News Release - Mayor Warren Seeks Community Input on Federal Stimulus Funding

City of Rochester

News Release

(Thursday, May 27, 2021) -- Mayor Lovely A. Warren is seeking the community’s input to determine the best way to invest the City of Rochester’s $202 million allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act, President Joseph Biden’s pandemic stimulus program.

“These funds represent an historic opportunity to shape Rochester’s recovery in a manner that delivers the equity our citizens deserve,” Mayor Warren said. “That is why we need the input of our residents to help us maximize the benefit of these funds and turn opportunity into reality. With the insight of our residents and employers, I am confident we can put these dollars to work for all of our citizens and create Rochester’s first new era for everyone.”

Residents will have three opportunities to provide input:

  • An online survey at CityofRochester.Gov/ARPA
  • A Community Input Webinar will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 3 via Zoom. A link to the meeting be posted at CityofRochester.Gov/ARPA
  • A Telephone Town Hall meeting is tentatively scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 17.

To learn more about ARPA and track the City’s spending decisions and future public events related to the funding, visit CityofRochester.Gov/ARPA.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes $65 billion for cities, towns and villages. Rochester’s allocation will be disbursed over two years, and the first $101 million payment arrived in the middle of May.

The U.S. Department of Treasury listed four objectives for the funds:

  • Support urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to decrease spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control;
  • Replace lost revenue for eligible state, local, territorial and Tribal governments to strengthen support for vital public services and help retain jobs;
  • Support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses;
  • Address systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the in-equal impact of the pandemic.

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