The first City Council meeting of the month is usually reserved for the monthly public forum where the public is invited to speak for three minutes on the topic of their choosing.

The City Council usually also passes resolutions and a consent aAgenda at that meeting

However, at the first meeting of 2023 on Jan. 3, the City Council plans to allocate $31.9 million. The $31.9 million in theory represents the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds that the has not allocated from the $59.4 million Greensboro received.

In reality, Greensboro has spent every dime of the $59.4 million in ARP funds that it received – a concept that even some city councilmembers can’t wrap their heads around.

City Councilmember Tammi Thurm asked if the city had to be concerned about allocating the money before the federal deadline.

Assistant City Manager Larry Davis, perhaps for the 10th time, explained that all the ARP funds had been allocated, so the city could spend the money in question on its own timeline.  The $31.9 million the City Council will be allocating on Jan. 3 is actually general fund money that the city can spend however the City Council chooses.  The restrictions on the money are the same as the restrictions on any money the city spends.  The restrictions on ARP money are no longer relevant because the City Council voted on Aug. 16 to spend all the ARP funds on losses and expenses it incurred due to COVID restrictions.

However, at a work session on Dec. 20, the City Council agreed to a revised, revised list of allocations.  City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba had made recommendations on how the remaining $31.9 million should be spent at a Nov. 3 work session and the City Council was less than impressed.  At the Dec. 20 meeting, Davis explained that after the Nov. 3 meeting, Jaiyeoba had met with councilmembers individually and developed a revised list.  Then councilmembers were polled to see what allocations on the revised list had the support of the majority of councilmembers and the list was revised once again.

The City Council didn’t make any changes to revised, revised list at the Dec. 20 work session and City Council plans to vote on that list on Jan. 3.