By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green faces a delightful dilemma – how to spend the estimated $7 million it is projected to receive in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
During a strategic planning meeting on Saturday, City Council members decided one of their priorities for 2021 is to make sure public input is gathered on the projects funded.
Though only the first installment has been received, the city is expected to get a total close to $7 million in the federal COVID relief funding.
“That’s a transformational amount of money,” Council President Mark Hollenbaugh said. Final rules of how the money can be used have yet to be received. But council members wanted to make sure that the public had a chance to weigh in on how the money would best be used.
Being familiar with the normal “deluge” of public hearings the city engages in, Hollenbaugh said he was confident the process would be transparent.
Mayor Mike Aspacher called the funding an “historic opportunity” and told City Council that he plans to announce a proposal at Monday’s council meeting for use of some of the funds.
“This initial effort meets the guiding principles we established earlier in the year when the federal government passed the legislation and began planning for the distribution of these funds,” the mayor said.
Aspacher listed the guiding principles for the ARPA funds as:
- One-time use of one-time funds that will not create an on-going expense for the city.
- All uses must be allowable as determined by the U.S. Treasury Department to avoid penalties and consider future audit findings.
- Avoid duplication of services already provided by an existing entity, such as Wood County or the city school district.
- Identify uses that will have a community-wide impact.
Council member Greg Robinette said the estimated $7 million will present a “different dilemma” than the city normally encounters. He reminded fellow council members that any new projects chosen for funding still have to be implemented by the same city staff – which is already stretched thin.
Once the final rules are issued on how the money can be used, the city can look at its options, he said.
“I think we’re going to be shockingly surprised at what we can get done,” Robinette said. “We won’t waste a penny of the opportunity.”
