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Mayor: ARPA obligations largely met; administration sets aggressive timeline to finish small‑business grants and loans

Pontiac City Council · January 14, 2026

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Summary

Mayor McGinnis told the council ARPA obligations were completed before the federal deadline and outlined plans for distributing outstanding small‑business awards and loans, proposing dashboards, a possible ARPA work group and a goal to finish outstanding obligations well ahead of December 2026.

Mayor McGinnis updated the council on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and the status of related small‑business programs and workforce initiatives.

“The obligation of all of our ARPA funds has been successfully completed before the deadline,” the mayor said, describing a transition from obligation to active implementation and noting remaining distributions for previously authorized small‑business awards and loans.

He told the council the administration has paused none of the prior awards but is reviewing outstanding matters that were delegated to the new administration, and said staff aim to have unresolved carryover tasks completed by September to avoid end‑of‑year scramble. The mayor said the city will produce a monthly ARPA dashboard for council and community oversight.

Council members requested additional oversight and a dedicated work group. Councilwoman Jones and others urged a standing update cadence and stronger project‑management support; the mayor said he’s scaling up strategic‑partnerships staff and asked departments to identify options for reassigning or hiring staff to manage ARPA compliance, small‑business technical assistance and loan disbursements.

Council discussion also covered Ernst & Young’s contract role: the administration described E&Y as a federal reporting and compliance vendor, not the city’s project manager, and said the strategic‑partnerships team will lead implementation while E&Y focuses on Treasury reporting. Councilmembers asked for clearer monthly project reporting, and several asked for a subcommittee or work group to monitor and expedite remaining ARPA work.