ATTENTION All Saginaw Residents: How Will the City Spend $52 MILLION of Your Money?

With The City of Saginaw receiving $52 million of the $350 billion of federal funding allocated nationally to eligible state, local, territorial & tribal governments from the American Rescue Plan Act legislation, city government is conducting an online survey to solicit the opinion of citizens on how their hard-earned taxpayer money should be spent. 

 

Should it be spent on infrastructure?  Should it be spent on proposed new turnstiles on Ojibway Island to regulate the amount of traffic going through the park?  Should it perhaps be used as direct rebates to citizens on their property tax bills, especially during a year when so many city resources were either closed to the public or offering reduced services?  Should it be used to return services such as leaf-pick-up that were eliminated years ago?

 

These are the questions that need to be answered.  To participate in the online survey, click here.

The online survey will be available on their website at www.saginaw-mi.com through September 7. Paper copies are also available in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 1315 S. Washington Avenue Room 102. Survey results will then be analyzed by city staff and Public Sector Consultants. The results will be presented at the Strategic Planning Session scheduled for 9 am on September 17, 2021 at the Temple Theatre, 201 N. Washington Avenue.

“The ARPA funds allocated to Saginaw provide an opportunity to invest in community needs that were magnified by the pandemic, and to consider generational investments in public infrastructure,” said Tim Morales, City Manager. “Our survey allows residents to tell us what they feel are the key areas where we should focus to take our city to the next level. The input we receive from residents will be presented at the upcoming Strategic Planning Session. Citizens will have additional opportunities to provide input as we proceed through the allocation process.” 

The U.S. Treasury Department has limited the use of ARPA funds to the following areas:

 To respond to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, entertainment, and hospitality

 To respond to workers performing essential work during the COVID-19 public health emergency by providing premium pay to eligible workers

 For the provision of government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue due to the COVID–19 public health emergency relative to revenues collected in the most recent full fiscal year prior to the emergency

 To make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.

In late June, the city received the first of two ARPA installments in the amount of $26,044,836. A second installment is anticipated in the same amount in the Spring/Summer of 2022. The city has until December 31, 2024, to obligate the funds and December 31, 2026, to spend the funds.

City administration encourages the community to focus on recovery goals when completing the survey. The intended outcome is to align the community goals with the City Council’s strategic goals and objectives.

“We want to be sure we are staying within the bounds laid out by the federal government for the use the funds, but that we are also focusing on programs and projects that are priorities for our residents and businesses,” said Mayor Brenda F. Moore. “ARPA funding provides a unique opportunity to build on these priorities and invest in Saginaw’s people, neighborhoods, and businesses. This survey is just the start of a large community engagement campaign to  receive feedback from our residents. I encourage all of our community members to take part in this survey.”

To learn more about the American Rescue Plan Act Legislation, click here.

For questions regarding the September 17 Strategic Planning Session at the Temple Theatre, contact the City Manager’s Office at (989) 759-1401.