ST. PETERS, Mo. – St. Peters officials want to know why the city received the lowest amount of federal ARPA funds of any other Missouri city.
Most municipalities had to go through the state for their funds, but St. Peters qualified for the direct award.
Of the 15 Missouri cities on that list getting direct funding, St. Peters is dead last with an award of $4.5 million.
“I guess I’m the stepchild! Very disappointing because I want the federal government to realize how important St. Peters is, but this is what they felt like we should get,” St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano said.
Federal ARPA funds
St. Peters (pop. 58,000) – $4.5MBlues Springs (pop. 59,000) – $6.1MFlorissant (pop. 52,000) – $6.6MCape Girardeau (pop. 39,000) – $8.2MJefferson City (pop. 43,000) – $7.5M
Pagano says he doesn’t know what to think.
“You have to wonder who came up with the numbers and how they came about it,” he said. “I think these are questions that our federal leaders need to answer because I’m not too sure if they even know!”
St. Peters has decided how to spend the money. Around $3.2 million will go to insure adequate drinking water for the future. About $1.2 million will go for police body cameras and cameras on police cars.
The mayor says he could have used the extra money for technology improvements in his city, but it seems St. Peters won’t get that.