How were projects and programs chosen to receive ARRA funds?
The broad categories of projects and programs that are receiving ARRA funds were designated by Congress and the President in ARRA itself. The State and the City identified the most critical areas to apply these funds in accordance with federal requirements and guidelines, while at the same time seeking to maximize job creation and retention. For infrastructure projects to be viable candidates for ARRA funds, they had to meet a special requirement – that they be “shovel ready.” This means these projects had to be at the end of the federal approval process in order to receive ARRA funds. Therefore, in order to make the quickest and most efficient use of this money, ARRA funds replaced City funds on certain construction projects with federal approvals (these projects are directly supported with “Stimulus Funding”), and the City funds originally slated for these projects were transferred to other construction projects (these projects are supported with “Displaced City Funding”) that can mo
