Common Council Office Council Office: (315) 448-8466

314 City Hall Fax: (315) 448-8423

Syracuse, N.Y. 13202

CITY OF SYRACUSE COMMON COUNCIL

_____________________________

MICHAEL GREENE
Councilor-at-Large

To: Ben Walsh, Mayor

From: Michael Greene,
Chairperson, Finance, Taxation & Assessment Committee

Date: May 27, 2021

Re: Proposed use of American Rescue Plan Funding

The roughly $123 million in economic stimulus that Syracuse will receive through President
Biden’s American Rescue Plan presents us with the transformational opportunity to make our
city more equitable.

Syracuse has acute needs that must be addressed immediately—our housing is unsafe, people
need jobs, and the I-81 project is set to begin in the very near future. But we are also in a time of
enormous global change—changes in the nature of work, changes in the global economy, and a
changing climate. This once-in-a-generation funding will allow us to tackle our immediate needs,
and it will allow us to make sure that everyone in this city has the opportunity to thrive in a post-
covid world.

As chair of the Council’s finance committee, I believe that collaboration on the issue of how to
spend these funds is valuable. However, given that Onondaga County announced its plan in
March, these extremely important decisions must be prioritized. Therefore, I am including my
proposal for how I believe the City should use the funds from the American Rescue Plan to
create a more equitable Syracuse.

Housing
New Construction / Renovation: $10,000,000
Funds to be distributed to local non-profit housing developers and CDCs to build new housing
and/or rehab existing housing in the neighborhoods where it’s most needed.

SHARP Grants: $7,500,000

1,500 new small grants for income eligible homeowners to make exterior and/or emergency
repairs to their homes.

Greater Syracuse Land Bank: $2,500,000

Funding to stabilize and/or demolish properties in the Land Bank’s existing inventory.

609 Cumberland Avenue – Syracuse, N.Y. 13210 – mgreene@syrgov.net

Common Council Office Council Office: (315) 448-8466
314 City Hall Fax: (315) 448-8423
Syracuse, N.Y. 13202

CITY OF SYRACUSE COMMON COUNCIL

_____________________________

MICHAEL GREENE
Councilor-at-Large

Community Land Trust: $1,000,000

Seed funding to hire staff and build capacity for a Community Land Trust. This entity will be
controlled by the community, and it will work with the City, the Greater Syracuse Land Bank,
and NYSDOT to acquire land, prevent displacement and gentrification, and build wealth in the
community.

Housing Vacancy Study: $50,000

A prerequisite of the Emergency Tenant Protection Act. Conducting a vacancy study would yield
valuable information about the state of housing in Syracuse, and—depending on the results of
that study—it may allow the City to enact desperately needed tenant protections.

Equity
Community Coworking Spaces: $8,000,000
Money to create new space in City-owned properties—including community centers and
libraries—for use by the growing remote workforce. These spaces will be available for use free
of charge for city residents, and they will position Syracuse to benefit from the trend towards
remote work.

Municipal Fiber Network: $5,500,000

Funding to extend the City’s fiber network into neighborhoods with limited access to broadband
internet service. This will position the City to provide that necessary service either directly or in
partnership with an existing ISP.

Syracuse Public Works Employment Program: $5,000,000

Funding for a temporary program to hire city residents to carry out public works projects such as
park beautification, tree planting, and litter pickup. This will provide Syracuse residents with
much needed jobs, and it will improve quality of life in the city. These job opportunities should
be made available to youth in our community.

Citywide Property Reassessment: $2,000,000

Reporting from syracuse.com revealed that Syracuse’s property tax assessments are
inequitable—property owners in poorer neighborhoods predominantly populated by people of

609 Cumberland Avenue – Syracuse, N.Y. 13210 – mgreene@syrgov.net

Common Council Office Council Office: (315) 448-8466
314 City Hall Fax: (315) 448-8423
Syracuse, N.Y. 13202

CITY OF SYRACUSE COMMON COUNCIL

_____________________________

MICHAEL GREENE
Councilor-at-Large

color are taxed at a much higher rate than richer whiter neighborhoods. A citywide reassessment
will make our tax system more equitable.

Syracuse Build: $1,000,000

Funding for workforce development in preparation for the I-81 project. This will support
outreach efforts and paid internships for Syracuse residents learning skilled trades.

I-81 Point Person: $500,000

Funding for a new position to coordinate the City’s action on the I-81 project. The person who
fills this position will liaise with NYSDOT and the neighborhoods most directly affected by the
project in order to ensure equitable outcomes.

Transportation
Sidewalks: $13,500,000
Funding to implement the municipal sidewalk program with a 5-year phase-in.

Bus Rapid Transit: $10,000,000

Funding to cover the City’s responsibility for the infrastructure improvements necessary to
implement Bus Rapid Transit including physical changes to the City-owned right-of-way.

Street Reconstruction: $6,000,000

A 1.5 increase in the annual road reconstruction budget in order to bring more streets into good
repair and to implement the design standards of the Safe Streets Manual.

Safe Streets Manual: $200,000

Funding to write a Syracuse-specific manual to govern street design. This will supersede national
manuals and allow the City to reconstruct its streets according to local priorities such as safety
and sustainability.

609 Cumberland Avenue – Syracuse, N.Y. 13210 – mgreene@syrgov.net

Common Council Office Council Office: (315) 448-8466
314 City Hall Fax: (315) 448-8423
Syracuse, N.Y. 13202

CITY OF SYRACUSE COMMON COUNCIL

_____________________________

MICHAEL GREENE
Councilor-at-Large

Climate Change
Skaneateles Lake Intake Pipe: $13,000,000
Funding to extend the Skaneateles Lake Intake pipe further into the lake. This is necessary to
combat the effects of increasingly frequent harmful algal blooms on our drinking water—a direct
result of climate change.

Flood Mitigation: $10,000,000

Funding to study and implement flood mitigation on Onondaga and Harbor Creeks. Flooding
along these waterways will become a greater danger as climate change leads to increased
precipitation. Apart from the physical threat, flooding also contributes to neighborhood
disinvestment by requiring property owners in FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Areas to purchase
expensive flood insurance in order to qualify for government-backed mortgages.

Municipal Resiliency
Shore up Budget Revenue Gap: $22,250,000
Money necessary to account for municipal revenues lost due to the effects of Covid-19.

Modernized Trash Collection: $5,000,000

Funding to implement partially automated trash collection. This will protect municipal
employees from job-related injuries, save the City money in workers compensation, and it will
free DPW to redeploy resources to other pressing projects.

609 Cumberland Avenue – Syracuse, N.Y. 13210 – mgreene@syrgov.net