{"id":4005,"date":"2025-12-19T02:49:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T02:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/19\/ann-arbor-city-council-removes-neighborhood-crime-watch-signs\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T02:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T02:49:07","slug":"ann-arbor-city-council-removes-neighborhood-crime-watch-signs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/19\/ann-arbor-city-council-removes-neighborhood-crime-watch-signs\/","title":{"rendered":"Ann Arbor City Council removes Neighborhood Crime Watch signs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2gov.org\/city-council\/\">Ann Arbor City Council<\/a> met in Larcom City Hall Monday evening to discuss the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2dda.org\/\">Downtown Development Authority<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/engage.a2gov.org\/dda-development-plan-1#:~:text=Tax%20Increment%20Financing%20%28TIF%29%20is%20the%20capture%20of%20a%E2%80%AFportion%20of%20taxes%20within%20an%20established%20district%20to%20fund%20capital%20improvements%2C%20including%20work%20on%20streets%2C%20sidewalks%2C%20public%20utilities%2C%20and%20parks.\">Tax Increment Financing Plan<\/a>, housing for low-income residents and the removal of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nnw.org\/about-national-neigborhood-watch\">Neighborhood Crime Watch<\/a> signs.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting began with public comment. Resident Kathy Griswold criticized Ann Arbor\u2019s pedestrian safety after returning from a trip to San Francisco, saying the city\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visionzerosf.org\/\">success<\/a> in promoting public safety proves this is within the local government\u2019s ability.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you imagine a city seven times the size of Ann Arbor where the mayor truly cared about pedestrian safety?\u201d Griswold said. \u201cSometimes I think maybe we need two mayors and two councils \u2014 one that can do whatever you guys are doing with all of your projects and your AAAAA ratings and your awards that you\u2019re winning, and a second one that does basic services quietly delivering safe sidewalks, safe streets on a regular basis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The council first discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/a2gov.legistar.com\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7774241&amp;GUID=B0C9ACF6-01D4-4361-9598-592C946AFD7C\">CA-21<\/a>, a resolution to approve the DDA\u2019s TIF Plan. TIF allows a portion of tax revenue generated within a designated district to be set aside to fund capital improvements, such as upgrades to streets, sidewalks, public utilities, and parks. The proposal required approval by the council to continue operations, and it also sought to expand the DDA\u2019s boundaries.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Ann Arbor resident Thomas Wieder criticized CA-21 and said he believes DDA tax revenue can be spent elsewhere. Wieder argued <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.mi.gov\/documents\/mcl\/archive\/2017\/October\/mcl-Act-197-of-1975.pdf\">Act 197 of 1975<\/a>, which authorized the creation of downtown development authorities throughout Michigan, states the purpose of a DDA is to prevent property value deterioration \u2014 a problem Ann Arbor does not have.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan anybody around that table suggest with a straight face that there\u2019s a problem of property value deterioration in Ann Arbor\u2019s DDA district?\u201d Wieder said. \u201cThere\u2019s absolutely no evidence of a decline which justifies the continued existence of a TIF to subsidize the downtown, which has by far the highest property values in the city. I question whether the tens of millions of dollars spent by the DDA over its 43 years are significantly responsible for the health of the downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Councilmember Lisa Disch, D-Ward 1, agreed property values are rising, but said the DDA TIF money could not be reallocated to other areas of the city\u2019s budget if the council stopped supporting it. For that reason, she said she supported the new TIF plan, which would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wemu.org\/wemu-news\/2025-12-16\/ann-arbor-considering-expansion-of-downtown-development-border\">expand the DDA\u2019s jurisdiction<\/a> north of Kingsley Street to include Kerrytown.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s true that we\u2019re doing pretty well as a city, but this proposal to extend the DDA boundaries northward would help out with an area of the city that could use considerable help in infrastructure,\u201d Disch said. \u201cThey have supported affordable housing development with a lot of money. \u2026 That is money that is not in the city\u2019s general fund and would not be in the city\u2019s general fund in that magnitude if we simply stopped having the DDA capture the TIF that it captures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Councilmember Dharma Akmon, D-Ward 4, also expressed support of DDA projects. The DDA previously carried out projects emphasizing pedestrian safety, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2dda.org\/people-friendly-streets\/projects\/fifth-detroit-street-project\/\">Fifth &amp; Detroit Street<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2dda.org\/people-friendly-streets\/projects\/first-ashley-street-project\/\">First &amp; Ashley Street<\/a> projects. Akmon said some initiatives, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2dda.org\/people-friendly-streets\/projects\/public-restroom-pilot\/\">portable public restrooms<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/thronelabs.co\/\">Throne Labs<\/a>, have improved the downtown area.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cA healthy downtown belongs to all of us,\u201d Akmon said. \u201cI think investing in our downtown is very worthy. Some of the projects that have been accomplished downtown that haven\u2019t been mentioned: public art projects, public restrooms with the Throne, the improvements that we talked about earlier in this meeting related to the transit center on Fourth Avenue, the bikeways that are downtown that have people fully separated from traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The council then considered <a href=\"https:\/\/a2gov.legistar.com\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7770717&amp;GUID=0DDB1F54-B205-43A6-B250-423C718402A8\">CA-15<\/a>, which would grant $4 million to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2gov.org\/housing-commission\/ann-arbor-housing-development-corporation\/\">Ann Arbor Housing Development Corporation<\/a>, a nonprofit providing affordable housing for low-income families in the city. The money would support a development located at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2gov.org\/housing-commission\/development-of-city-owned-properties-as-affordable-housing\/350-s-fifth-ave\/\">350 S. Fifth Ave<\/a> intended for smaller families which do not own cars.