ARP funds put to work

City council designates its federal spending

WARREN -- City council is working toward its encumbered funds deadline of December 2024 for American Rescue Plan Act expenditures.

In 2021, the city was issued $28.6 million. Those funds so far have been used to help residents and businesses recover from COVID-19 losses and to refurbish the area's general appearance.

Council members voted in April 2022 to decide how the funds should be allocated throughout each of the seven wards. Council decided, after having five committee meetings, to give each member $500,000 of the city's total to allocate for their ward needs.

Residents have expressed opinions about how the money should be spent, and many have disagreed with several possible options since the start of the plan. Others have supported council's decisions.

Residents, however, may not be aware the city still has no exact plans for allocation of the remaining balance. Mayor Doug Franklin said that decision-making became tougher when council members gained their own splits of the overall city fund.

"The difficulty came when we were about a year into the process and council members broke off $5 million," Franklin said. "It didn't change our focus on what we were doing because we had already opened up our portal and had a whole bunch of requests to process. Because council is a legislative body, it's a bit difficult for them to execute contracts."

The total amount of ARP spending dollars left for city administration is approximately $11.4 million and the approximate amount for projects not accounted for in the treasury report is $950,000.

Council members must decide what to do with their remaining $2,679,495, as the federal deadline for spending is Dec. 31, 2026.

WARD PROJECTS

City Auditor Vincent Flask provided a breakdown on how each ward representative has used his or her funds.

Each council member designated $63,100 to their respective ward's streets for reconditioning.

Before the budgeted money is spent, each council member must have his or her funds appropriated, approved by the rest of council and approved by the city's board of control.

Some examples of the spending follow:

•   Five members of council were approved to help fund the ACTION Mobile Market that will assist Warren residents in food deserts by providing access to a "mini store" for fresh foods in residential areas. Todd Johnson D-1st Ward, used $150,000; Andrew Herman, D-2nd Ward, $15,000; Cheryl Saffold, D-6th Ward, $10,000; Ronald White, D-7th Ward, $10,000; and Ken MacPherson, D-at-Large, $15,000.

•   Michael Engram, Game Changers founder, during city council's meeting before the administration's August recess, addressed his organization's request.

"Just like we are not asking all of you to go to one church, it is asinine to ask for one organization to help over 1,200 kids alone," Engram said about the city accommodating another youth organization in the area.

"We constantly talk about 'These kids don't know how to dress, interview or make eye contact.' Well, who is going to teach them? The school system can only do so much," Engram said. "Parents can only do so much. And it shouldn't be an either-or. It should be a community effort for all of us to pitch in and do our very best."

The original amount of money Engram requested was not approved by the city's board of control. Eddie Colbert, director of safety and service, said: "You are correct, your original application requested between $1.2 million and $2.4 million."

Colbert continued, "But you do have two council members who would like to give you $25,000 apiece, being $50,000. We spoke with one of those council members (White) on multiple occasions, and we don't have anything for what that $50,000 was going to go to. All you have to do is just put what that money is going to go to, and it will go in front of council and the board, and we will approve it."

Johnson, Herman, White and MacPherson are committed to backing Engram's program. Johnson committed $50,000 and the rest $25,000, for a total of $125,000. However, shortly before a board of control meeting Wednesday, the total was changed to $140,000.

•   The Warren Youth Sports Project, for which United Way is the fiscal agent, was approved by city council for its $115,000 request. Johnson allocated $80,000; Helen Rucker, D-at-Large, $15,000; Saffold, $10,000; and Greg Greathouse D-3rd Ward, $10,000.

•   Contributions for improvements to the Community Volunteer Clinic were provided by three council members. White is committing $2,900 toward the organization's roof repairs, while he, Rucker and MacPherson are each giving $13,000 to them for vehicle costs.

•   The Southeast Side Community Association is receiving $25,000 from both Ashley McBride, D-5th Ward, and MacPherson.

•   McBride's other appropriated funds are going to Triyounity Cares' suicide prevention in the amount of $100,000; Trumbull County LOSS Team, $75,000; and $25,000 for sidewalks on Wick Street.

•   Gary Steinbeck, D-at-Large, allocated almost all of his funds for police and fire, as he gave $91,500 to the fire department for vehicles; $248,400 to the police for record management system data; $4,750 for the Northeast Neighborhood Association watch program; and $10,000 for a police tactical van upfit along with White and Greathouse's same amounts.

•   White has committed $49,271 to removing and cleaning up trees in his ward, along with $46,561 for a mobile health clinic, $2,900 for the Trumbull County Panthers youth football team, and $150,000 for sidewalks and trees that were removed in 2022, leaving him with $91,278. He said there have been more than 90 trees removed from his ward, with about 70 to go.

•   MacPherson is allocating $25,000 for the TC Panthers youth football team, with White.

•   Herman proposed a plan for helping the National Packard Museum with landscaping, roofing and a new sign, totaling $87,059. The 2nd Ward councilman also is using $42,425 for a sign at the Warren Municipal Building, and $33,000 for trees and sidewalks.

•   Johnson is using $6,850 for the Northwest Neighborhood Association and $30,000 for trees and sidewalks in the 1st Ward.

•   Greathouse put $5,000 toward hybrid cruisers for police. He and three other council members are considering putting the rest of their funds into a community plan with the Warren Redevelopment and Planning Corporation to provide a revolving loan program to residents. The program will help residents with the costs of exterior work to benefit their homes' face value.

•   Councilman James Shaffer, D-4th Ward, has given out $30,000 to both Downbeat Musical Arts Centre and GMI Companies of Warren.

•   Saffold put $1,200 into weed cutting at Southwest Memorial Park and $2,699 for a deli freezer at Mac's Market.