Towns across the US are holding public hearings on how they will spend the American Rescue Plan Funds. Perth Amboy was given $16,443,343.42 in American Rescue Plan Assistance. The Waterfront Neighborhood Association asked the City at the last council meeting how they are planning to use these funds, and if there will be any public hearings.

American Rescue Plan funds, part of $360 billion in state and local aid, are intended to “help keep essential workers on the job, assist struggling families and small businesses and make investments in infrastructure.”

Questions about how the funds will be spent came as a result of the Caba Administration asking the City Council to approve about $16 million in bonds for city improvements, like water meters and other infrastructure projects. The administrator Michael Green was asked, why are we bonding for infrastructure when we have been allocated this relief money for infrastructure? What are the plans for the use of the funds?

To date, there has been no information provided to the public about how the funds will be used, therefore we asked for public hearings on the use of the funds. Hopefully the result will be more transparency.