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Dallas committee reviews staff recommendation to reprogram ARPA funds toward public-safety hiring
Summary
City staff briefed the Government Performance and Financial Management Committee on American Rescue Plan Act spending, proposing to reprogram roughly $7.97 million to public-safety hiring and outlining monitoring steps after an Office of Management and Budget directive prompted additional review.
City staff told the Government Performance and Financial Management Committee on Jan. 28 that they plan to recommend reprogramming American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support public-safety hiring and retention, and that the recommendation may be adjusted in response to a federal Office of Management and Budget directive.
The recommendation, presented by Jeanette Wheaton of Budget and Management Services and Shan Williams, assistant director over grama administration, would reprogram $7,968,226 from identified ARPA balances into a public-safety hiring and retention category, staff said. The briefing also described a broader four-category spending framework that includes revenue stabilization, public-safety hiring and retention, an infrastructure investment fund, and an "unmet needs" category for resident services.
Staff said the city received $355,400,000 in ARPA state and local fiscal recovery funds and that, as of the briefing, roughly $330,900,000 had been spent or encumbered, leaving about $24,500,000 available to reprogram. City staff said they will prepare a budget amendment for council consideration in May 2025 and would only add new projects they believe can be completed by the U.S. Treasury deadline for the grant program.
Jack Carlin, the city chief financial officer, told the committee the presentation had been prepared before the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a directive earlier that day. Carlin said staff would review the OMB guidance and might adjust the recommendation before the full council briefing next week. "As we learn more, we might make a change," he said.
Vice Chair Blackman and other committee members expressed concern about the potential impact of federal freezes on city partners, particularly nonprofit service providers such as Family Gateway. Council members urged staff to develop contingency plans and to reconvene the committee or full council if nonprofit partners report imminent closures. Wheaton said the city had begun contingency planning and would update council as information developed.
Staff also described the ARPA redevelopment fund, created by reallocating eligible Dallas Fire-Rescue payroll expenses into a multi-year fund. In the briefing, staff reported that the redevelopment fund had a stated total budget and an unencumbered balance (figures reported in the briefing as presented by staff). The committee heard that staff is monitoring spending and would bring recommendations for any reprogramming back to council.
The committee lost quorum and adjourned at 1:29 p.m. before taking formal action on the staff recommendation; no vote occurred at the committee meeting.
