FLINT, Michigan—The U.S. Treasury released final allocation numbers for the American Rescue Plan, outlining $94.7 million for the City of Flint.
Mayor Sheldon Neeley has invited residents to weigh in on their top priorities for how these dollars should be spent in the City of Flint. The Treasury release updates an estimate of $99 million released previously by the federal government.
“These pennies from heaven are truly a blessing. This funding will be a game-changer for our community,” Mayor Neeley said. “Through prayer, planning and partnership, we are working to make sure these dollars are invested in a way that reflects the community’s priorities.”
Other local entities also are set to receive dollars through the American Rescue Plan, including $78.8 million for Genesee County and $6.5 billion for the state of Michigan. Flint schools previously were estimated to receive $114 million.
Mayor Neeley hosted a community meeting last month about the American Rescue Plan funding and outlined five key priority areas identified so far through community input: Public Safety, Blight Elimination, Job Creation, Infrastructure, and Owner-occupied Home Rehab and Repairs. Residents can continue to weigh in with their thoughts in multiple ways:
• Vote in this poll: surveymonkey.com/r/FlintFundingPriorities
• Send an email to [email protected]
• Mail comments to: City of Flint Budget Input, 1101 S. Saginaw St. Room 203, Flint, Michigan 48502
• Write comments and drop them off at Flint City Hall in the red drop box in front of the City Hall entrance.
• Call (810) 237-2000. All callers will be asked to leave a message with their comments, which will be transcribed and included in reports with other submitted comments.=
The Treasury release also includes 150 pages of guidelines for the funding that are now being reviewed by the city Finance Department.
“The input we receive from residents will help guide our decisions now and in the future. Your feedback is so important,” said Shelbi Frayer, City of Flint chief financial officer, whose office is reviewing all the emails, letters and phone calls.
