Did The City Of Mount Vernon Steal From The Poor?

Originally Published on December 30, 2025

Where is the missing money?

Between 2023 and 2024, the City allocated $1 million in federally awarded ARPA funds for the Mayor’s Guaranteed Income program. They purchased 2,000, $500 gift cards from the ARPA funds, for monthly distribution to 200 low income individuals or families over the course of one year.
However, the ordinance authorizing the initiative, increased the program’s budget from the originally proposed $1.2 million to $1.65 million. Despite this larger authorization, City records show expenditures totaling only $1 million for the gift card purchases.

This discrepancy raises significant questions:

Where is the remaining authorized funding? Why is there no publicly available documentation identifying who received the cards, or confirming that they were distributed at all?
At minimum, the City owes taxpayers and federal oversight agencies a clear accounting of how these funds were managed, how many cards were distributed, and who ultimately benefited from a program intended to support Mount Vernon’s most vulnerable residents.

Where Are The Gift Cards That Were Designated To Help The Poor?