| By Big Radio News Staff |
The city of Janesville plans to re-cast how it spends $785,000 worth of leftover Covid-19 relief funding.
According to a staff proposal the city council sees Monday, the city would parse out $400,000 in unspent city ARPA funds to the city’s Housing Services division for the city’s affordable housing effort.
The remainder of the leftover ARPA cash would be laid aside for city economic development business grants up to $50,000.
City Administrator Jimsi Kuborn tells WCLO one of the first recipients could be the just-announced Santa Maria Supermarket planned in vacant strip mall space on Janesville’s south side.
A Madison company plans to sink $500,000 into renovating space for the Santa Maria. Kuborn tells Big Radio a project such as the Santa Maria is an example of acceptable use of economic recovery funding.
Alongside the ARPA spending plan, the council will be asked to review Kuborn’s recommendation to award a $50,000 grant to the Santa Maria project.
Under federal rules, leftover city ARPA funding must be set for specific spending by the end of this year.
