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Officials Reveal How Ann Arbor Climate Tax Will Change City

Officials Reveal How Ann Arbor Climate Tax Will Change City

Officials in Ann Arbor, Michigan have revealed how a proposed 20-year climate tax will change the city over the next five years if voters approve it on November 8. 

According to M Live, the levy would generate approximately $6.8 million in its first year, allowing the city of just over 121,000 to make a number of major improvements. 

Over the course of year one, officials have announced they want to allocate $2 million to advance renewable energy, $1 million to move toward a zero-waste circular economy, $1 million for electrification efforts to shift away from reliance on gas, $1 million to expand walking and cycling infrastructure to encourage people to leave their cars at home, $750,000 for low-income programs, $500,000 for energy waste reduction, and $500,000 for "neighborhood resilience" to climate change.

Of the latter, which is the least self-explanatory measure, city officials said their goal is to "provide neighborhood community and resilience centers, neighborhood emergency preparedness support, tree planting and rain garden installations, local food production, and greater heat and flood mitigation initiatives.”

Authorities are also pointing residents toward a new webpage that shares the five-year outlook for the A2Zero initiative.

The website shares the following details about the first five years of the 20-year millage:

  • Move toward zero waste with:
  • Year round commercial and multi-family recycling (annual landfill diversion approx. 2,400 tons)
  • Year round commercial and multi-family composting (annual landfill diversion approx. 1,500 tons).
  • ​New construction and demolition waste reduction program
  • ​​Lower energy costs with:
  • Proposed direct rebates for home and business energy improvements for:  
  • Energy waste reduction / efficiency improvements (e.g., insulation, air sealing)
  • Renewable energy installations (e.g., solar, geothermal)
  • Appliance electrification (e.g., heat pumps, water heaters, induction stoves)
  • Energy storage systems and electrical panel upgrades
  • A new Energy Concierge to help individual homes/businesses identify cost savings and comfort, health, and safety improvements.
  • Improve community resilience with:
  • 40MW+ of clean, renewable, reliable energy
  • 100+ units of net zero affordable housing
  • 2 neighborhood resilience centers
  • 100+ rain gardens and 10,000 trees
  • 5,000 emergency preparedness kits and plans.
  • Increase walking and biking safety with:
  • 20+ miles of protected bike lanes
  • Lighting and safety improvements at 50+ crosswalks

If voters vote YES on Proposal 1 this year, they can expect their property taxes to rise. Ann Arbor officials estimate that taxpayers would pay an extra $125 annually for a property with an average taxable value of $125,000.

What do you think? Should Proposal 1 pass? If you need help with your Michigan taxes, match with the right local tax preparation expert today.

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Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

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