Plans have changed

Tuerk has made some changes to previously planned expenditures under former Mayor Ray O’Connell.

City Council in December approved a slew of capital expenditures requested by O’Connell, including storm sewer improvements, water main replacements and funding for a backup data center. Tuerk will not change the already approved items, but the city is changing the rest of the expenditures O’Connell planned.

O’Connell originally proposed setting aside $2.5 million for local nonprofits and planned to grant $1 million to the IronPigs minor league baseball team and $2 million to the Da Vinci Science Center.

After pushback from community activists who said not enough money was going toward grassroots nonprofits, O’Connell agreed to set aside $4 million for local nonprofits, $4.7 million in housing assistance, $3 million to tourism organizations and $3 million in assistance for small businesses.

Tuerk will grant businesses and nonprofits even more than that. But instead of breaking down exactly where the money will go, all businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply from the same $18 million pool. The application process will mirror the process of applying for a state grant or grant though a congressperson or senator’s office.

The city is, however, scrapping a plan announced in October to explore a citywide broadband program. Allentown officials last year announced $6 million to begin a cityfunded broadband program and planned to partner with Allentown-based Iota Communications to conduct a feasibility study.

Tuerk said that the October announcement was “premature” and that the city does not want to spend ARPA money on broadband because many other federally funded broadband programs already exist.

“It would be irresponsible for us to commit SLRF funds or ARPA funds that we could fund through many other means,” Tuerk said.

The city is still looking to do some revenue replacement projects, a catch-all term for city-funded improvements and initiatives, with the remaining approximately $10 million allotted to that purpose. The city already used some of it to fund a backup data center, roof replacements and a new fire academy building.

It’s considering more projects like city park improvements, repairs to the police academy building or a city-owned community building, Tuerk said.

The city has already spent its $20 million allotted to infrastructure projects, including water main and sanitary sewer line replacements, and does not plan to spend more on infrastructure at this point, Tuerk said.