Warren City Council is lining up funding as the deadline for a federal Build Back Better Regional Challenge that could bring up to $100 million to the region.

Last summer, council allocated $1 million in RACP funding for a proposed downtown boat launch.

But when the PA Wilds’ application for the Build Back Better program made it through the first round, city staff went back to the drawing board.

Mayor Dave Wortman summarized the financial maneuvering before council approved the measure during Monday’s meeting.

He said the city has $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funds as well as $1.5 million in state grant funding.

The change made money, he said, would be to allocate that $2 million as the match for a total of $9.25 million in funding that is part of Build Back Better.

Wortman said that total match would exceed the 20 percent required and called it “earnest money, saying we’re behind this project. We’re still talking about the same (amount of money). It’s really an allocation issue.”

Executive Secretary Teena Leary said that guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury is now to move the Rescue Funds into the general fund.

City Manager Nancy Freenock said that move would allow the funding to be used with fewer restrictions and less reporting.

In addition to approving moving the funds, council also agreed to reverse the decision to allocate the $1 million to the boat launch specifically.

Should the Build Back Better effort not be successful, Freenock said the funding will have to come back before council to reconsider how to utilize the funding.

“This is a huge deal for this region and for Warren,” Jim Decker, president/CEO of the Warren County Chamber of Business & Industry, told the Times Observer when the phase one selection was made.

“We will be including essentially the entire riverfront development effort in our portion of the application,” he said.