TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council voted on Wednesday to reappropriate remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, moving closer to spending the pandemic-era federal funds it must use or lose by 2026.
Council members Vanice Williams and Theresa Morris were the sole no votes against the amended plan, which includes an additional $2.85 million for community and senior center improvements, an additional $1 million for recreation facilities and playgrounds and $2 million for Metroparks.
ARPA funds were also cut from other areas per the amendment: $900,000 was cut from the city's Vision Zero plan to eliminate deaths on roadways, $450,000 was cut from the Wayman Palmer YMCA and $5 million was cut from the lead service line replacement program.
Deputy Mayor Abby Arnold previously told WTOL 11 that the city found fewer service lines that needed to be replaced than originally estimated.
Prior to voting on the new plan, Williams said it did not meet what she believes to be constituents' needs, saying that it did not properly account for issues like food insecurity. She added that funding improvements for community centers across Toledo was not as high a priority. However, council member Cerssandra McPherson disagreed, saying that the city's community centers are focal points of the communities they serve and need to be kept in adequate condition.
The amended plan can be viewed here:
Of the $180 million the city initially received, $112 million has already spent on avoiding cuts to city services, having police and fire classes, and youth and park services.
Council also approved $100,000 to contract with the Ability Center of Greater Toledo for a housing accessibility study.
Other agenda items also received council's approval:
- $123,648.17 for "youth engagement, mentoring, and development initiatives"
- $36,920 for a project consultant for the RE-TREE Toledo project, which aims to plant more than 10,000 trees in the city in the next five years
- $165,047.70 to buy in-car cameras for the Toledo Police Department
- $250,000 for improvements to Toledo Fire & Rescue Department stations
- $37,500 for repairs to the Boeschenstein Park boardwalk downtown
- a special use permit for a residential facility at 2024 Robinwood Ave. in the Old West End
- installation and upgrades of street lighting for more than a dozen streets in central Toledo