ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Ann Arbor City Council voted Monday night 9-1 to approve a $1 million contingency fund to prepare for the incoming federal administration.
City leadership says they want to be prepared for any changes that may arise at the federal level.
“Part of the reason for wanting, we feel needing to be proactive in this instance is we’re talking about a coming uncertainty and we don’t know the speed with which it will come," Ann Arbor City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr. said at the meeting Monday. “Anything can happen.”
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor says the funds can be used in a multitude of ways and did not provide specific examples, however, immigration, city projects, programs and the economy were touched on at the meeting.
"There's been a lot of information coming from the administration and people associated with administration. There is, as a result, a fair bit of uncertainty," Taylor said.
Taylor says the city is seeing a surplus in their funds due to property taxes coming in above budgeted amounts and more money coming from marijuana businesses. With that extra money, the city has voted to investing in city projects, city employee pay and now, addressing the change in leadership at the federal level.
"We have put aside $1 million so that we are going to be able to be responsive to the needs of our residents in the event that the directionality from the federal government changes quickly," the mayor said.
He says he is not aware of any other time in the city's history that this has been done. Ann Arbor Councilwoman Jen Eyer says the all-Democrat city council is trying to be proactive and there’s no underlying political motive.
"It's not a dig at all. It is simply a way of giving us a little bit of a cushion that we can draw on if we need to, to make up for any gaps in funding that may occur due to policies whether by Congress, whether by the administration or both," she said.
7 News Detroit reached out to the Michigan Republican Part for comment. In a statement MIGOP executive director Tyson Shepard said,
"The People’s Republic of Ann Arbor is mourning November’s public rejection of their radical policies that have done nothing for their city or the state of Michigan. Democrats there have already cut funding for schools and now are holding hostage more taxpayer dollars for no reason other than being sore losers.”
Residents are also split of the decision.
“I don’t think they should be doing that with that money and I honestly feel like there’s a better place for that money to go," Ann Arbor resident Justen White said.
Others believe that the move is just a precaution and feel the city is being financially responsible.
"Households have a rainy day fund, and I guess the city could have a rainy day fund. And who knows, we could have a lot of storms coming down the pipe with the Trump Administration," longtime Ann Arbor resident Nick Roumel said.
If the $1 million is not used by the city to respond to the incoming administration, that money would remain in the fund balance, to be used for other goals or projects.
