Paterson says $245 million in stimulus money came to north country

Governor David A. Paterson today released a report outlining the distribution of more than $18 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) spending throughout New York State, broken down by county and New York City. The North Country of Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties is expected to receive at least $245 million in ARRA funds.

“To help New Yorkers better understand what the stimulus program means to their communities, we have created a database to show how stimulus funds are benefiting each county. This is part of our continuing effort to provide the public with transparent information that holds government accountable for the spending of their tax dollars through the stimulus program,” Governor Paterson said.

The report includes ARRA spending that is administered by New York State as well as spending that flows directly from federal agencies to local governments, institutions and individuals. The report is based on information that the State has been able to capture to date and covers programs for which actual distribution is known or can be estimated. For example, while the Recovery Act provides education aid for two years, this database only reflects spending for the current school year. As certain ARRA funds are still being awarded and distributed, this report will be updated periodically to reflect new awards.

A list of the total $18 billion in ARRA funds designated for counties in New York thus far is available at: http://www.recovery.ny.gov/assets/documents/County_Stimulus_Data_Posting_102909.xls. The county analysis is available at: http://www.recovery.ny.gov/assets/documents/County_Analysis_Posting_102909.xls. The New York Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Cabinet’s most current report to the Governor is available at: http://www.recovery.ny.gov/assets/pdf/StimulusCabinetRptv4ARRA.pdf..