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A resolution appropriating $10,000,000.00 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Fund #30216 to be allocated to neighborhood needs through a community-led participatory budgeting program.
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WHEREAS, on June 15, 2021, the Metropolitan Council passed Resolution RS2021-966, a resolution which accepted grant funds for local government support from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds established by the American Recovery Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, which was subsequently signed into law by Mayor John Cooper on June 16, 2021; and,
WHEREAS, Resolution RS2021-966 established a COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee ("the Committee") whose role is to collect, consider, and recommend appropriate uses of the ARP Funds as designated by the Metropolitan Council disbursement plan. The Committee will submit its reports and recommendations to the Mayor, the Director of Finance, and the Metropolitan Council not later than June 30, 2025; and,
WHEREAS, there are federal requirements for use of American Rescue Plan Act funds that require that these funds be expended or obligated on or before December 31, 2024; and,
WHEREAS, the Committee recognizes that ensuring that ARP Funds reach communities and support community priorities is a critical need for the city of Nashville; and,
WHEREAS, the Committee recognizes that community members are the most knowledgeable advocates for identifying community investments and should be at the forefront of decisions regarding community resource allocation; and,
WHEREAS, the Committee recommends acceptance of the participatory budgeting plan outlined by the Mayor’s Office in Exhibit A and that funds be appropriated to support the community investments recommended by the proposed Steering Committee; and,
WHEREAS, it is to the benefit of the citizens of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County that this resolution be approved.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. The Metropolitan Council accepts this resolution as a recommendation of the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee.
Section 2. That $10,000,000.00 from the Covid-19 American Rescue Plan Fund #30216 is hereby appropriated to establish a participatory budgeting fund.
Section 3. The Participatory Budgeting process will be documented in the minutes of the Steering Committee meetings and shared with the Covid-19 Financial Oversight Committee. Once projects are awarded, the expenditures are tracked through Metro Departments and updates will be provided to the Covid-19 Financial Oversight Committee.
Section 4. This resolution shall take effect from and after its final passage, the welfare of the public requiring it.
Agenda Analysis
Analysis
This resolution appropriates $10,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (“ARP”) funds from Fund #30216 to be allocated to neighborhood needs through a community-led participatory budgeting program.
This funding would be used for a citywide participatory budgeting process. A steering committee, selected by the Mayor’s Office from nominations from Councilmembers, would adapt the existing participatory budgeting guidelines. Residents will be able to submit ideas which will then be reviewed with the support of Metro staff, who will eliminate non-eligible items. A 35-item ballot will be created and residents 14 years old and older will be able to vote for which project they want funded.
Fiscal Note: This $10,000,000 appropriation, along with the appropriations per Resolutions No. RS2023-1948, RS2023-1949, RS2023-1952, and RS2023-1950 would be the 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th, and 49th resolutions appropriating from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARP) Fund for a cumulative total of $251,791,030. The total grant award is $259,810,600. The first half of this amount was received in July 2021 and the second half was received in July 2022. The grant award must be obligated by December 31, 2024 and expended by December 31, 2026.