Home Economy Smiley proposes amendments to reallocate unspent ARPA funds

Smiley proposes amendments to reallocate unspent ARPA funds

By

Christopher Allen

-

10/01/2024

Brett P. Smiley — PROVIDENCE MAYOR Brett P. Smiley on Tuesday announced proposed amendments to the city’s American Rescue Plan Act budget, shifting the remaining $4.4 million to the Housing Trust Fund and other community initiatives to meet the Dec. 31 allocation deadline. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – Mayor Brett P. Smiley on Tuesday announced a proposal to reallocate the roughly $4.4 million unspent from the city’s $166 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding toward housing initiatives and other investments, as well as mandating all unspent money remaining as of March 31, 2026, be shifted to the Providence Redevelopment Agency’s

Already a Subscriber? Log in

To Continue Reading This Article

Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Critical RI business news and analysis updated daily.
1 year of print (26 issues).
Unlimited access to all subscriber only content on our website, on any device.
Free email alerts.
Annual Book of Lists Print Edition.
All special issues produced during subscription term.

Click Here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article

PBN Branded Content

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Check-In: A Conversation with Shannon Champagne and Jessica Marfeo, RN

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One in eight American women will be diagnosed with…

Learn More

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

PROVIDENCE – Mayor Brett P. Smiley on Tuesday announced a proposal to reallocate the roughly $4.4 million unspent from the city's $166 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding toward housing initiatives and other investments, as well as mandating all unspent money remaining as of March 31, 2026, be shifted to the Providence Redevelopment Agency's Housing Trust Fund. Municipalities are required to allocate all ARPA funding by Dec. 31 and spend it by Dec. 31, 2026. The proposal would redirect $1.47 million left from two previously approved ARPA ordinances and $2.94 million from the COVID-19 Equities Program budget toward "targeted programming that aligns with the original goals of the ordinances to ensure all of that funding is obligated," according to the announcement. Of the $2.94 million in equities programming, $1.9 million would be shifted to the housing trust and another $1 million would be used for grants to affordable housing organizations, according to the draft ordinance. The City Council is scheduled to take up the proposal at its Oct. 3 meeting. Among the available funds yet to be contracted out is $1 million budgeted for the Cranston Street Armory, $59,129 left over from a $2 million allocation for anti-violence programming, and a $278,163 surplus from $300,000 budgeted to fund an independent auditor. “My administration is committed to maximizing every federal dollar available to us on high-impact programs and initiatives that will have long-term, tangible benefits for our neighbors,” Smiley said. “As we approached the federal obligation deadline, we began to thoughtfully review each line item not currently contracted and developed a final obligation strategy to ensure that all of the remaining ARPA funding would be spent and targeted to meet the most urgent needs of our community.” According to the administration, 63 line items have been spent or are now under contract to be spent by the Dec. 31, 2026, deadline. The administration said the plan to use remaining COVID-19 Equities Fund dollars for housing and community grants is “consistent with the recommendations” issued in the 2022 Providence Municipal Reparations Commission report. “This proposed investment plan will further bolster our multipronged approach to support the development of new housing and will ensure that Providence utilizes every last ARPA dollar on meaningful investments into our community,” Smiley said. Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.