The problem with holding a work session on Thursday, Aug. 11 hours before the new City Council was sworn into office became apparent at the first regular meeting of the newly elected City Council.
At that meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 16, the one new member, City Councilmember Zack Matheny, objected to spending American Rescue Plan money on routine maintenance projects for city buildings.
The topic for discussion at the Aug. 11 work session was the American Rescue Plan money and how to spend it.
Former District 3 City Councilmember Justin Outling participated in the Aug. 11 work session – noting that he would not be present for any future votes on how to spend the ARP money – but Matheny, who would be sworn into office a couple hours later, did not.
Matheny noted that he had not been present for the discussions on how the ARP money would be spent, but he said that he objected to spending ARP money on routine maintenance projects on city buildings.
Item I.20 on the agenda allocated $6.1 million of ARP funds for HVAC improvements and replacing the roof at the Central Library and roof repairs and maintenance at the Greensboro Cultural Center.
Matheny said, “I don’t support this item for numerous reasons. The American Rescue Plan was supposed to rescue Americans to get back to work and get going again. I just don’t see how three-and-a-half million dollars taking a one-time federal grant to fix a roof that the city owns matches up with the American Rescue Plan.
Matheny added, “If we aren’t being good landlords and we can’t afford to take care of our own buildings then we shouldn’t own them.”
He said that he voted for the $8 million in ARP money for the Vance Chavis Windsor Center combined facility was because it was a transformative project in a neighborhood that needs help.
The motion to spend the $6.1 million on routine maintenance passed by an 8-1 vote with Matheny casting the lone no vote.
Technically, by a previous unanimous vote, it was not ARP money that was allocated. The City Council voted to allocate all $59.4 million in ARP funds for “eligible government services.” So, the ARP funds technically will be spent on the day-to-day operations of the city, which frees up $59.4 million in the general fund for the City Council to allocate for projects that may or may not comply with the ARP funding guidelines.
As explained to the City Council by Assistant City Manager Larry Davis during the Aug. 11 work session, the City Council will no longer have to be concerned about meeting federal standards and timelines for the ARP funds and will be allowed to spend that $59.4 million on anything that falls within the purview of the City Council.
It also means that outside agencies receiving funds will not have to meet the federal reporting standards, but only the much less stringent standards of the City of Greensboro.
No comment needed other than same old same old.
“The American Rescue Plan was supposed to rescue Americans to get back to work and get going again.” The ARP money could have been used to reduce the tax burden on the citizens of Greensboro. The money that will be spent on the Windsor Center aka the new Money Pit was suppose to be covered by the 70 million bond that was passed and now and forever will require tax payer money to keep up. Maybe the city will stop dumping money into the ICRCM aka the downtown money pit so that they can support the new money pit. Matheny might as well get used to be left out od discussions if he does not fall in line with the left socialist vote.
Amen! Well said
I don’t know what I would do if I had more money than I needed. Of course, everyone’s opinion about “need” is different. Pure 101 socialism.
So the city council can throw away $59.4 million on anything they desire with no reporting requirements. It is no wonder the US government is trillions of dollars in debt. Just give it away and sock it to the taxpayers. I cannot wait to see how this money will be spent and what special interest groups get the big bucks.
I’m wondering why the 59.4 million in ARP funds has not already been allocated for the needs of Greensboro’s less fortunate citizens. Certainly with COVID-19 rampant for over two years there are people in our town who qualify for funds. DSS stopped taking new applications early this year because they had approved x-amount of dollars and still had an abundance of applications and no one knew exactly how much money was left in the ARP account. I agree with Zack Matheny! That money was not intended for day to day operations, especially not with so many who are still being evicted and cannot afford to rent in Greensboro due to the ridiculous current market increases. Unfortunately this will only increase the homeless situation which is already out of hand.
AaHhh. A breath of fresh and smart air! Job well done Zach!
So — as we all suspected– the ARP funds are just a gigantic slush fund for government in all forms, all over the country, at every level.
It’s Christmas for The Parasitic Sector! While the people struggle.
Government IS greed.
Give it all back. It’s theft & it belongs to John Q. Public. Libertarianism 101.
Matheny added, “If we aren’t being good landlords and we can’t afford to take care of our own buildings then we shouldn’t own them.”
Like War Memorial Auditorium that was allowed/encouraged to develop holes on the roof and other issues in order to push for the new Downtown Performance Arts Boondoggle or like War Memorial Baseball stadium that was purposely left to crumbe because it wasn’t in the “right” kind of neighborhood.
The current Mayor and her cabal regularly defer maintenance on certain buildings just so they can wring their hands and spend more and more tax dollars on largesse and nonprofit payouts.
Is a sane man in an insane world the one who is actually insane? Rage against the Machine: 8-1; I expect we’ll see that tally from the Politbureau a lot in the next 4 years. Charlotte, Raleigh and Asheville boom while here in the Swamp we slide down and down as a regional warehouse, mega site for dirty jobs, shopping center, homeless shelter and purveyor of 60’s civil rights nostalgia. Greensboro is still a Mill Town and apparently always will be.
Put 8 more like Zack on the council and maybe they will spend funds as they were intended!
The money was meant for recovery…recovery of businesses, especially small and local businesses that suffered irreparable loss due to Covid. You can surely find many of those here. Some had to close. It is meant for them. It is meant for people who lost their jobs due to Covid and legitimately, while looking for a job, haven’t been able to find one. It is meant for those same people that lost their house, their car, everything.
It was not meant for regular maintenance items that should already be in the City’s budget. It is not a gift or prize for City Council to spend on itself, it’s employees or it’s infrastructure. Just read the law! It’s not for the Mayor and others to add to their check book. READ THE FEDERAL LAW AND IT IS CLEAR THAT IT IS NOT COUNCIL’s WINDFALL. it is meant for the people that suffered irreparably from Covid.