New Jersey mayor says Ryan White money will be distributed

Paterson, N.J., mayor Jose Torres says $256,000 in federal Ryan White AIDS funding will be distributed by the end of October, bringing an end to a legal challenge by the local Ryan White Planning Council when the Paterson city council withheld funding from some AIDS groups, reports The [Bergen County] Record. The city council in May had voted to approve $4.8 million in funding for just 16 of 22 AIDS groups in Bergen and Passaic counties but withheld $256,000 from six groups. The Ryan White Planning Council filed a federal lawsuit, claiming the city council could only approve or reject the entire regional funding package and not withhold money from specific organizations. After an area judge warned that a trial could be lengthy and possibly result in a loss of federal funding for all AIDS groups in the region, the two groups reached an agreement to redistribute the money. Torres says he will present a resolution to the city council for the disbursement of the funds as soon as possible.