Cuyahoga County lays out first proposals for American Rescue Plan spending

Cuyahoga County leaders Wednesday announced plans to spend $27 million in federal stimulus funds on a raft of projects ranging from workforce development to an expansion of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.

All told, the county is slated to receive $240 million from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, which allocated $350 billion to state, local and tribal governments around the country.

“We have ambitious plans for our ARPA funds,” County Executive Armond Budish said in a video announcing the allotments. “We intend to rock and roll, to roll our county out of the pandemic crisis and rocket us into an exciting, transformative future.”

Budish said the county will also set aside $50 million for use by the next county executive and council, who will be elected in November.

Here are the projects the county announced Wednesday:

• $9 million for workforce development programs
• $5 million to match state funding for brownfield remediation
• $5 million for the food bank’s $40 million expansion
• $4.3 million to upgrade the county’s information technology
• $1.5 million for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health for coronavirus testing and contact tracing
• $750,000 to maintain the county’s inventory of personal protective equipment
• $500,000 to incentivize vaccinations at the county jail
• $150,000 for grant-writing positions within the county
• $75,000 to support laptop management for remote employees
• $75,000 for remote testing for county job applicants
• $53,000 for cybersecurity
• An undetermined amount to find temporary placements for children in the county’s family services system

Joining Budish in the video were Council President Pernel Jones, Vice President Cheryl Stephens and District 9 Councilwoman Meredith Turner. The proposals will need the approval of Cuyahoga County Council, Budish said.

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