Beavercreek is using almost all of the $5 million in ARPA funds it receives to reduce the city’s backlog of infrastructure projects estimated at $200 million.
City officials say the backlog was caused by the city’s rapid growth and the lack of a municipal income tax.
Major ARPA-funded projects include flood control on Willowcrest Road, erosion repair on the Vineland Trail and at the Beavercreek Golf Club, and installation of water and sewer lines along the along McGrath Way.
Project design for the Willowcrest Road Flood Control Project, a project the City of Beavercreek is funding with US bailout funds
Project design for the Willowcrest Road Flood Control Project, a project the City of Beavercreek is funding with US bailout funds
The OMA study found that infrastructure spending accounts for 20% of ARPA funds spent or allocated to date.
Kettering has committed $1 million of the $13.9 million the city receives from ARPA for a program to help people buy homes in Kettering and help current homeowners in the city repair their homes. . The program, in partnership with Day Air Credit Union, offers low-interest, repayable loans to help cover closing costs and renovations.
City officials say the program has served 20 first-time homebuyers with an average assistance of $18,670. They spent $354,729 and have enough funds for about seven other homebuyers. The home repair portion helped 18 homeowners with an average assistance of $8,153. This part of the program spent $130,440 and has enough funds for another 40 projects.
“The goal of this program was to partner with DayAir Credit Union and help lower-income households access and maintain homeownership in Kettering,” said city spokeswoman Mary Azbill. .
The OMA report found that only 3.4% of ARPA funds spent or allocated so far go to housing programs.
To date, the largest category of use of ARPA funds, accounting for 20.8% of the total, is government operations. This mainly includes covering the salaries of city employees. The report notes that public safety personnel average two-thirds of the city budget in these cities.
After that, the biggest slice of the pie was community aid, at 17.7%. This included direct aid to individuals and payments to groups to support things like arts and culture, food assistance, non-profit organizations and neighborhood revitalization.
How 30 of Ohio’s largest cities are spending U.S. bailout funds, Ohio Mayors Alliance research shows
How 30 of Ohio’s largest cities are spending U.S. bailout funds, Ohio Mayors Alliance research shows
“Federal investments provided by the America Rescue Plan are having extraordinary impacts on our cities,” said Keary McCarthy, executive director of the Ohio Mayors Alliance.
“Not only have these funds avoided cuts to key municipal services, they have enabled our cities to make significant investments in public safety. These funds have also strengthened our economic recovery, provided critical supports to businesses and nonprofits, and laid the foundation for transformational change in many communities.
Local cities in the Ohio Alliance of Mayors and their US bailout amounts
Beaver Creek: $5,000,920
Dayton: $137,976,174
Fairfield: $4,457,996
Huber Heights: $3,996,672
Kettering: $13,851,520
Downtown: $18,925,154
Springfield: $44,230,364