The recovery effort officially began with the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (or "Recovery Act"), which was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. The Recovery Act represents $787 billion in federal action designed to improve our national, state, and local economy, including $288 billion in tax cuts. North Carolina, including state and local government entities and other organizations, will receive approximately $6.1 billion from the Recovery Act.

From well before the signing of the Recovery Act, the City has taken proactive steps to prepare our organization to seek and utilize the funding that will made available through a myriad of federal and state programs. We initiated internal efforts to identify projects for funding consideration, creating a project priority list that we believed would be eligible for recovery funding. These projects are centered around the key points of job creation and restoring economic stability. In reviewing the adopted legislation, we were pleased to learn that several of our submitted projects meet the requirements of the Recovery Act. However, we do not yet know the total amount of funding that the city will receive. Rocky Mount's size and designation as a metropolitan area enable us to receive some funding from several formula-based programs, and we have identified specific allocations through formula-based funding programs, to include:

• $991,722 - capital improvements involving Tar River Transit
• $178,352 - Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding
• $326,381 - law enforcement equipment under the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant

We will also apply for funding through select competitive programs offered by several federal agencies. We are currently applying for Recovery Act funds directed to North Carolina's Clean Water and Drinking Water revolving loan programs for capital enhancements to our water, sewer, and stormwater utility systems. Economic recovery is at the top of priorities for leaders at all levels of government. The City of Rocky Mount will act aggressively on our citizens' behalf to consider and pursue each funding opportunity that may benefit this community.