Michigan Municipal Leauge Review Magazine March/April 2023

But whatever local governments are planning to spend their ARP dollars on, some local officials are advising their colleagues to pick up the pace. Republicans that took control of the U.S. House in January are threatening to hold up important legislation unless their Democratic colleagues in Congress agree to deep federal spending cuts. Some fear lawmakers might try to claw back unspent ARP funds to support such cuts. “I would say to you that if you can responsibly speed up the obligations, I would say you do want to consider doing it,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan told the U.S. Conference of Mayors in January, according to Route 50. “I hope eight months from now, 10 months from now, 60 months from now, we're not in a big fight to hang on to the obligated money.” Rick Haglund is a freelance writer. You may contact him at 248.761.4594 or haglund.rick@gmail.com.

Communities must allocate ARP relief money by the end of 2024 and spend it by the end of 2026. Much of the $4.4 billion distributed to Michigan local governments could still qualify for new spending allowed under the new guidelines. Nearly $3.6 billion in local relief funds were unallocated in November, according to a study by MSU’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. Just 17 percent of local ARP funds had been spent. About $3 billion sent to the state’s 64 largest communities was unallocated, while smaller local governments had yet to designate $642 million. Many residents would like to see at least some of that money spent on improving the state’s roads. Sixty-four percent of state residents said using ARP funds for road projects was “very important” in a series of surveys conducted last year by MSU, the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State and Urban Policy, and the Michigan Municipal Treasurers Association. Fixing the roads was the top priority of those surveyed.

YOUR CONCIERGE FOR N VIG TING NE ST TE ND FEDER L FUNDING ServeMICity

For information on how the ServeMICity program can help you, email servemicity@mml.org or call Shanna Draheim at 517.908.0307

MARCH / APRIL 2023

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THE REVIEW

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