Aurora’s councilmembers plan to discuss using American Rescue Plan Act funds to help fund homeless service providers at Saturday’s winter workshop — continuing a conversation councilmembers put off back in December. 

The winter workshop begins at 8 a.m. Saturday and continues for a good part of the day, with a break at 10:30 a.m. and a lunch break at 11:30 a.m.

Council will go over strategic planning, federally funded project updates, capital project updates and issues updates, according to the agenda. 

City staff is scheduled to plot strategic outcomes and brainstorm how they will improve on the characteristics, collaborating to develop ideas that can contribute.

Of note, council will also go over American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) project funding updates, including projects like park renovations, fire station improvements, animal shelter renovations and the city’s homeless navigation center, all of which are getting funding from ARPA dollars. 

At a December council meeting, councilmembers discussed giving additional funding to homeless service providers from unspent ARPA funds. The decision was delayed until the winter workshop.

The debate about city funding for homeless service providers has been going on since city staffers recommended last year that the council cut or limit funds to several organizations that provide services to homeless people in Aurora following a dip in the local government’s revenues.

Specifically, Aurora has seen a significant decrease in cannabis tax funds that support homeless service providers in the city.

At the December meeting, Councilmember Alison Coombs pushed for flat funding — meaning the city would provide the money, instead of redirecting it elsewhere — for the providers through the next year. She argued the organizations are providing necessary services to the city.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman also brought up a second proposal that would incrementally reduce funding to the organizations, rather than immediately implement the cuts, as the recommendations suggested.

Other councilmembers countered they should tackle the proposals during a budget meeting in February. That would give the officials time to “look at this holistically” and make sure they’re prioritizing what’s most important, Councilmember Francoise Bergan said at the time.

Coffman, who usually agrees with his fellow conservative councilmembers, asked the council to consider supporting either his or Coombs’ proposal.

Instead, council voted to move the conversation to the Winter Workshop Saturday.

At the upcoming workshop, Councilmember Alison Coombs is proposing almost $1.6 million in available ARPA funding to service providers and council will discuss how to move forward with the money. 

Coombs’ recommendations are as follows.

• Aurora Housing Authority: $100,000
• Aurora Mental Health: $95,000
• Bridge House – Ready to Work: $50,000
• CO Coalition for the Homeless: $88,500
• Family Tree: $97,520
• Gateway: $115,000
• MHBH, ADRC: $369,078
• MHBH, Colfax Community Network: $245,000
• MHBH, Comitis: $354,800
• Restoration Christian Ministries: $25,000
• Salvation Army SOS Chambers: $35,000
• Salvation Army SOS Peoria: $14,592

Council will also vote on other ARPA funding allocations and go over the city’s master plans and study efforts, including master plans for public safety and multi-modal transportation and studies including one for an arts and entertainment venue. 

Members will attend the workshop virtually and it will be livestreamed at auroraTV.org and youtube.com/TheAuroraChannel as well as on cable channels 8 and 880.