|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The American Rescue Plan Act funds have played a pivotal role in reinforcing Rochester 2034, the city of Rochester’s comprehensive plan. The funds, which will sunset at the end of next year, have assisted with capital projects including replacement of lead water service lines to prevent lead contamination and Buy the Block, the city’s effort to build homes for income-eligible, first-time homeowners on vacant lots in former ‘redlined’ neighborhoods.
“We got the ARPA dollars and said, ‘OK, what are capital projects that we haven’t been able to put the necessary amount of money into? And let’s figure out how to get those moving,’” says Mitch Gruber, chairperson of City Council’s Budget, Finance, and Governance committee. “Every major project that we’ve done has to find its way to tie back into the 2034 plan.”
A 15-year plan, adopted in 2019, is intended to make significant improvements to the city by its 200th birthday. The plan covers a wide range of strategies, from historic preservation, housing and transportation to land use and economic growth.
Federal funds were allocated to the city as part of ARPA, a Biden-era stimulus bill enacted in 2021 to assist local governments in economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cities received ARPA dollars to address budget shortfalls and support major infrastructure projects, human services, education programs, and low-income housing and health care needs. The city received a total of $202.1 million in ARPA funding.
Replacement of lead water service lines received $36.3 million, the largest ARPA appropriation. Other top appropriations include workforce development services, $15.1 million; Buy the Block, $13.4 million; exterior renovations at the Central Library’s Rundel Building downtown, $9.1 million; the city’s roofing assistance program, $7.7 million; and the Maplewood Community Library expansion, $7.4 million. Funding also was allocated for resilience programs and meal delivery services for elderly residents of Rochester, among other services.
Beginning with the 2022-2023 budget plan, the city began including ARPA packages in its annual budget, a practice that continued until this year. The City Council finalized the 2025-2026 budget with a $27 million reduction from last year, approximately $20 million of which was attributed to the expiration of ARPA funding.
Projects slated to receive ARPA funds were chosen by the committee that Gruber chairs, with the assistance of the Bronner Group, a private consulting firm hired by the city. Potential projects were evaluated for their eligibility within the ARPA program, and prioritized based on how useful ARPA funds would be in completing or kickstarting them.
“We got the ARPA dollars and said, ‘Okay, what are capital projects that we haven’t been able to put the necessary amount of money into? And let’s figure out how to get those moving.’” says Gruber.
In cases where ARPA dollars were used to kickstart longer-term programs, such as human services, the committee had to account for the eventual end of ARPA funding.
“(The committee] spent the money in responsible ways to get new programs started, to fix really important infrastructure,” Gruber says, and we’re left in a place where we are not going to be in harm’s way with our budget as the money expires.”
Financial disclosures outlining the allocation of ARPA funds to specific projects reveal that some projects have encumbered funds, indicating that portions of the funds dedicated to those projects have not yet been spent. Encumbered funds, which currently $60.2 million or roughly a third of Rochester’s ARPA funds, must be spent by the end of 2026 or returned to the federal government if they’re not used.
Though some projects, like a redesign for part of the Rochester Public Market, have used only a small portion of their funds, the committee remains confident that all appropriated funds will be spent by the end of 2026.
“We had tons of competing needs all the time, and at the end of the day, I think not just how we plan for ARPA, but how we’re able to wean ourselves off of ARPA, makes us in a lot of ways a model,” Gruber says.
David Wazana, a student at Ithaca College, is a member of the Oasis Project’s second cohort.
The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing [email protected].