HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Huntsville City Council is allocating funds to tackle projects meant to improve the quality of life of people living in the Rocket City. Each member of the city council will disperse $75,000 in their district.

The discretionary funds allow each city council member to make improvements they see a need for in their community.

“An individual council member can essentially recommend how their share of the allotment be used, but it has to be voted on and approved by the full city council at a public meeting,” said District 4 Huntsville City Council Member Bill Kling.

The funds so far allocated are dedicated to a variety of initiatives and organizations. In District 1, the money will be given to arts and preservation projects in addition to mentoring, educational, and athletic programs for children.

• Arts Huntsville: $30,000
• Huntsville Parks & Recreation: $5,000
• Huntsville Revisited: $3,500
• Meadow Hills Initiative, Inc.: $2,500
• The Bullpen Foundation: $2,500
• Delta Theta Lambda Education Foundation: $2,500
• Real Fathers Making a Difference: $2,500

District 2 has seen $30,000 dispersed to the Land Trust of North Alabama for conservation. In District 3, Council Member Jennie Robinson has dedicated all $75,000 to the Huntsville & Madison County Railroad Authority for a crossing equipment installation in Green Cove.

“The traffic has increased tremendously across the tracks on Green Cove,” said Huntsville Madison County Railroad Authority Chairman Mark Lumb. “It really is a benefit to the public to put in some railroad crossing signals. People just really aren’t used to having trains come there. They are distracted. They’re on their way to work. It’s scary really the number of near misses we’ve had.”

District 4 Council Member Bill Kling is dedicating his funds to the Huntsville Association for Pastoral Care, public works, and city animal services.

• Huntsville Association for Pastoral Care: $5,000
• Huntsville Public Works: $45,000
• Huntsville Animal Services: $25,000

“Let’s take a chunk of that money and use it for the animal control department to basically do whatever they can, whatever it takes to put more animals out for adoption and prevent animals from being destroyed,” Kling said.

District 5 will see $5,000 go toward Columbia High School Wrestling for new equipment and $6,500 go to the Huntsville Police Department for the installation of a license plate reader.

These expenditures are new this year and come from a 2022 resolution designating $75,000 to each district. Council members are expected to issue their remaining funds during city council meetings in the coming weeks.