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer Hall, executive director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2gov.org\/housing-commission\/\">Ann Arbor Housing Commission<\/a>, said the extra funding from CA-15 is needed for the new development despite the city\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.a2gov.org\/housing-commission\/affordable-housing-millage\/\">2020 Affordable Housing Millage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne thing that people don\u2019t understand usually is that we have to compete for funding for these developments, even though the city in 2020 did adopt an Affordable Housing Millage,\u201d Hall said. \u201cThat is not sufficient funding to develop a significant number of affordable housing units.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next resolution discussed was <a href=\"https:\/\/a2gov.legistar.com\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7772324&amp;GUID=FD02B82F-088A-4F77-A7E2-145EA0D0F276\">DC-2<\/a>, a call for continued federal support for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hud.gov\/\">U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hudexchange.info\/programs\/coc\/coc-program-eligibility-requirements\/\">Continuum of Care Program<\/a>, which helps homeless populations acquire housing. In November, the Trump administration announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/11\/13\/trump-cuts-homeless-housing-program-00650758\">cuts to CoC\u2019s permanent housing budget<\/a> in place of temporary housing. However, on Dec. 8, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/12\/08\/hud-temporarily-pauses-homelessness-funding-overhaul-00682015\">retracted this change<\/a> in response to multiple lawsuits, but the department is planning to release a new policy soon. Councilmember Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, D-Ward 3, said the local budget cannot replace the benefits Continuum of Care provides for people experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cIn Washtenaw County, over 400 formerly homeless individuals, including children, seniors and people with disabilities are currently housed because of these federal dollars,\u201d Ghazi Edwin said. \u201cIf renewals are delayed or shortened, these households very realistically may return to homelessness, and local government simply cannot make up this funding stream.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Councilmember Cynthia Harrison, D-Ward 1, said homelessness has downstream effects and underscored the importance of these funds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout this Continuum of Care funding, we\u2019re not just talking about 300 people losing housing,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about breaking the connections they\u2019ve built to jobs, doctors, schools and stability. This is exactly what HUD funding is designed to do \u2014 to get people housed and supported so they can rebuild their lives. \u2026 The work our Continuum of Care has done in our community has been transformative, and we cannot let this critical support system collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The final discussion was about <a href=\"https:\/\/a2gov.legistar.com\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7780934&amp;GUID=20CC81C2-3988-443F-BF4A-2B96950E71B4&amp;Options=&amp;Search=\">DC-4<\/a>, directing the removal of <a href=\"https:\/\/nnw.org\/\">Neighborhood Crime Watch <\/a>signs. The resolution states, despite the\u00a0 signs\u2019 well-intentioned origins, they have not reduced crime rates. Councilmember Jen Eyer, D-Ward 4, said she believes the more than 600 signs still standing represent a defunct program that does not represent the city\u2019s core beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Neighborhood Watch signs that still stand across Ann Arbor really come from a different era,\u201d Eyer said. \u201cThe program they reference is no longer active, the hotline no longer functions and the signs are not connected to any current public safety strategy of the city. Yet, they remain posted throughout our neighborhoods, continuing to send a message that no longer reflects our values or our practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Harrison said the city backtracked on its progressive ideals in the 1970s, causing an influx of these signs, which may intimidate Black residents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe previously said \u2018open doors,\u2019 and then we put up signs that said \u2018scrutinize who walks through them,\u2019\u201d Harrison said. \u201cSigns don\u2019t just sit there, they speak. For many people, especially Black and brown residents and visitors, those signs have never felt neutral. They signal that unfamiliarity itself is suspicious, that their presence must be justified, that belonging is conditional.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The council unanimously approved CA-21, CA-15, DC-2 and DC-4.<\/p>\n<p><em>Daily News Editor Dominic Apap can be reached at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/ann-arbor\/ann-arbor-city-council-votes-to-remove-neighborhood-crime-watch-signs\/mailto:dapap@umich.edu\"><em>dapap@umich.edu<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Ann Arbor City Council met in Larcom City Hall Monday evening to discuss the Downtown Development Authority\u2019s Tax Increment Financing Plan, housing for low-income residents and the removal of Neighborhood Crime Watch signs. The meeting began with public comment. Resident Kathy Griswold criticized Ann Arbor\u2019s pedestrian safety after returning from a trip to San [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[242,243,287,288,2095,3925,3924,472,1825],"class_list":{"0":"post-4005","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-ann","9":"tag-arbor","10":"tag-city","11":"tag-council","12":"tag-crime","13":"tag-neighborhood","14":"tag-removes","15":"tag-signs","16":"tag-watch"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4005"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4007,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005\/revisions\/4007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}