The Gary Common Council will decide whether to appropriate $500,000 toward a new animal shelter at its upcoming meeting.
Funds for the facility will be used from American Rescue Plan Act funds, and the council will vote on it Tuesday. Council members have postponed the vote for the facility at multiple meetings, including Dec. 3.
When it became law in March 2021, ARPA provided about $350 billion in additional funding to state and local governments, according to the Government Finance Officers Association. Eligible uses of funds include revenue replacement, COVID-19 expenditures, premium pay for essential workers, and investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.
ARPA funds can’t be used to directly or indirectly offset tax reductions and can’t be deposited into a pension fund. Funds must be obligated by the end of 2024 and used by the end of 2026.
The city was originally asking for $1 million for the animal shelter, but Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon said during a Ways and Means committee meeting that they’re now asking for $500,000.
The amount was amended because Mayor Eddie Melton is finding private donors for the remainder of costs, Cannon said. Erika Blackwell, spokeswoman for the city of Gary, was unable to immediately share how much the project will cost.
The Gary Police Department oversees animal control services, according to the city’s website.
“We are currently leaning toward refurbishing the current location of the Animal Control Center, which will probably include a new structure in addition to the structure that’s already there,” Cannon said. “There are a lot of things that have to be considered in terms of the current land and how it has to be positioned.”
Council Vice President Lori Latham said during the Ways and Means Committee meeting that she wants to work with the city to help raise funds for the facility, even through private means.
“This is something that I’m passionate about,” Latham told Cannon. “So, if there’s an opportunity for me to work with you to see if there’s another source for additional money to get you what you need, I would like to do that.”
The city needs funding just to make sure a buy in is ready for the project, Cannon said.
The project doesn’t have any firm commitments, but Cannon is optimistic that more will join if the council approves ARPA fund utilization.
“We hope to increase that number, but we just want to establish the $500,000,” he said. “I think that will lead donors and other philanthropy people to come to us.”
