(LANSING) – On Monday July 28th, Lansing City Council passed an amended version of Mayor Andy Schor’s plan for spending federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The Council Committee on Ways & Means made significant changes to the original spending plan submitted by Schor, however, the Mayor agreed to go along with a compromise plan to ensure passage and allow for nearly $25 million designed to be spent on projects that meet federal eligibility. “The funds provided by the federal government through ARPA must be used to help communities deal with the devastating economic impact from the pandemic. While the spending plan, as passed by Council tonight, was not my original proposal, I support moving forward so there is no delay in allocating funds as soon as they become available. City Council raised some concerns, but I thank them for doing their work and working with me to develop the compromise plan that passed tonight,” stated Mayor Schor. The spending plan as passed calls on funds to be used to help backfill the City budget that was negatively impacted due to the pandemic to avoid loss of city services and layoffs of city employees. It also focuses efforts on several other areas including:
Gun violence prevention and other grant programs through the Department of Neighborhoods, Arts & Citizen Engagement = $300,000
Fire department gear, EMS equipment, and vehicle upgrades= $2.78 million
Parks & Recreation upgrades to several parks and facilities across the city = $3.4 million
Office of Financial Empowerment to promote and expand economic mobility & education programs, including assistance to help clear DWL balances = $202,000
Police department safety equipment, athletic league, training, and record modernization = $1.45 million
The Lansing Equitable Economic Development program = $2 million
Downtown Lansing and small business assistance programs = $600,000
Economic Development grants and assistance programs = $1.1 million
Student graduation program partnership with the Lansing School District = $400,000
While many individual community agency requests were removed in this process, there will be a balance of at least $2 million that will be used by the Schor administration to assist community agencies and non-profits who are working directly with residents across the City. “So many of our community partners provided important services to a wide range of diverse groups all over Lansing and should be able to apply for funding from these remaining dollars. I will work with my administration to set up a process that will allow these groups to request funding to continue to offer programs that make a real difference in the lives of Lansing residents,” Schor said. The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), a part of the American Rescue Plan, delivers $350 billion to state, county, and local governments across the country to support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency. The program ensures that governments have the resources needed to support our communities and invest in the future. Per federal guidance the funds must be used to replace lost public sector revenue, support the COVID-19 public health and economic response, provide premium pay for eligible workers performing essential work, and invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure investments.
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