The Lansing City Council wants the mayor to be transparent and fair in how he distributes pandemic relief funds to community groups. The council unanimously passed an accountability measure this week.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor has allocated $1.9 million dollars towards community programs. The money is part of a nearly $25 million dollar payment the city is receiving. It’s the second cash infusion Lansing is getting from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Residents have raised concerns about the way Schor doled out the monies from the first payment.
The People’s Council of Lansing, a newly-created group aimed at increasing accountability within City Council, has been advocating for a more transparent process from the city on when and how to apply for funds.
Group co-founder Jerry Norris feels like the city plays favorites by reaching out to a handful of organizations.
"They email them and they're the ones that reply," he said. "I would like to see them email it to all of the nonprofits in Lansing."
Schor says the city operates transparently, citing the process it followed after receiving the first portion of ARPA funds in 2021.
"We did all kinds of outreach and media and press releases and things like that, and social media to try and get folks to provide proposals. ... So, we'll do it. We'll again, go out to the public and seek recommendations," Schor said.
Councilmember Brian Daniels, who represents Ward 1, says the resolution passed this week is meant to encourage the mayor to be intentional about outreach to smaller community organizations.
"The same people who have always gotten money, know how to get money," he said. "But nonprofits, newer nonprofits or smaller nonprofits, that may not necessarily be as ingrained in the city don't necessarily know how to get the same amount of money."
Schor says he’s focusing on taking an equitable approach. One that will prioritize underserved communities.
"We are going to create a process where we're going to do requests for the $1.9 million and we will issue that in the best way to help the city of Lansing," he added.
The resolution from City Council comes after it approved Mayor Andy Schor’s plan on how to allocate the nearly $25 million dollars in pandemic relief funds.
The city is set to receive the money early next month.
