It’s been exactly four weeks since we opined here that the City Council and city officials should take a deep breath and develop a firm list of priorities for the last third of Jamestown American Rescue Plan Act funding.

That thought apparently has fallen on deaf ears.

During its most recent meeting, council members tabled four ARPA funding program requests. Councilwoman Kim Ecklund, R-At Large, wants an accounting of what the city administration has committed, like splash pads, without bringing that funding to the council for approval. Other council members are pushing hard for the 19-a housing program or a million dollars to the Chautauqua County Land Bank to handle housing demolitions in the city. Crystal Surdyk, city development director, is pushing hard for all four programs at a total cost of $4 million.

“I know the mayor had mentioned some other things publicly that we don’t even have in front of us yet,” Ecklund said. “I don’t know what those costs are. There’s promises of the water park, promises of playground upgrades. We don’t know what we’re looking at. If he’s promised those and all of a sudden we eat up all these funds, we’re the ones that are going to look like the jerks to everybody.” Turning to Mayor Eddie Sundquist, she added, “In all fairness, that is why I keep mentioning every week, mayor, this is what’s left.”

Ecklund isn’t the only one looking for information about some of those earlier announced projects. Surdyk is pushing for $4 million worth of programs. The YMCA is asking for a million dollars. And, a quick look at the 2022 city budget, which included proposed ARPA funding for projects that include a new park at Nordstrom Park, two splash pads, new baseball and softball surfaces at Allen, Roseland, Nordstrom and Bergman parks and a dog park at Bergman Park totaled roughly $1.2 million last year. That’s $6.7 million — and some of those costs will surely have increased since last year unless the projects themselves have shrunk.

Too often in this process, it has seemed as if the council and city department heads are at opposing ends of the table when it comes to the ARPA program. All four of the contested resolutions are on the council’s agenda for Monday’s meeting, but discussing those programs without knowing the city’s existing commitments included in past budgets or past announcements would be a fool’s errand because a council decision is expected with only part of the information it needs.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist should make sure council members have updated cost information on committed money or programs that haven’t yet come before the council before the council acts on any of the newly created programs. And the council should act quickly on the four programs once it has the information it needs.

There is a deadline to spend the money, but it’s not a race, as Tony Dolce, R-Ward 2 and council president, has said. It’s most important to put together the best program, not the program that most easily beats federal funding guidelines.

We do agree with Ecklund on one thing ­ ­ — if the city makes promises of parks and splash pads and nothing materializes, someone will end up looking like a jerk.