Ypsilanti City Council to vote on placing initiatives on November ballot

The Ypsilanti City Council is expected to vote tonight on placing two citizen-sponsored initiatives on the November ballot. One ballot measure would switch the city's elections for Mayor and City Council to nonpartisan. Supporters say this would lead to more public participation in local government, as the current partisan elections are effectively decided in the Democratic primary rather than the general election. The other initiative would require a public vote prior to any increase in the Ypsilanti Police Department's budget. This measure is being put forward by the Ypsilanti Ballot Initiative Group. These two initiatives were previously kept off the ballot two years ago due to a missed filing deadline.