There are many problems in Buffalo that need fixing. These 5 not only should be first on the list, but it turns out the city has the money to do it, too.

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In the spring and summer of 2021, the Federal Government passed its latest stimulus package, The American Rescue Plan, which provided financial support to State and Local Governments across the United States that were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Officials from the City of Buffalo recently announced that the city is expecting to receive around $331 Million in ARPA funds and they subsequently released a blueprint of how they plan to spend the money. The spending plan has proposed spending the funds on different things like infrastructure, replacing lost tax revenue, public health initiatives, and more. Those might be pretty good things, but there are some other things that might be better suited to spending its stimulus payment on.

Here are 5 things that I think Buffalo should spend its stimulus payment on:

1. Repair Every Pothole In The City

Photo by Matt Hoffman on Unsplash
Photo by Matt Hoffman on Unsplash
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The City of Buffalo has more than 1,600 lane miles of road within the city limits and I would argue that every one of those lanes has potholes in them. $331 million would go a long way to giving us smooth roads in Buffalo.

2. New Cars For The Buffalo Police Department

Buffalo Police Car
Ed Nice Jackson / TownSquare Media
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The Buffalo Police Department is in serious need of new police cars. Every officer complains that the deparment doesn't have enough cars, and they cars they do have are in need of serious repair. The City could buy every police officer a new vehicle and have plenty of money left over.

3. Past Due Rent For Low Income Residents

Uncertainty Surrounds Tenants Behind On Rent As Expiration Of NY State Eviction Moratorium Looms
Scott Heins/Getty Images
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The New York State Eviction Moratorium expired earlier this year and millions of New York residents are now in danger of being evicted. The City of Buffalo could pay all the past due rent for those in danger of eviction in the city and have more than enough money to do some other things as well.

4. Build The 2nd Peace Bridge

Peace Bridge by Yasmin Young
By Yasmin Young
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Remember all those years ago when we argued about needing the 2nd bridge in Buffalo to connect Canada and the United States? That bridge was budgeted to cost only $90 million. We finally have the money to get working on it.

5. Build the New Buffalo Bills Stadium Downtown

New England Patriots v Buffalo Bills
Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images
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Yes, we know that $331 million isn't enough to build a downtown NFL Stadium. However, we're already pitching in $850 million for a new stadium in Orchard Park, what's another $331 million on top of that to get the stadium downtown?

What do you think the City of Buffalo should spend its stimulus money on?

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