Council members call meeting to discuss ARPA ahead of City of Flint’s Jan. 23 grant application launch

Flint, MI—Flint City Council will hold a special meeting on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, at which members hope to discuss American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds with residents.

The meeting was called yesterday evening, ahead of the city’s Jan. 20 announcement that it will launch an application for the “community grants” portion of its ARPA allocation plan on Jan. 23.

Council adopted its ARPA plan in October 2022. Among other things, it detailed how the city will spend approximately $60.3 million, with roughly a third in the form of community grants for which local organizations could apply.

A Jan. 19 press release from the Office of City Council states that the legislative body is now seeking participation “particularly” from “individuals or entities who have submitted a request for ARPA funds by way of the ‘City Council Initial Form'” at its Saturday meeting.

That form has been a source of confusion for Flint residents and organizations hoping to apply for the promised community grant funding, with some councilmembers claiming it should be viewed as an application and the city claiming otherwise.

Councilman Eric Mays, who called Council’s upcoming special meeting along with Councilwoman Jerri Winfrey-Carter, told Flint Beat the form had been voted on by Council in February 2022 as an application for individuals and organizations to request ARPA funding for their projects.

Conversely, the City of Flint administration has maintained that claim is “false,” and now plans to release an application for the community grant funding on Monday.

Whatever transpires between the weekend’s meeting and the city’s application sharing, Mays said, he wants to ensure that the people who shared their ARPA project proposals via the “City Council Initial Form” are considered.

“Any additional forms, I’m going to make sure that people who put those [initial forms in] are guided and taken care of on any additional applications or paperwork,” he told Flint Beat. “I’ve said that all along.”

Council’s special meeting is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the third floor of Flint City Hall, located at 1101 S. Saginaw St.