22 Oct Richmond Makes Budget Moves to Meet Federal Deadline

(Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

The Richmond City Council reallocated over $3 million in its budget to meet American Rescue Plan Act deadlines, allowing the city to ensure projects are funded and avoid later repayment of any funding.

Several projects either previously funded through ARPA or the city’s general capital fund — including those for Booker T. Anderson Park, 13th Street Complete Streets and paving improvements — had their funding sources swapped ahead of the Dec. 31 obligation deadline. 

Booker T. Anderson Park and the 13th Street Complete Streets projects are now funded through the city’s general capital fund and paving with $2 million in ARPA funding.

ARPA money, of which Richmond received over $27.7 million in 2021 as part of a $350 million relief package, can be used to fund certain eligible uses, including transportation project support and replacing lost public sector revenue. Richmond has funded the Green-Blue New Deal, the Nevin Plaza Housing Project, and citywide soccer field improvements with ARPA funding. 

But council member Doria Robinson said the proposed reallocation of funding for Booker T. Anderson, which initially didn’t show a corresponding general fund figure, showed what she called “an equity issue” and felt she had been lied to about the scope of the project. 

The council “allocated money to this particular community, this particular neighborhood to improve their recreation center to make further improvements with ARPA,” Robinson said. 

Booker T. Anderson is located across the street from Stege Elementary School, of which over 75% of students are Black and Brown and which was temporarily closed following health and safety hazards that led to a lawsuit against the West Contra Costa Unified School District. 

>>>Read: Problems at Stege Elementary, Now Temporarily Closed, Had ‘Happened Too Long’<<<

“I’m not fine with leading the community to believe that we’re investing in their center and then taking it back,” she said. 

Josef Munoz, the city’s Capital Improvements Project manager, said Booker T. Anderson’s current project started with renovations following a fire in 2020 and came in under budget but is a “facility (that) definitely needs more” funding. “All our facilities do.” 

Curl suggested that the miscommunication around the funding and project scope was likely due to staff being overwhelmed and the difference in language used by technical staff and council members who are policymakers. 

“I think the words do matter,” said Curl. “I think sometimes people inadvertently use the wrong words that may not be in alignment with how the council sees things,” but staff is working hard. 

Following a brief recess, the council approved the reallocations alongside an amendment that ensures over $321,000 — the same amount of ARPA funding that originally funded the Booker T. Anderson Park project — comes out of the general fund for the project. 

“We tried really hard to make it so the kids from Stege can be there, so they can feel connected to the community so that they can feel welcome,” Curl said. “We really coordinated hard with the school district to make it a place that is accessible, but we recognize that we need to do another phase, and we’re committed to doing that.” 

The next Richmond City Council meeting is Oct. 22.