Milwaukee has some money coming its way. In March, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan (ARP), a Covid-19 stimulus package that allocated $394.2 million to the City of Milwaukee. Now comes the question of how to spend it.
According to the city, Mayor Tom Barrett hopes to use the funds to enable the "community to recover from the pandemic, while improving long-term resiliency by addressing key priority areas," which include:
- Early education
- Stable and affordable housing
- Eviction and foreclosure prevention
- Broadband/Internet access
- Critical infrastructure
- Workforce development
- Economic development
- Small business development
- Public health and community resiliency
To help prioritize that spending, the city is asking residents to fill out a short survey. "Short" is the operative word here; the survey is just one page long and takes about three minutes to fill out.
“The money Milwaukee is receiving opens an unprecedented opportunity for our city, a chance to make investments that would be impossible without the ARP funds,” Barrett said in statement. “We already know the money will be spent to improve lives, solve problems and address racial equity issues. The opinions shared through our survey will be carefully considered as we make specific budgeting decisions about the funds.”
If you've got the time, you can fill out the survey here.