More dollars possible for certain neighbor associations
Jeremy M. Lazarus | 11/18/2021, 6 p.m.
Money to fund an anti-litter program is expected to be shifted to civic and neighborhood associations in Carver, Jackson Ward, The Fan and other neighborhoods with restricted parking districts.
Under an ordinance introduced by Mayor Levar M. Stoney, the associations would be able to share a $363,000 special fund created from fees that residents of those neighborhoods pay for permits for unrestricted parking.
City Council is set to vote Monday, Dec. 13, to approve the change.
If approved as anticipated, the designated associations could apply to the city Department of Public Works, which controls the special fund, for money to provide clearly marked crosswalks and to maintain neighborhood safety and cleanliness, according to the ordinance.
The associations also could tap the funds to pay “for off-duty police patrols to respond to reports of loud noises and other disturbances associated with festivities and celebrations,” the ordinance states.
The funds previously were designated to support the city’s Clean Sweep Program, the ordinance notes. That is an anti-litter initiative that includes organizing and assisting volunteers with cleanups in neighborhoods and on public property.
The ordinance states that the new approach is being undertaken at the request of civic groups that want more say over the money’s use because the funds come from permit fees.
