In a statement Thursday, mayoral candidate Bruce Harrell criticized the city’s allocation for homelessness as “simply not enough” and said the majority of the the American Rescue Plan Act dollars should be used for that purpose. The proposal includes millions of dollars to support city employees working from home, other IT needs and the reopening of city buildings, he noted.

“This is unacceptable,” said Harrell, a former council president. “I hope the mayor and council will rethink this peanut butter approach [spreading money across several groups] and dedicate the greatest share of ARPA money to the greatest challenge we face.”