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Edina officials got creative, according to Neal. While 70% of CARES Act <br />funds were spent on internal costs and budget shortfalls, city leaders <br />wanted to spend most of its $5 million in ARPA funding out in the <br />community. <br />The city allocated $400,000 to a school district program, the Edina <br />Education Fund's Heal Together Campaign, and a new program to plant <br />100,000 trees. Edina also worked with Comcast to extend low-cost <br />broadband service to senior citizens on limited incomes, a program that <br />registered about 150 households. <br />"We tried to get this money into the hands of people who needed it, <br />whether into the hands of mental health professions or VEAP [Veterans' <br />Educational Assistance Program] so they could do more food assistance," <br />Neal said. <br />Neal acknowledged that Edina had the ability to spend ARPA funds in the <br />community because city finances have remained healthy. City staffers will <br />solicit more ideas from residents on how to spend the $2.46 million ARPA <br />allocation they expect this spring, he said. <br />Staff writers Tim Harlow, Matt McKinney and Shannon Prather <br />contributed to this report.