MOSINEE, WI (WSAU) — Mosinee Mayor Brent Jacobson admittedly isn’t a fan of the American Rescue Act funding which was recently sent to states and municipalities across the nation, but he also knows there’s no use in sending it back the roughly $400,000 just to make a statement.
“If I were to return the City of Mosinee’s ARPA funds or not use them, it’s not going to send any message to Washington, DC,” said Jacobson. “It’s a very small drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things. I might as well use them to help my property tax payers.”
Jacobson says they’ve started to narrow down the list of potential infrastructure projects that the money could be used for in the city. On one hand, the city’s water tower may need to be repainted inside and outside. There’s also a need for a second water main in the city’s industrial park. “It’s not exciting, but they are large-dollar items that need to get done.”
The Mayor didn’t say whether there was a set timeline for when the city would decide which project to fund, but there’s no hurry in that department. Funds don’t have to be spent for another couple of years- which is another thing that doesn’t completely make sense to him.
“It’s the American Rescue Plan, and it’s apparently supposed to rescue us from an immediate crisis. I find that to be ironic when local governments have several years to spend the money. Are we doing more harm than good with the inflation components?”
Speaking of infrastructure projects, Jacobson was also proud to announce that the first portion of the Highway 153 project through town has been completed. That involved resurfacing the stretch on the east side of town, with the remainder of the road to be fixed up next year if everything stays on track.
Other topics Jacobson discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- new Chief of Police for the city
4:30- City budget process
9:00- ARPA funding
15:10- Highway 153 project
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