Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Mayor lays out rescue fund plan
American Rescue Plan: How It Benefits You
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today celebrated how President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan is creating a better future for the City of Fort Wayne. According to Mayor Tom Henry, the City is set to provide transformational investments to strengthen local infrastructure, improve Hoosiers’ access to mental health care, and create better economic investments – all thanks to the Rescue Plan. Allen County Democrats and U.S. Congressmen André Carson and Frank Mrvan delivered this opportunity for Hoosier families.
In contrast, the Indiana Republican Party said “NO” this brighter future. Politicians like U.S. Senator Todd Young voted “NO” to these investments, and in fact, Indiana GOP Chairman Kyle Hupfer called these projects “socialism” – claiming their opposition was a “great campaign to run on”. Democrats will highlight the Indiana GOP’s “NO” record and their divisive culture wars throughout the 2022 campaign year and beyond.
Here’s a look at how the American Rescue Plan continues to deliver for the Hoosier State:
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Mayor lays out rescue fund plan
Neighborhood infrastructure and programs to improve residents’ mental and physical health may become two of the beneficiaries of $50.8 million in federal pandemic relief money, Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry announced Thursday.
Henry’s plan on how to spend the money will be introduced at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. However. discussion and a vote will take not place until a later date.
The money, from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, also known as ARPA, is subject to rigid spending criteria. Funds can be invested in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure and respond to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts.
Money also can subsidize government services that lost revenue because of the pandemic and provide premium pay or grants to a recipient’s essential workers.
Henry, a Democrat, proposes to spend the money in the following way:
• $18.2 million will go to strengthening neighborhood infrastructure;
• $13.3 million will provide for “resilient” city government operations to “provide continuity and drive excellence”;
• $13 million is slotted for uses that will better residents’ physical and mental health and build “strong and healthy communities”;
• $6.3 million will go to raising the city’s profile and boosting the local economy.
Specific projects are listed in the plan under the various categories.
“Our top priority is to continue to ensure the needs of our residents and businesses are being met through the COVID-19 pandemic,” the mayor said in a news release.
“Our suggested outline for the use of ARPA dollars is an important duty that we take seriously and is designed to move Fort Wayne forward, … for continued growth and success,” he said.
Henry added parks and public safety are also areas of focus for spending.
“The city realizes its allotment of recovery funds is an extraordinary opportunity to support Fort Wayne’s tremendous growth and pandemic recovery,” the plan says.
ARPA is providing $35 billion in relief to eligible state, local and tribal governments across the country.
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