As we continue our transition, we are pleased to bring you part 1 of an interview with Syracuse Mayor, Ben Walsh. There were several questions asked during our ten minute meeting, most regarding the appropriation of funds from the American Rescue Plan aka ARP funds. There have been many questions asked about the funding, what will the city do with 123 million dollars in emergency funding from the Federal Government?
According to Mayor Ben Walsh, “123 million dollars in American rescue act plan funding from the federal government has really a Godsend for the city of Syracuse. When the pandemic hit, the bottom really fell out of city finances. Our largest source of revenue is sales tax and when you shut down the economy, sales tax revue goes away. There were some real dire straits during those early days. We advocated aggressively for Federal Relief and eventually received it. The city of Syracuse received 123 million dollars in ARPA Funds. We immediately went about developing a plan for how we would go about spending those funds. We solicited public input, we solicited input from the Common Council and ultimately developed and published our plan. Since that time time, we’ve really stuck to it. We have, in partnership with the Common Council allocated over 80% of that funding are in the process of spending that down…”
In the interview the mayor talks about the plans that have been made in cooperation with the Syracuse Common Council. The following links are to the various tools put in place by the city to be “transparent” about where these funds are being allocated.
Urban CNY News Video Interview with Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh – Part 1
https://youtu.be/LndenlAQcgk
- American Rescue Plan Overview
- What is ARPA?
- Syracuse Mayoral Funding Priority Areas
- Investing in Jobs and Economic Recovery
- Supporting Children, Families, and Neighborhoods
- Enhancing Government Response and Resilience
- Transforming Infrastructure and Public Spaces
The second part of our interview with the mayor will go into more detail as to what programs and initiatives are currently being worked on. The record number of new building permits was recorded in March 2022. If you look around Syracuse, you’ll see cranes in the air and a lot of construction. From commercial construction to the continued growth in the demand for luxury housing in the city of Syracuse.
In the city’s plan, there are funds to support homeownership programs, devoting millions of dollars to the construction of new affordable housing. Those in existing homes may also be eligible for assistance depending on their need.
“Click” on the above links for additional information.
