SitemapTempers flared as city administration officials told council members that just because they approve legislation to spend American Rescue Fund dollars, it doesn’t mean the projects in question will be funded. It’s been an ongoing issue since shortly after city council in April 2022 agreed to give each of its seven members $2 million in ARP funds on projects in their wards. Council has approved a little more than half of that $14 million total amount with fewer than half of those projects funded by the board of control, which consists of Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Law Director Jeff Limbian and Finance Director Kyle Miasek.
Brown and Limbian said Wednesday that council-approved projects must be in accordance with federal ARP guidelines and follow what residents want in the city. Too many of those projects don’t qualify because council is passing legislation without first consulting the administration as well as an ARP review committee established by the administration, Brown said. The problem had quieted down in the past few months but reared its head at Wednesday’s council meeting. That’s because Limbian said the board of control would not provide $90,000 in ARP funding approved by council Dec. 7 for the Family Empowerment Student Achievement Institute to provide tutorial services to undereducated former Youngstown school district students. That legislation was sponsored by Councilman Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward. “The board of control is not obligated to, and at times, does not spend money on a project simply because the legislative body has authorized it,” Limbian said. Hughes said the city charter gives council the job of legislating and doesn’t give it to a committee to make decisions. The ARP committee doesn’t hold public meetings.
Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, wanted Brown to veto the legislation and give council the opportunity to override that. But Brown said some council-backed ARP requests simply aren’t permitted, and he won’t do anything with them. Davis said that leaves the legislation in “la la land, in the ozone” doing nothing. Brown said the council-backed ARP requests need to be vetted by the administration, which continues not to happen. “Typically what would happen is you’d have the administration, the executive side, we make the recommendation to the legislative side,” he said. “It typically does not happen in reverse. That’s why we continually have the hiccups when you change and reverse the process with legislators putting it out first.” Hughes said under this process, “now council’s vote don’t mean anything.”
Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, said his projects meet federal guidelines and several have been stonewalled by the board of control. “We are all at the point of frustration,” he said. “The administration and city council: How do we work together?” Brown said council needs to give the proposal to the administration before it is put up for a vote to “see if it’s ready for legislation.” Davis urged citizens to put together a charter amendment for the ballot to give more authority to council. Council has the authority to place such a proposal on the ballot.
At Wednesday’s meeting, council voted to spend $318,328 in ARP funding. Among the ARP funding is $163,328 to cover half of the cost to upgrade the municipal court’s database management software to increase public access, improve case management and enhance efficiency. It was sponsored by Brown. The two other requests came from Davis. One was to give $55,000 to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to sponsor five students to attend Beyond Expectations Barber College, 2246 Glenwood Ave., to pay for their tuition.
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