Monroe County Legislature rejects the ARPA amendment and authorizes a total budget of $25 million

Rochester, New York – At the Monroe County Legislature meeting on Tuesday night, there was a heated debate about how to divide up the funds for the American Rescue Plan (ARPA).

Legislators unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to spend more than $25 million of the remaining balance from Monroe County’s ARPA fund, but not before they engaged in a contentious debate over $6 million of those funds, which were intended for senior and youth centers in Rochester’s suburbs.

However, a last-ditch attempt to increase financing for those facilities was defeated by a vote of 23 to 6.

Legislator Rachel Barnhart, a Democrat, was not happy with the result.

According to Barnhart, “there are still needs in the city, and city children and seniors deserve a cut of those dollars.”

Several lawmakers, including those from Barnhart’s party, believe the city has gotten an adequate amount of revenue.

Democratic lawmaker John Baynes claimed that “the city residents have received ARPA funds, per capita, almost five times what people outside the city are receiving.” “It is a complete fabrication that everyone outside of the city is wealthy and all of Monroe County’s impoverished residents reside in the city.”

In order to increase the overall financing to $8 million, Barnhart proposed an amendment, with $2 million going to city youth and elderly programs.

Barnhart expressed her dissatisfaction with the outcome when that amendment was rejected.

“A $6 million fund that was negotiated without any needs analysis and purposefully excludes seniors and city youth,” Barnhart claimed. “A $6 million nonprofit fund with no specific goal in mind; it may receive small grants, which would further reduce its impact.”

The more than $25 million in authorized funding will be used, among other things, for housing and health-related activities.

The American Rescue Plan provided the county with funding of approximately $144 million.