Syracuse Common Council

A viral video of Syracuse Police detaining an 8-year-old over some stolen chips led to a wide-ranging discussion from Syracuse Common Councilors Monday about youth and crime.

Public hearings are underway for the redistricting process in the city of Syracuse, and the members of the commission have an important message for the community: give us your input.

Festival season in Syracuse will be getting a boost thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

A proposal to use a quarter of a million dollars of American Rescue Plan money to help the arts is moving forward, after being approved by the Syracuse Common Council.

Syracuse’s Jazz Fest inches closer to returning to downtown after the common council approved funding for the popular event despite contention around the appropriation.

New York state has added $125 million to expand eligibility for rent relief, due to the pandemic. Syracuse officials say while that help is appreciated, it’s significantly less than what the need is, and they still want to allocate $1 million in federal stimulus funding to help more renters. Some city councilors are upset Onondaga County isn’t putting in any of its own money into the expansion.

The city of Syracuse wants to expand the income eligibility of people who are getting rental assistance from the federal government because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But before city councilors allocate the money, they want to see if Onondaga County, which is administering the rent relief program, will match it.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh is proposing to use $800,000 in American Rescue Plan funding to go towards construction and technology job training and placement for communities of color, women and veterans.

The Syracuse Common Council has agreed to pay the salary increases, benefits and bonuses that were awarded to the city’s police department, after negotiations over the union contract went to arbitration.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh continues to propose ways to spend $123 million allocated to the city from the American Rescue Plan stimulus package.