New report summarizes and spotlights impacts of American Rescue Plan investments in Ohio’s cities
September 1, 2022
COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio’s local communities are using federal funds to provide youth programming, make streets safer, spur economic development, and bring fresh food to neighborhood food deserts, according to a new report from the Ohio Mayors Alliance (OMA).
The report, Resilience and Growth in the Face of Struggle: A Summary of American Rescue Plan Spending and Projects in Ohio Cities, summarizes how 30 of Ohio’s largest cities have spent and allocated the Local Fiscal Recovery Funds they received from the American Rescue Plan, a 2021 bill enacted by Congress and conceived by the Biden administration to help Americans recover from the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The federal investments provided by the American Rescue Plan are having extraordinary impacts on our cities,” said Keary McCarthy, executive director of the Ohio Mayors Alliance. “Not only have these funds helped avoid budget cuts to key city services, they’ve allowed our cities to make significant investments in public safety. They have also bolstered our economic recovery, provided critical supports to businesses and nonprofits, and they have laid the groundwork for transformational change in many communities.”
The report uses data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to break down spending and allocations by cities into eight categories (see chart below). The data is updated as of March 31 of this year, as that is the most recent date by which all cities that accepted American Rescue Plan funds had to submit a quarterly or annual report to the Treasury Department.
The report also highlights 10 individual projects in OMA cities that are investing in critical city services and programs:
- Youth programming and violence prevention programs in Akron
- Infrastructure funding in Beavercreek
- A summer education and employment program in Canton
- Pedestrian and street safety in Cincinnati
- Transformational objectives in Cleveland
- The RISE program that provides child care subsidies in Columbus
- A home ownership and home repair program in Kettering
- Water infrastructure fueling economic development in Lancaster
- Public safety and youth initiatives in Toledo
- A mobile grocery store in Youngstown
For more information and to read the full report, go to www.ohiomayorsalliance.org.
