Milwaukee’s ARPA Task Force recommends $32.3 million allocation to Marcia P. Coggs Center

Vanessa Swales, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
The Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center building is home to a variety of social service programs, hosts Milwaukee County and State of Wisconsin agencies and about 400 government workers on Friday, December 03, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wis.
The Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center building is home to a variety of social service programs, hosts Milwaukee County and State of Wisconsin agencies and about 400 government workers on Friday, December 03, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wis.

Milwaukee County's American Rescue Plan Act Task Force is recommending more than $33 million in grants with the vast majority targeted for the Marcia P. Coggs Center.

The Coggs Center, located at 1220 W. Vliet St. west of downtown, is home to a variety of social service programs and hosts Milwaukee County and State of Wisconsin agencies and about 400 government workers. The task force recommended that the county approve $32.3 million in grants for the center.

The funding would be used to improve the center's infrastructure to make it a more accessible and efficient space for its employees and participants.

The center currently offers in-person support for services such as applying for child care subsidies and FoodShare as well as Medicaid.

“I think it will be a significant catalytic investment in the Milwaukee community and for the county,” said Jeff Roman, the director of the county’s Office on African American Affairs. “The Coggs Center and the Department of Health and Human Services are the access point to county services for our county residents and those who need those services most are in the area where the Coggs Center is located.”

Also recommended at the ARPA Task Force's Thursday meeting:

  • An emergency proposal from the Department of Administrative Services and its Facilities Management Division was approved for funding for the purpose of establishing and operating an ARPA Capital Program Management Office. The office would provide extra support to the already overstaffed DAS, which would aid in intake and guidance, as well as the reporting and execution for all the capital projects funded with county ARPA funds. The initial request was $150,000, but the proposal was ultimately unanimously approved at $500,000.

  • A request for $500,000 to establish a digital transformation assessment project, from the Department of Administrative Services. The project would develop and provide efficiency for the “digital transformation roadmap for the County” in order to “move from traditional processes to more automated and digital processes.” The task force also approved a recommendation to the Milwaukee County Board that $10 million of the ARPA funding be set aside for future projects.

Anything ultimately passed by the ARPA task force is only a recommendation, which would then be considered by Milwaukee County’s Finance Committee during its next meeting on Thursday, Dec. 9.

More: Milwaukee County takes it slow on spending federal pandemic relief as it seeks community input

Final recommendations go to the County Board and County Executive David Crowley for approval and adoption.

The task force will meet again in early January.

Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or vswales@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Vanessa_Swales.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ARPA Task Force recommends $32.3M allocation to Marcia P. Coggs Center