The Butler County commissioners heard the first pitches for part of the $75 million federal American Rescue Plan Act funding last week, and the overarching theme was improving the physical and economic health of the county.
The county has received dozens of requests totaling about $97 million for spending the windfall cash that is coming as part of President Joe Biden’s rescue plan. Requests run the gamut from new educational and economic development opportunities to addressing social service needs of the county.
The commissioners have $74.5 million in funds to share. These are some of the proposals entities have submitted so far.
| Requestor | Amount | Project description |
|---|---|---|
| Butler Tech * | $24 million | New aviation and advanced manufacturing technology training centers |
| MetroParks * | $9.5 million | County-wide scenic waterway overlook system; fill gaps in the Great Miami River trail corridor and recoup lost rental and license fees |
| Butler County villages * | $11.5 million | Critical infrastructure repairs for College Corner, Millville, New Miami and Seven Mile |
| Middletown * | $6.6 million | Help to redevelop the Ohio 4 corridor entrance to the city and support the Oakland Neighborhood revitalization |
| Carpenter plan | $6.5 million | Low head dam modification |
| Carpenter plan | $6 million | Sonny Hill Community Center expansion in Middletown |
| Cincinnati Bell/BC Rural Electric Cooperative * | $3.6 million | Extend high-speed broadband to rural areas of the county |
| Carpenter plan | $3 million | Hamilton Ponds development in Hamilton |
| Carpenter plan | $3 million | Emergency mental health crisis stabilization center |
| Carpenter plan | $3 million | Small business support program |
| Carpenter plan | $2 million | Talawanda-Oxford Pantry and Social Services |
| Carpenter plan | $2 million | Lindenwald revitalization in Hamilton |
| Butler County Sheriff | $1.85 million | Renovate the dispatch center, fix air conditioning systems, upgrade scanner system |
| Butler County Recorder | $1.6 million | Digitize old records |
| Great Miami Valley YMCA | $1.5 million | Add a program wing at the East Butler branch |
| Carpenter plan | $1.5 million | Marsh Park expansion in Fairfield |
| Visitors Bureau | $1.4 million | Recoup lost revenue from the coronavirus pandemic |
| Developmental Disabilities | $1.2 million | Renovate adult services center in Hamilton that is run by Easterseals to provide transitional employment opportunities |
| Carpenter plan | $1.2 million | Booker T. Washington Community Center in Hamilton |
| Carpenter plan | $1 million | West Chester Twp. library expansion |
| Carpenter plan | $500,000 | Primary Health Solutions dental van |
| Carpenter plan | $500,000 | Shared Harvest Food Bank |
| Carpenter plan | $300,000 | Access Counseling Center homeless outreach |
| Clerk of Courts | $100,000-$200,000 | Upgrade jury management system |
| Carpenter plan | $200,000 | Butler County Regional Transit Authority |
| Coroner | TBD | New county morgue |
| Sojourner * | TBD | New emergency mental health crisis stabilization center |
| Total | $97 million |
* Indicates Commissioner Cindy Carpenter has also proposed these projects but with some different funding levels.
Source: Butler County
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