City officials are making another attempt to secure grant funding for projects involving development projects in the Furniture Mart building and the Prendergast Landing project proposed for the former Joyce’s Keg Room.

Among the items on tonight’s City Council work session agenda are applications for the Empire State Development’s Restore NY Communities Initiative. Applications are accepted until May 22. Agendas filed late last week don’t include the amount the city is asking for in the grants, but The Post-Journal reported last week that Rahsaan Graham, owner of the Prendergast Landing property, is looking for additional capital to complete his project $2.7 million project. Redevelopment of the Furniture Mart building is expected to cost at least $40 million, according to the council’s meeting agenda packet.

Council members will also be asked to consider spending an additional $73,316.50 for new financial reporting software the city is working to install. According to a memorandum from city Comptroller Ericka Thomas, some of the cost increase was caused by turnover in the city Comptroller’s Office that added $12,086 to the project. Another $1,524.25 of the increase is because subscription costs have increased. The city also needs another $15,632 for employee self-service and accounts receivable subscriptions and implementation fees while another $19,823.70 is needed for other subscriptions and $14,246.09 is being requested to pay for additional time contractors were working on the city’s software conversion project. The city was expecting to pay for 110 staff hours and is being billed, so far, for 210.5 hours.

The city Police Department is asking for the council’s approval to spend $84,695 on two new vehicles, with money coming from the capital requests portion of the 2024 budget.

Two street reconstruction projects are on the agenda for approval. City officials plan to spend $177,907 with R. Patti Concrete Excavating, the low bidder, to reconstruct a portion of West Virginia Boulevard. Superior Street is also going to be the site of reconstruction work with a $166,169.50 project to be paid out of Community Development Block Grant funding. R. Patti Concrete Excavating is the low bidder on the Superior Street project.

The council’s Housing Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. in the police training room on the fourth floor of City Hall. The Finance Committee meets at 7 p.m. in the mayor’s conference room on the fourth floor of City Hall while the Public Safety Committee meets at 7 p.m. in the police training room and the Public Works Committee meets in the development department conference room.