgeted police expenditures above the previous year’s budgeted police 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. Shall this proposed amendment to the Ypsilanti City Charter be adopted?

A YES vote means

Ypsilanti's City Council could not budget more for police than the previous year's police budget unless voters approve the increase in a regular city election in a single-issue ballot question.

A NO vote means

Ypsilanti's charter would not add this limit on police budget increases.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Unclear: our AI read of the official summary isn't confident enough (we require 70%) to place this on the left–right spectrum, so we don't. Read the summary and decide for yourself.

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Explained

Who would notice

The Ypsilanti City Council, the city's police department budget, and Ypsilanti voters, who would vote on any year-over-year increase in budgeted police spending. It does not itself raise or cut any tax.

How it got here

This is a citizen-initiated charter amendment. The petition was filed with the City Clerk on July 19, 2024, and the Clerk certified it had enough valid signatures.

On March 17, 2026 the council voted 4–3 to table Resolution No. 2026-077, which forwards the petition to the County Clerk and Governor, to give council time to consider an explanatory caption. On April 7, 2026 the council approved the amended resolution 6–1. A proposed purpose statement from Council Member Fellows failed 3–4. It appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

Written by SpectrumVote from 4 linked sources (1, 2, 3, 4). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

Background

This charter amendment was proposed by citizen petition; the petition's text would bar City Council from adopting a budget with total police expenditures above the previous fiscal year's unless voters approve in a charter amendment election on no other matter, according to City Council's April 7, 2026 minutes.

On April 7, 2026, after receiving the City Clerk's certificate of sufficiency for the petition, City Council voted 6–1 (Council Member McLean voting no) on Resolution No. 2026-077 directing the Clerk to forward it to the Washtenaw County Clerk and to the Governor for review under state law.

WEMU reported that the group YpsiBIG gathered enough signatures for the measure in 2024, but it did not appear on the November 2024 ballot because, according to the Washtenaw County Clerk, the city clerk's office missed the August 13 filing deadline.

Put on the ballot by Citizen initiative petition; Ypsilanti City Council forwarded the certified petition 6–1 on April 7, 2026 (Resolution No. 2026-077).

From official source.

In the news

• Proposed amendments to Ypsilanti City Charter will not appear on November ballot · WEMU, 2024-09-03

Next elections here

• 2028 presidential election · Who has filed so far, from FEC filings

Also on Washtenaw County ballots

• City of Ann Arbor Proposal A — Charter Amendment Tax for Street, Bridge, and Sidewalk Repair and Replacement
• City of Ann Arbor Proposal B — Charter Amendment Tax for the Construction of New Sidewalks
• City of Ann Arbor Proposal C — Amendment to Modify the Method for Counting Signatures of Nomination Petitions
• City of Ann Arbor Proposal D — Amendment to Modify the Terms of Office for Elected Officials
• City of Ann Arbor Proposal E — Creation and Governance of a Municipal Electric Utility
• City of Dexter — A Proposal to Amend the Dexter City Charter Section 13.05 to Insert Language to Designate Specified Property as Public Park
• City of Ypsilanti — Non-Partisan Elections
• Augusta Charter Township — Fire Protection and Prevention Millage Increase
• Manchester Township — Fire Protection Services Millage Renewal
• Northfield Township — Fire Service and Medical Rescue Millage Proposal
• Scio Township Road, Bridge, and Culvert Improvement Millage Proposal

All Washtenaw County races and measures →

Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of Ypsilanti mean?

Ypsilanti's City Council could not budget more for police than the previous year's police budget unless voters approve the increase in a regular city election in a single-issue ballot question.

What does a NO vote on City of Ypsilanti mean?

Ypsilanti's charter would not add this limit on police budget increases.

Would this cut the police budget?

The text limits increases. Police spending above the previous year's level would need voter approval. It does not require a cut.

Who decides if police spending can go up?

Under the petition text, voters would decide, in an election where the ballot question addresses no other matter.

Did the council propose this?

No. It came from a voter petition. Council members debated wording for an explanatory caption and voted on forwarding the petition, as recorded in the minutes.

How many votes does City of Ypsilanti need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on City of Ypsilanti?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.