Modesto getting another $22.9 million in pandemic relief. How should it be spent?
Modesto expects to receive in May its second and last $22.9 million payment from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, and city officials have started thinking about how to spend the pandemic relief money.
They also want to hear from the public about how the one-time funding should be spent.
The city has a survey on its website, www.modestogov.com, that asks residents eight questions, covering such topics as housing, homelessness, public safety and how COVID-19 has affected them. The survey runs through April 19.
City officials will use the results in developing a spending plan. They also are holding public meetings for council members and the public to talk about the $22.9 million.
The first discussion was at the City Council’s Economic Development Committee meeting Monday. Two more are next week: Monday’s Safety and Communities Committee meeting and Wednesday’s Finance Committee meeting.
Both will be held over Zoom. The agendas will be posted at www.modestogov.com/746/Standing-Committees-Agendas-Minutes.
There also will be discussions at the council’s workshops for the city’s upcoming 2022-23 budget. The workshops are expected to take place in late April.
The City Council allocated spending Modesto’s first $22.9 million payment, received in May 2021, in three categories: economic vitality for efforts that support business and spur development, governance and service delivery to help the city deal with the effects of the pandemic, and quality of life for efforts that address mental health, homelessness and public amenities.
Those allocations included $500,000 each to Modesto Children’s Museum, the Graffiti USA Museum, which celebrates the city’s car culture, and The Awesome Spot, an inclusive playground planned at Beyer Community Park.
The council also allocated American Rescue Plan Act money on city initiatives, including $624,000 for a park ranger pilot program, $800,000 for a pilot program that would pair mental health clinicians with police officers on calls involving mental health crises as well as hiring two more civilian outreach specialists, and $1.27 million for park maintenance.
At Monday’s Economic Development Committee meeting, Mayor Sue Zwahlen said she wanted to wait until the community survey results are in before considering how to allocate the next round of funding.
She also suggested waiting to see how well the city’s initiatives from the first round do to determine whether they need additional funding from the second round of funding.
Councilman Chris Ricci said he wanted to spend the second round on efforts that improve the city’s economic well-being and increase its tax revenue. He did not provide examples at the meeting but said he would provide a detailed list to the city.
Councilman David Wright suggested spending some of the money for a pedestrian bridge across Dry Creek where it meets the Tuolumne River. That’s part of a project the city is working on to create a riverwalk along the entire seven miles of the Tuolumne River Regional Park, which runs from Mitchell to Carpenter roads.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act into law in March 2021. It includes $130 billion to cities and counties to deal with the effects of the pandemic.
Modesto has until Dec. 31, 2024, to obligate its ARPA funding and until Dec. 31, 2026, to spend it.
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
