Federal Dollars Expected to Assist Regional Economy
Sacramento County has established a diverse team focused on maximizing and coordinating opportunities to garner local project funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Led by the county’s economic development chief Robert Leonard, the team is working to secure millions of stimulus dollars for local projects. By bringing together a wide variety of key players, even before the specifics of the Recovery Act were known, Sacramento was poised to take advantage of the funds as soon as they became available. This effort builds upon excellent work done by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce in early 2009 to bring the region together around a coordinated stimulus program strategy.
Leonard says the key to success is bringing the right players to the table. “The goal isn’t to compete with local agencies and jurisdictions for the same pot of money, but to leverage our partnerships to make the most effective use of stimulus funds,” Leonard explains. “We have already nailed down funding commitments for job development, senior nutrition programs, homeless assistance and transportation improvements exceeding $40 million. We have nearly $5.6 million coming in energy efficiency block grants alone.” The County’s partners include the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency and SMUD. These agencies can help funnel the money directly to the highest priority needs.
Sacramento County’s Board of Supervisors received an update on the Stimulus Team’s progress today, and board members are lending their support to the multi-agency/multi-departmental team approach. Board Chair Susan Peters notes that “regional leadership by the County is vital to our success. All of our local partners, from cities to special districts, have a stake in securing funds. It is critical that we work together to present a collaborative agenda to the federal government to show that not only do we have the “shovel-ready” list prioritized, but that we can work together to pump dollars into our regional economy and create jobs.”
Among the specific local improvements in the pipeline due to stimulus funds are:
$13.4 million for job development programs
$10.5 million in basic roadway improvements, including pavement, sidewalk, and curb repairs
$5.6 million to bolster Sacramento’s sustainability program through energy efficiency grants
$4.7 million to prevent and ease homelessness
$3.1 million in upgrades for traffic signal systems
$3 million targeted towards roadway upgrades to improve ADA accessibility
Leonard adds that the stimulus funding team is also hard at work devising the behind-the-scenes network necessary to monitor and report on Sacramento’s share of the Recovery Act pie. “Whether it is in how we apply for money, allocate the dollars or measure our performance, this will be an open-book approach. Our commitment is to exceed the transparency and accountability that has been promised at the federal level. The money may be flowing from Washington, but the jobs created and direct impacts will be in our own neighborhoods; that’s where we’ll see the benefits,” says Leonard. He expects the county to launch a website in late April to allow constituents to track the programs and spending, and offer their feedback.