MODESTO, Calif. — The City of Modesto is already looking at how they'll spend funds from the American Rescue Plan to help them bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic.
In a draft spending plan, the city boiled the investments down to three areas: quality of life, economic vitality and governance and service delivery.
Modesto's share of the federal dollars is $45.89 million, of which they're expected to get $22.9 million in the month of May and the rest 12 months later.
There's broad guidance that cities will have to follow to use the funds. They include using the money toward the following categories:
- Public Health Response
- Addressing Negative Economic Impacts
- Supporting the hardest-hit communities and families
- Replacing lost public sector revenue
- Investments in water and sewer infrastructure
- Investments in Broadband Infrastructure
This is where the three areas of economic vitality, governance and service delivery, and quality of life serve their role.
For Modesto's plans, economic vitality could translate to downtown housing, business support, downtown beautification, revitalization of public spaces and broadband infrastructure.
Governance and service delivery could be COVID-19 expenses, staffing levels for departments, deferred maintenance, program improvements, facility upgrades and revenue loss.
Quality of life could include a focus on public health, police-community relations, a mental health support program, homelessness, blight and forestry program enhancements, and support for projects like the Awesome Spot Playground, a children's museum and a car museum.
In the first wave of funding, projects like the Awesome Spot Playground and children's museum could see allocations of $500,000 each. The tentative spending plan also has funds for the Relief Across Downtown (RAD) Card, which uses donors' funds to double your money at certain downtown retailers. In the plan, the RAD card could see a $708,500 allocation.
Other elements of the spending plan include $2 million for Fire Station 1 deferred maintenance, $1 million for a homeless support program, $200,000 toward Wi-Fi in the downtown area and community facilities.
Modesto's Pandemic Recovery Strategy and spending plan will go before the city council on May 25.
For the full spending plan, click HERE.
