KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — As the worst of the pandemic continues to fade in the rearview mirror, a good chunk of the Covid Relief money granted by the American Rescue Plan will finally begin to flow into the Kalamazoo community in 2023.
It took Kalamazoo City and County Commissioners most of this year to figure out the best way to spend it. In fact City Commissioners won’t finalize their plans for ARPA funds until they approve the 2023 budget in mid-January. C
City Finance Director Steve Vincenzi says it’s the biggest allocation from the fund to date.
Mayor Dave Anderson says most Michigan Communities had to use their ARPA funding to replace lost income tax revenue. He says some had to use nearly all of it.
Kalamazoo is one of the few major cities in Michigan that relies solely on property taxes, with property values actually increasing during the Pandemic.
County Commissioners approved their ARPA funding for the community this fall, and voted at their last meeting to hold the million or so they have leftover in reserve.
Like the city, they are sinking a large chunk of the $51-million they received into the community.
Reporting by: John McNeill
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