At tonight’s Bloomington City Council Meeting a presentation on where city staff would like to spend its American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be made to the city council. The city administration department along with the economic and community development department will be making the presentation.
The city received $13.4 million in ARPA funds to be utilized for various purposes. City council approved a resolution establishing a spending frame on July 25, 2022. The frame allows $9.o million for infrastructure, $2.2 million for economic development and $2.2 million for socioeconomic opportunities.
Some of the ARPA funding has already been budgeted for specific projects. According to the council report the presentation will provide a proposed framework for the remainder of the funds allocated to economic development and socioeconomic opportunities.
In July City Manager Tim Gleason told us how the $9 million for infrastructure was divided. Two million dollars will be spent on roadways this year. $2 million has been spent to combine two phases of the Locust Colton Combined Sewer Project and $1 million for the East Street Hydrology study. That accounts for $5 millon.
Gleason also told us at that time council was discussing spending another 2 million on roadways in fiscal year (FY) 2023-24. At the time that left another $2 million to be spent on other infrastructure. That accounts for the other $4 million. Based on tonight’s council report those decisions may have been firmed up in the past two months.
Last month city council approved $750,000 for a Downtown Streetscape Phase 1 Design Study. That project is being funded with ARPA funds slated for economic development. Tonight we can expect to hear where the city would like to spend the remaining $1.45 million dedicated to economic development.
Also tonight we will hear for the first time where the city would like to spend the $2.2 million dedicated to socioeconomic opportunities.
The Bloomington City Council meets at 6:00 pm on the fourth floor of the Government Center.
