Tuesday night the Carbondale city council looked at the many ways funds from the American Rescue Plan Act can benefit the community.
One of the items on the Carbondale City Councils agenda was how to prioritize spending the $7.8 million dollars the city can receive through the American Rescue Plan.
During their discussion many projects were mentioned including storm water drainage repairs, repairs to the Eurma Hays Center, the Carbondale Warming Center and the Southern Illinois Coalition for the Homeless.
Councilman Jeff Doherty says he thinks they should develop a system for interested parties to apply for the funds.
“It's a bigger picture I need to see in terms of the types of projects are out there, the type of applications we get before we go any further, and I would like to see a process put together where we invite applications and then we work through the process, much like we do on an annual basis, funding community organizations.”
The funds can be used on helping households, small businesses, nonprofits, the tourism industry and more.
The city has until December 31th, 2024 to use the money.
