City looks at ways to spend $10M from American Rescue Plan

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta fee is determining the way it’ll spend $10 million sitting within the metropolis’s pockets.

The cash is from the federal authorities’s American Rescue Plan. The town of Augusta is $82 million richer.

“I’m actually hoping that we’ll be very, very frugal with that,” mentioned Brandon Garrett, commissioner for District 8 mentioned.

The American Rescue Plan gave Augusta $82 million. About $11 million has been spent. $52 million is already allotted, and about $10 million is simply sitting there

Dennis Williams, commissioner for District 2 mentioned: “It’s a number of issues that should be executed and everybody desires the cash.”

However extra money doesn’t all the time imply extra methods to spend it. ARP cash comes with restrictions. It may solely be used for COVID mitigation efforts, like ‘Vax Up Augusta,’ or for workforce woes, like pay raises for important staff.

They will spend money on infrastructure enhancements, together with water and sewer initiatives. They will additionally use it to get well losses in authorities companies.

Garrett mentioned: “Sure departments like engineering are having some very actual funds points simply due to the will increase in all of the supplies.”

Cash is already assigned to blight, the fireplace division, metropolis staffing streetlights, and extra.

Alvin Mason, commissioner for District 4 mentioned: “We’re gonna need to do one thing that’s constructive for the neighborhood. Not simply raises and issues like that we’ve already executed.”

Some prospects on the desk for the $10 million embrace homelessness, crime, and parks. This cash can’t be saved or invested to make more cash. It have to be spent by 2024.

Commissioners we spoke to say they’d prefer to determine what to allocate the ten million to quickly, and so they’re establishing a workshop to speak extra about it.

Williams mentioned: “Now we have to take a look at the long-term strategy of coping with it and the place we put it at.”

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