County Executive Matt Meyer announced the “equity agenda” last week for the $108 million the New Castle County can spend over the course of the next few years.
The money will go to a “Building Better Communities” initiative — which officials say will try to reduce violence and improve economic outcomes in underserved neighborhoods.
Meyer says the money will also fund efforts around affordable housing, environmental justice and holistic workforce development.
“I think there’s nowhere that the problems and issues of COVID have been [more]evident as with inequity within our community,” he said. “A virus attacks the human body all in the same way, but COVID, this pandemic, has not attacked every community in our county, in our state, in our country the same way. And the reason is existing inequities, if you will, social preconditions.”
Meyer admits many of the details have yet to be fleshed out.
“We’re going to be looking at various projects,” he said, referring to the environmental justice initiative. “There are a number of ideas that have been proposed to us, and we’re going to look at each one and see what makes sense for investment in the taxpayer dollar.”
Meyer says he saw the County’s $322 million in CARES Act funding as an “emergency package” to keep the community healthy—and the American Rescue Plan money as an opportunity to build back better.
