WARREN, Ohio - Leaders in the City of Warren want to find out how residents of the Third Ward think the city should spend its $28 million allocation of funding from the American Recovery Program.

Mayor Doug Franklin and Third Ward City Councilman Greg Greathouse have scheduled a town hall meeting for residents and business operators on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at North Mar Church, 3855 East Market St., Warren.

The United States Department of the Treasury has established guidelines for the Coronavirus State and Local Recovery Funds, intended to provide an infusion of resources to help reverse the impact of the pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for recovery.

The union representing city firefighters is lobbying to have some of the funding directed toward the purchase of equipment for the fire department.

Residents are also being asked to complete an online survey outlining their preferences for the use of ARP money.

The survey asks participants to rank the following possible uses for ARP funds on a one to five basis, with one being the highest priority and five being the lowest:

• Community Facilities: e.g., park improvements, neighborhood park installations.
• Community Services: e.g., recreation, youth services, senior/youth programs, crime awareness, and prevention.
• Economic Development: e.g., business assistance, downtown development.
• Housing / Homeless and Rehabilitation Services: e.g., homeownership programs, housing rehabilitation, life skills training for homeless and chemically dependent.
• Public Improvement: e.g., sewer, water, public buildings.

The survey also has a comment section for other ideas.