OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Frustration over the grant process involved with the North and South Omaha recovery act spilled over at a town hall meeting Sunday afternoon as senators tried to explain why certain projects were recommended for funding.
The frustration comes weeks after the report from engineering firm Olsson was released.
Constituents at the meeting spoke about the complicated application process they felt was biased towards bigger money projects.
Senator Justin Wayne responded to the criticism by highlighting the number of requests made and his efforts to continue funding after ARPA money has been spent.
"So we had a huge task. 3.2 billion dollars in requests. We had 225 to get out, there is a huge gap there. There is gonna be a lot of upset people, I get that. But what we are trying to do is leverage for more dollars and build it sustainably every year. Right now in the governor's budget, there is 10 million dollars each year going into Omaha economic recovery. We want that to continue forever, that's how we build sustainable change," said Sen. Justin Wayne.
Senator Terrel McKinney was also on hand to answer questions from the crowd.
He wanted to emphasize the recommendations from the Olsson report are just suggestions and that elected officials will have the final say on any projects that are selected for funding.
"I think people viewed the recommendations as a final decision but they were recommendations that we as senators sit down and look at and discuss amongst ourselves before anything moves forward. Everything still has to go through the legislative process and nothing is final," said Sen. McKinney.
Both McKinney and Wayne encouraged constituents with questions or concerns to reach out to their legislative offices
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