Mayor Kim Ecklund updates the city council on the status of potential state aid and grants. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

Mayor Kim Ecklund is cautiously optimistic about additional state aid for Jamestown in 2027 – though she’s still waiting on approval of the state budget to begin celebrating.

Ecklund gave an update to City Council members recently on previously announced state aid by Gov. Kathy Hochul and grants the city has applied for in recent months.

A resolution came before the council and was approved by the Finance Committee at a recent work session in support of Hochul’s Executive Budget 30-day amendment which is looking to increase Temporary Municipal Aid by $100 million for municipalities across the state, including Jamestown.

“I still have no indications, and keep in mind that’s again a 2027 allowance and still has to be voted on by the legislative body of the state,” Ecklund said. “So, while I’m optimistic I’m cautiously optimistic as to what that is going to end up looking like.”

Other items grant wise happening for the city include a recently awarded grant in partnership with the county and the Department of Development for lead abatement in the amount of $1.7 million to work on housing stock in the city. Ecklund congratulated both the DOD and the county along with the city’s administrative assistant grants coordinator, Paula Pichon, who Ecklund said makes all of these grants happen. Another grant has been obtained by city development director Crystal Surdyk.

“Crystal was able to obtain another grant that we’ll send out a press release on,” Ecklund said. “It is a Grow Housing Technical Assistance Grant for $250,000 to help her department on the legal side and some other initiatives in there, with more details to come.”

Ecklund said the city is starting to hear back on some recently submitted grants, which she said was great news, adding that they hope this trend will continue.