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Council directs city attorney to draft tenant ‘right to organize’ ordinance after advocates press for engagement
Summary
Ann Arbor’s City Council approved a resolution directing the city attorney to prepare a right-to-organize ordinance and asked staff to deliver a draft by the September 8 introduction deadline; tenant organizers at public comment said a draft had been produced months earlier and urged faster collaboration.
Ann Arbor City Council voted to direct the city attorney to prepare an ordinance granting tenants the right to form tenant organizations and collectively advocate for housing conditions. Councilmember Medina, sponsor of the resolution, apologized to tenant advocates for communication lapses and said the resolution was intended to expedite work that has been pending for months.
The action responds to persistent requests from tenant organizers and the Renters Commission for a clear timeline. “I asked the city attorney to produce a draft of the right to organize ordinance by the time of the August 20 renters commission meeting,” tenant organizer Janet Wang told the council during public comment, adding that tenant groups had not been consulted on the resolution’s introduction.
Several public commenters, including Major Stevens and Nathan Kim, told the council the Ann Arbor Tenants Union and Huron Valley DSA had drafted language earlier in the year and urged that the city attorney and staff incorporate tenant authors’ input. Councilmember Medina said the resolution sets direction to have an ordinance ready for introduction at the Sept. 8 meeting and asked staff to streamline the review process that can take up to 30 days.
Councilmember Harrison, who has championed crisis-response and tenant protections in past sessions, thanked advocates and emphasized the council’s responsibility to address power imbalances between tenants and landlords. The council approved DC1 without recorded opposition during the meeting.
The resolution does not itself change city code; it directs staff to prepare a draft ordinance and to provide the council and community the needed opportunity for review and comment before formal introduction. The sponsors asked that the Renters Commission receive draft language by Aug. 20 and that any formal feedback be attached to the Sept. 8 introduction packet.
Next steps: Staff and the city attorney will draft the ordinance text consistent with the direction in DC1 and return it for introduction and subsequent council consideration. Public meetings and the Renters Commission were explicitly named as venues for further input.
