Monday, August 29, 2022—Cleveland—Today, Cleveland City Council and leadership from the Center for Economic Recovery—the policy team tasked with carrying out Mayor Bibb’s Rescue & Transformation Plan—discussed proposed initiatives for strategic American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending.
The proposals, 13 from the administration and two from City Council, are at the starting line of the legislative process. Following today’s meeting, initiatives will be prioritized, and legislation created for formal introduction to City Council at the Sept. 12, 2022, meeting.
The 13 initiatives put forth by the administration are the result of a rigorous, months-long process of vetting and evaluation against eight evaluation principals, including strategic alignment, measurable outcomes, racial equity and inclusion, community impact, global competitiveness and differentiation, financial leverage and support, longevity, and environmental sustainability.
“This first set of initiatives is incredibly strong, and has been thought through at every turn,” said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “The Center for Economic Recovery Team has done their due diligence to ensure that we are making the best and highest use of ARPA dollars to benefit Clevelanders in a sustainable way and where we need it the most. I look forward to working with them and with council to get these ideas across the finish line.”
This first docket of proposals accounts for $102.5 million in spending, or 33 percent of the city’s remaining $310 million from ARPA. The projects touch six of the mayor’s 10 priority areas and will directly impact an estimated 284,700 Cleveland residents. The administration also anticipates being able to attract approximately $25 million in additional funding for these proposals from various partners.
The proposals introduced today include:
Housing for All
- $35 million for a housing gap fund to provide grants and equity stake in projects to incentivize renovation and construction of affordable, workforce housing projects, mixed-income, and market rate projects.
- $10 million for a home repair fund to create a network of new grants, deferred loans, and low-interest loan funds for home repair to close gaps in existing programs.
- $5 million for a developer acquisition and rehab loan pool to create a revolving loan pool to provide low-interest capital for small, mostly minority contractors and CDCs seeking to rehab structures in places where private banks don't typically provide funding.
Violence Prevention & Public Safety
- $5 million for CIT/co-responder program to expand the successfully piloted crisis intervention team/co-responder program, add a mental health dispatcher, and hire a senior-level strategist to connect mental health and public safety efforts.
- $2.75 million to expand ShotSpotter technology to cover 13 square miles (33 percent of City residents) disproportionately affected by gun violence.
- $2.3 million to outfit the CPD frontline vehicles with in-car dash cameras, including purchase of dash cams, installation, cloud storage, software license accounts, and equipment refresh for five years.
Inclusive Economic Recovery
- $7.5 million for an Opportunity CLE Fund, contributing to a $50 million civic loan fund designed to promote inclusive and thriving neighborhoods by supporting real estate and business development projects in low-income communities in Cleveland.
- $5 million for a minority business credit enhancement fund to create a revolving loan fund to provide flexible lines of credit to construction firms owned/led by historically underrepresented individuals in the construction industry, as well as to fund a technical assistance program.
Education for Everyone
- $2.7 million to create a fund that will grow a pipeline of new early childcare educators and maintain the current labor force through sign-on and retention bonuses.
$1.88 million for an early childhood scholarship program to subsidize early childhood care while newly employed parents await enrollment in publicly funded programs.
Arts & Neighborhood Amenities
- $3 million for a fund to stimulate investments for transformative arts projects with capital needs, with a focus in areas of high BIPOC populations that lack arts investment, developing areas with significant arts activity, and promoting increased walkability.
Modern City Hall
- $16.35 million to for repairs and “greening” of City Hall, replacing the roof and insulation (which is causing interior damage), as well as fortifying City Hall's building envelope, exterior masonry, and windows--resulting in a greener building and energy savings.
COVID Relief
- $300,000 to fund Dollars for Doses, an incentive program offering cash rewards to residents who get COVID vaccinations, aiming to boost rates in areas hit hardest by COVID and build up trust between residents and institutions.
In addition, City Council is seeking $4.7 million to increase coordination and support to victims of domestic and sexual violence and/or abuse and $1 million to expand right to counsel, funding attorneys and other staff to provide free housing help to Cleveland residents, including extended representation in court, brief legal advice, and pro se help, as well as community outreach and education regarding services and support available to Cleveland residents.
As part of its ongoing work to equitably and strategically assess proposals for ARPA funding, the Center for Economic Recovery recently added three additional members to the policy team—City Council’s Director of Policy, Jessica Colombi; Council Policy Analyst, Anne Tillie; and Office of Equal Opportunity Director Tyson Mitchell.
Related:
Mayor Bibb Announces Priority Allocations for American Rescue Plan Funds | City of Cleveland Ohio - Mayor Justin M. Bibb
