Scott Steve, mayor of the city of Cortland. (Photo provided by Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
The City of Cortland greenlit the adoption of allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds at its meeting on Tuesday (Aug. 1).
Cortland has received $1,914,866 in ARPA funds. The funds must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and fully expended no later than Dec. 31, 2026.
The allocation of ARPA funds includes over $700,000 ($745,000) for the city’s current trash and recycling contract. According to page 11 of the finance report from Tuesday’s meeting, the city has spent almost all of its $830,000 ($830,700) trash collection budget with five months left in the year.
The city will use the $745,000 in ARPA funds to cover the remaining months of 2023. A breakdown of Cortland’s allocated ARPA funds are below:
(Provided by the city of Cortland).
The full finance report provided at Tuesday’s meeting can be viewed by clicking here.
Cortland, currently under contract with Blue Moose Sanitation, Inc., is in its first year of a trash and recycling tote system. This comes after a 40-year reign of the blue-bag system in the city.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Lisa Henty, the city’s director of administration and finance, discussed the ARPA funds allocated for the trash contract during her finance report presentation:
Lisa Henty, Cortland's director of administration and finance. (Photo provided by Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
Later on in the meeting, city mayor Scott Steve and councilperson Seth Thompson (D-5th Ward) further discussed the trash contract. Thompson provided perspective as a member of the city’s trash and recycling ad hoc advisory committee:
City councilperson Seth Thompson (D-5th Ward). (Photo provided by Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
