Every Trenton, NJ household would get $500 in mayor’s new plan

TRENTON — About $15 million of nearly $71 million in federal aid for New Jersey's capital city under the American Rescue Plan would be dedicated to making $500 direct payments to all city households, as outlined in a proposal released by Mayor W. Reed Gusciora on Thursday.

The $70.82 million plan is broken down into three main components: $32.47 million to "improve the health and wellbeing of Trenton residents, students, and employees," $21.72 million to address aging infrastructure issues neglected due to COVID-19 budget shortfalls, and $16.63 million for improved job training and support programs for businesses.

In a release, the mayor's office called it the "first version" of the city's American Rescue Plan proposal, which was unveiled on a community Zoom meeting Wednesday night.

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Although $70.82 million is the figure cited in the proposal, the city is actually getting a total of $72,913,998 in two payments, the first $36.5 million of which was received on May 19 and ratified by the City Council on May 27.

Funds received by the city must be appropriated no later than Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by the end of 2026.

Patrick Lavery is New Jersey 101.5's afternoon news anchor. Follow him on Twitter @plavery1015 or email patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com.