Honolulu Wants Covid Relief Funds To Be Used For ‘The Highest And Greatest Needs’… Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s office and the City Council are still hammering out details about how to spend $386 million in ARPA funds.
Nearly four months after being awarded $386 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, the City and County of Honolulu is still fine-tuning plans to distribute the money.
Honolulu received $193 million of the Covid-19 relief funds in June and will get the other half next year. The city has until 2024 to obligate the funds and until 2026 to spend them to allow officials to try to address longer-term needs as opposed to CARES Act money that was for more immediate use and had to be spent in nine months.
The City Council and Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration largely agree on priorities when it comes to the need for spending on public health, economic recovery, infrastructure and revenue replacement. But the nine-member council is pushing to allocate more of the funds for affordable housing on the island, which saw the median home price surpass $1 million last month.
