City Initiated Annexations

Background​​

On September 19, 2011, City Council directed staff to begin a strategic process of gradually annexing township is​la​nd parcels in the City’s Ultimate Service Area. Township islands are parcels of land under Township jurisdiction but surrounded by land within the City of Ann Arbor. The September 2011 resolution (PDF) directed staff to initiate the annexation of properties owned by utility companies, publicly ow​ned parcels, and clusters of township islands within the ultimate service boundary area. These parcels are identified to ultimately be within the City's jurisdiction, as established in agreements between the City of Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor Township (Agreement, Agreement amendment), Scio Township and Pittsfield Township. Annexation of township islands will help eliminate duplication of police and fire services and improve efficiency of municipal service provision.

Since the September 19, 2011 City Council resolution, staff has developed a process for annexing township parcels into the City. The process includes establishing criteria to help prioritize parcels for city-initiated annexation. Criteria included the following:

• Availability of City water and sanitary sewer utility services
• Percent of parcels already connected to City water or sanitary sewer utilities within a group of township island parcels
• Ability of City vehicles to access property (including emergency vehicles)
• Road jurisdiction (City, County, private) 
• Availability of fire hydrants and the need for specialized firefighting equipment 
• Percent of parcels requesting City water and sanitary sewer utilities within a group of township island parcels
• Condition and age of private wells and septic systems and number of County Environmental Health complaints
• Number of contiguous parcels affected
• Presence of regulated natural features on potential development sites
• Staff time and effort anticipated to prepare survey drawings and legal descriptions
• Percent of vacant parcels within a group of township island parcels

Staff will continue to evaluate and prioritize parcels for annexation as the City Initiated Township Island Annexation project moves forward.

Staff completed the first round of City initiated annexation in October 2016 and is currently working on a second round of annexation petitions.

Updates

• ​On December 16, 2021, the State Boundary Commission​ recommended approval of some of the township island parcels the City proposed to annex, but not all of them.  The City is currently waiting for final action from the State's Director of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.  

Round 2 Petition Submittal to the State of Michigan Boundary Commission (SBC)