Fort Wayne City Council heard the administration’s plans for $51 million in American Rescue Plan Act – or ARPA – funding during its special session Tuesday night.
Earlier in March, Mayor Tom Henry’s office unveiled the plans for those dollars, but passage from City Council is required before the money can be spent.
The mayor’s office has broken down spending plans across four areas of focus. From the initial announcement on March 17, these are:
Build strong and healthy communities - $13 million – Improve the mental and physical health of Fort Wayne community and its residents
Strengthen neighborhoods - $18.2 million – Invest in vital infrastructure to support our community and help it thrive
Reenergize our City - $6.3 million – Support efforts to raise the community’s profile and boost the local economy
- Secure resilient City operations - $13.3 million – Provide continuity and drive excellence in the provision of government services to achieve maximum benefit for residents
City Controller Garry Morr noted that neighborhoods and districts have not yet been chosen or targeted for these dollars, only the broad commitments.
City Council will discuss the proposal for final passage on Tuesday, April 12.
Fort Wayne has until the end of 2024 to commit the dollars, and the end of 2026 to spend them.
