Virtual
This public meeting is one of several Project Focused Q&A Sessions. This session will focus on Universal Basic Income & Coordinated Funding Support.
All sessions will be held as zoom digital meetings. Access details to come. Participants are highly encouraged to watch overview videos before joining the question-and-answer sessions (see below). To use time efficiently, project overviews will not be provided during the meetings.
Coordinated Funding Support
Estimated cost: $5,400,000 annually
This project would provide support to families living at or below the poverty line as this pandemic continues, providing basic safety net services to residents, with a focus on addressing poverty, racism and trauma in our community.
Universal Basic Income
Estimated cost: $2,300,000
This project would establish a universal basic income pilot program, which would provide direct aid to a group of families for three years, with review from social scientists to document the impact this aid has had, not just on the families, but on the whole community. This program may set the foundation for a for a larger, longer program that could benefit all families in Ann Arbor.
YouTube video explainer
Background:
On March 11, 2021 President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which provides financial support to local governments to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Ann Arbor is now in the process of determining how to allocate the onetime $24.1 million in ARPA funds the city is receiving. To help accomplish this, city staff have developed a list of potential projects that:
Meet ARPA fund criteria;
Solve an important public policy priority of City Council;
Provide an opportunity for the city to pursue new or transformative initiatives;
Help free up funds from other sources to accelerate investment in other critical city programs or infrastructure.
However, the City of Ann Arbor has more potential projects than available funding so the city would like the community to weigh-in on which projects they would like to see advanced using ARPA funding. City Council will take community input into consideration to make the final decision about what projects receive ARPA funds. City Council was previously provided a memo (PDF) outlining the program and funding.
To learn more about the proposed projects, please see the brief descriptions and videos here or join a virtual meeting where you will be able to ask city staff questions about each project.
All persons are encouraged to participate in public meetings. Accommodations, including sign language interpreters, may be arranged by contacting the City Clerk’s office at 734.794.6140; via email to cityclerk@a2gov.org; or by written request addressed and mailed or delivered to:
City Clerk’s Office
301 E. Huron St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Requests made with less than two business days' notice may not be able to be accommodated.