Cobb County should prioritize public health, housing and economic development with what’s left of its federal stimulus dollars, a consultant told the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
Last year, the county hired Deloitte, a New York City-based consulting firm, to help the board determine how to spend $148 million Cobb is owed from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021.
The county has spent about $20 million already. Deloitte on Tuesday laid out a spending blueprint for the remaining $128 million, after collecting input from residents, business owners, non-profits and other community leaders.
The proposal calls for community health programs to receive the largest amount, $25.7 million, with the bulk of that earmarked for mental health and substance abuse treatment. Social services, such as housing, homelessness and food security, would receive $23.3 million, followed by $22.4 million for economic development, such as workforce training, employee retention and small business assistance.
If the plan is adopted, the county for the first time would spend stimulus money directly to subsidize new affordable housing, rather than on rental assistance for people who lost income during the pandemic.
Deloitte recommended spending $19.3 million on infrastructure and $17.2 million on public safety, while setting aside the remaining $12 million for future challenges, such as a new wave of the pandemic.
The proposed funding split would be a departure from how the county spent its share of the first federal stimulus package, the CARES Act of 2020. Small employers and public safety received the bulk of the $133 million Cobb received.
Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, a Democrat, said the next step is to finalize the funding categories and approve them at future board meeting; specific projects would be decided at a later date.
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