Let your voice be heard (and help shape history) by taking the survey!

Nearly one month after the approval of our Common Council legislation seeking greater transparency and inclusiveness in the city’s receipt and distribution of historic federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) coronavirus relief funds, the city has launched a survey to get public input on how the city should prioritize spending the $394 million it is receiving.

We strongly urge everyone to take a few minutes to fill out the online survey. Take the survey now at https://engagemke.com/arp.

Together, we sponsored Common Council file #201571 to increase transparency by creating a public-facing dashboard that will track how and where ARPA funds are distributed – as well as the public survey to receive detailed input on ranked preferences from citizens on how the funds should be used.

It is critical that we make sure these funds are equitably distributed to help us address some of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Milwaukee. Immediate feedback from residents who complete the survey can help us do just that.

The dashboard that will track the allocations of ARPA funds will tell citizens exactly how, where and when those funds are being spent. Again, we are striving for maximum transparency.

We also thank our colleague, Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, for her amendment on the public survey, requiring the Department of Administration to work closely with the City Clerk’s Office in formulating survey questions. We believe the process was strengthened by this cooperation, which also involved input from Common Council members who are in closest contact with the constituents residing in every neighborhood across the city.

We look forward to seeing the results of the survey and to helping our citizens and our great city recover and move forward in unity and prosperity.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.