Many Ann Arbor residents want a public utility to replace DTE. Its city council believes that's reckless.

In Michigan, costs continue to rise for things like gas, groceries and utilities.

Last March, a DTE rate hike increased bills by 4.6 %for a typical customer. Two months later, a Consumers Energy rate hike also increased rates by 6.1%, its second electric increase in a year.

As some residents in Ann Arbor see it, one solution is to replace DTE with a city-owned utility. A proposal on the November ballot would modify Ann Arbor's city charter, clearing the way for a municipal electric utility board. Last week, Ann Arbor's own city council voted 10-1 to oppose Proposal E and directed its city attorney to challenge it in court.

Why is Ann Arbor's city council fighting a ballot question its own voters put there? Erica Briggs is an Ann Arbor city council member. She voted in favor of the resolution. She spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.

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