Virtual Community Conversation Event offered to Wilmington Community Members to discuss the American Rescue Plan Act Funds

(Wilmington, DE) – Wilmington City Council President Ernest “Trippi” Congo held a virtual community conversation event for Wilmington community members on July 6, 2021 to discuss the roughly $55 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds Wilmington will receive.

The ARPA was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021, to provide economic relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The City has received approximately $27 million of the first installment of ARPA funds and will receive the remaining funds next year. The virtual community conversation event with Wilmington City Council President Congo is part of a series of events that will help community members learn and ask questions about how the City of Wilmington should best use the funds.

The first virtual event included a brief presentation by Wilmington City Council Chief of Staff Daniel Walker, and questions were answered by Wilmington City Council President Congo that included topics on education, homeownership, neighborhood revitalization, gun violence, and more. To view the virtual community conversations event in its entirety, you can visit our WITN22 YouTube channel here. For details of the allowable uses of ARPA funds, a PowerPoint presentation is available here, or you can also view the May 25, 2021 virtual Finance and Economic Development Committee Meeting here.

Community members who were not in attendance are urged to submit feedback and questions by calling the Wilmington City Council office at 302-576-2140, or by completing a short survey here. All feedback and survey results will be shared with the Mayor and his administration.

The Wilmington City Council and City Treasurer will also present information on the ARPA cash balance of funds, review community priorities, and welcome direct feedback from residents and businesses at the monthly Finance Committee meetings. A display of expenditures and available balances will also be available on the City’s website sometime in the near future.

Media Contact: 
Yesenia Taveras, Legislative & Public Affairs Director
302-576-2585 | ytaveras@wilmingtonde.gov
City Council Website: www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com