Taking city hall ‘on tour’ helps US mayors prioritise funding

From vaccine incentives to free public transit and broadband investment, the mayors of Little Rock and Tucson explain their ARPA spending priorities and how civic engagement is informing them.

Through the US$1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) economic stimulus bill, US cities will receive a share of US$65 billion in direct federal funding.

News of this and the impending infrastructure bill has excited residents and stakeholders about how the money will be spent and how they can benefit. This means public engagement is critical to demonstrating transparency and trust, and to helping cities ascertain where the highest priorities and opportunities are.

Discussion from US mayors on a recent roundtable organised by Ignite Cities and the National League of Cities showed that strategies range from high-tech to tech-free.

Frank Scott Jr, Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, said that the events of the past 18 months, from the pandemic to social unrest and extreme weather, have shown that: “As mayors, we are closest to the ground with constituents. We have to be civically engaged, we have to focus on engagement and communication and all modes available to us – with social media, digital, radio, print, and literally hitting the streets.”

Scott has introduced weekly community walks – ‘Scott Strolls‘ where he visits Little Rock neighbourhoods, along with department leads, such as the police and fire chief, and public works and housing directors.

“Literally what we’re doing is bringing city hall to communities,” said Scott. “And we found that to be very useful as we have planned for our ARPA funds.”

The first tranche of Little Rock’s ARPA allocation – US$18.8 million of US$37 million – is being used towards programmes such as affordable housing, water drainage infrastructure, and broadband for parks and community centres in underserved areas.

Funding has also been put towards IT security upgrades, with Scott saying this protection was a concern for residents amid a spate of ransomware attacks in the US.

Another priority has been offering US$100 via reward cards to boost vaccine uptake.

“We’ve been very excited to see an uptick in vaccination rates because of the utilisation of ARPA and our vaccine incentives,” Scott said.

Digital acceleration

Regina Romero, Mayor of Tucson, Arizona, assumed office at the end of 2019, just before the pandemic took hold.

She said: “We knew that technology was going to change the way we do business as cities, but with the pandemic, we were pushed from the precipice and really had to act quickly to…get our public service workers to be able to deliver the services of our cities virtually.”

This has included daily informational videos in English and Spanish at the start of the pandemic, virtual town halls, surveys and greater use of social media.

This approach is being continued through the People, Communities, and Homes Investment Plan, a framework adopted in January 2021 to identify funding priorities. The process has incorporated surveys, virtual meetings, draft plan consultation and a participatory budgeting tool.

Romero said: “Engaging our communities is one of the most important ways to continue making decisions in these incredibly difficult times.”

Tucson’s first tranche of ARPA dollars — US$67 million of US$135 million —  is being invested in areas including affordable housing, Wi-Fi connectivity, youth employment and workforce development programmes, and mental health and substance use disorder initiatives. Tucson is also prioritising infrastructure, including parks and green spaces, in areas of the city that have been historically disinvested in, Romero said.

Further, using CARES Act and ARPA money, Tucson is offering free public transit until the end of December 2021.

“We’re taking a holistic approach as to how we invest these dollars and we’re pushing the limits in terms of the services that we provide,” said Romero.

The National League of Cities (NLC) has set up a hub for information on tools, resources and events related to COVID-19 response and recovery funding.

Ignite Cities provides consultancy to mayors across the US, including helping them “think outside the box” on new financial models and partnerships for deploying smart city infrastructure and broadband.

Replay the webinar: