Council members on the Finance Committee pressed the administration for more detailed accounting and equity information about the city’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) spending and oversight, and the administration said many contracts were recently encumbered and will be monitored for on-time spending.

At the meeting, a council member said the finance committee had previously submitted written questions about SLFRF compliance and that significant differences remain in the totals reported for compliance. The member said, for example, public-health SLFRF spending showed about $330,000 spent of a $4.1 million allocation and asked whether projects would be completed on schedule.

A city official responding to the committee said many SLFRF contracts were encumbered in December 2024 and that funds are obligated to vendors; project managers will track budgets and spend-down schedules and will follow up with organizations each quarter. The official said there were no immediate concerns about being unable to spend the funds under existing contracts and that project managers expect appropriate spend-down by project timetables.

Committee members sought clarity on whether SLFRF-funded affordable housing and other projects prioritize low-income and disproportionately impacted populations. The administration representative said the city conducted a citywide assessment to identify disproportionately impacted areas and worked with county partners to align funding and fill gaps; the official said the expectation is for completion dates on several affordable-housing contracts by Dec. 31, 2026, or earlier.

One council member requested that the committee table the item to receive more complete responses; the committee agreed to revisit SLFRF compliance after the next quarterly report period.

The committee tabled the SLFRF compliance oversight item for follow-up in June.