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Hay Bay City program reports Q1 workforce activity as ARPA funds are exhausted
Summary
Presenters told the Bay City City Commission that the Hay Bay City workforce and placemaking program produced measurable results in Q1 2026 and that city ARPA funding has been fully spent; the Chamber will retain archived materials and route future job listings to a regional partner.
Sarah Parker, director of workforce development for Hay Bay City and the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, told the Bay City City Commission on July 6 that city ARPA funds supporting the Hay Bay City program have been fully exhausted and that the initiative achieved measurable workforce outcomes in the first quarter of 2026.
"The ARPA funding from the city has been fully exhausted," Parker said, and she described Q1 metrics including 16 new employers signing up, about 80 jobs posted, roughly 9,000 job views, 18 in‑person partnership meetings, 300 apply‑clicks and 43 applications. She framed the program as more than a job board, saying it combined online reach with one‑on‑one support to connect job seekers with employers.
Annabelle Schweiger, the program's marketing and communications manager, said the website and social channels had driven significant traffic in Q1: the site recorded 28,000 views and about 11,000 users in the quarter, with the jobs page responsible for roughly 18,000 of those views. Schweiger also reported cumulative program totals, attributing broader reach to sustained storytelling: "Over the course of the program the website generated 861,000 views and we saw nearly 500,000 job‑page views," she said, and added that social media reach exceeded 13.9 million views for the life of the project.
Schweiger said the Chamber will maintain ownership of the Hay Bay City pages and archive videos, photos and stories so partners and the public can access materials upon request. She also said job listings will be routed to Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works, a regional workforce partner, as the program transitions out of its current funding cycle.
Commissioners pressed presenters on practical issues of continuity and branding — including whether the Hay Bay City name was trademarked — and Parker said she was not aware of a trademark but agreed to look into it before making materials broadly available. Commissioners and staff emphasized that while the specific Hay Bay City program is winding down as city ARPA funds are spent, some workforce services and job routing will continue through regional partners and the Chamber.
The presentation and subsequent questions highlighted two themes: the program's mix of digital reach and direct support, and an effort to leave durable assets — archived content and regional referral pathways — that local employers and job seekers can continue to use after local ARPA funding ends.
