Submits Requests For Stimulus Bill
Review the contents of New Rochelle’s stimulus request.
As you probably know, the President is poised to sign a huge federal recovery package aimed at stimulating economic activity and averting an even sharper decline in the nation’s growth rate. A significant part of this package is intended to fund infrastructure, environmental, and energy projects. In order to best position ourselves to access federal dollars, New Rochelle has prepared a description of initiatives that would, collectively, create or save more than 5,500 jobs and generate significant short and long term economic benefits. These requests are divided into categories consistent with federal goals including Critical Infrastructure, Transit-Oriented Development, Environmental Protection, Energy Efficiency, Homeland Security/Public Safety, and Affordable Housing.
There is an uncertain quality to this process. The details of the final recovery plan are not yet known, nor is the administrative mechanism by which funds will be distributed, nor are the precise criteria by which project selections will be made. It is possible that no local projects at all will be funded, and that support for New Rochelle as a municipality will be limited only to increases in pre-existing revenue streams, like the Community Development Block Grant. Regardless, I intend to work closely with our federal and state representatives in the weeks ahead, with the goal of maximizing federal contributions to local priorities.