Warren plans to spend some of its American Rescue Plan money on reimbursing police and fire personnel wages and replacing sidewalks and water and sewer lines.
Warren will use some of its remaining pandemic funds to cover police and fire personnel’s wages, along with putting funds towards sidewalks, Warren officials said Tuesday.
The Warren City Council unanimously passed resolutions Tuesday night approving use of the more than $12.8 million remaining in the American Rescue Plan Act funding.
President Joe Biden signed into law the pandemic relief package known as ARPA in March 2021, and communities have until the end of the year to commit the funds they received from the act. The city received $27.3 million from the stimulus funding, a majority of which has already been allocated for spending, including park bathroom renovations and a library, city officials said.
The remaining funds include $10 million for reimbursing police and fire personnel wages. City Controller Richard Fox said the ARPA money will pay only a small portion of the total police and fire pay this fiscal year.
Warren Assistant City Controller Mark Knapp said that Warren expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic included keeping workers and the public safe. The city also has closed some buildings, like parks and recreation facilities, creating a loss of revenue. Law enforcement has already been paid, but putting the funds towards will free up other expenses in Warren.
Knapp said the federal government allows Warren to use up to $10 million of ARPA funds to pay for revenue loss, and the city is using that money on police and fire pay.
City Council President Angela Rogensues said public safety pay would not necessarily be her “first choice” for how the city spends “what most are saying is once-in-a-lifetime funding for the community.” She would rather the money toward infrastructure, including water, roads, sidewalks and tree canopy. However, she said public safety is one of the city’s core responsibilities.
“And police and fire are the foundation of public safety,” she said. “If you think about our roles and responsibilities as a municipality, it is an appropriate way to support the city.”
The City Council also approved $1.8 million in ARPA money for sidewalk replacement, focusing on the worst areas of the city first, and over $1 million for infrastructure replacement. Knapp said the city plans to spend $1 million on water and sewer line replacements.
The council previously committed other ARPA money, including on a new library in southeast Warren, bathroom renovations at a park and a splash pad at another park.
Some ARPA funds also went to water and sewer infrastructure projects associated with Macomb County’s Innovate Mound project, but Warren had money leftover after that project was completed.
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