On Thursday, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton announced the city is accepting public proposals for 120 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funding.
The city is seeking public input and project proposals for the federal government funding. A survey is now live that allows the public to rank how the money should be spent.
Some funding priorities include harm prevention and public safety, economic growth, and recovery and community health.
Mayor Linda Gorton said the deadline for public input is August 27.
“All of the funds need to be dedicated by the end of 2024. They all need to be spent by the end of 2026,” Gorton said. “So there is a little bit of time. And of course, we expect some of the projects will take time to implement.”
Town halls will be held in July and August to hear public input. Vice Mayor Steve Kay said council members will ultimately approve projects.
“The way the process always works in terms of anything related to the budget is that any proposal will be voted up or down,” Kay said. “And it takes the majority of council eight votes to approve any project.”
Projects must adhere to certain federal requirements, including proposals focused on economic opportunities, infrastructure and directly helping people hit hardest by the pandemic. To take the public survey or submit a project proposal visit lexington.gov.
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