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American Rescue Plan Act Update.
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Staff:
Department:
Amy Oland, Director
Business Management
Sarah Poulton, Downtown Special Projects Manager
Town Manager's Office
Overview: Staff presented to Council on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) at the September 29, 2021 work session. Staff noted that we would return tonight to present an update on the ARPA funding including new information from the UNC School of Government course and an update on the engagement plan and project assessment strategy.
Recommendation(s):
That the Council receive the new information and updates.
Key Issues: The Town was awarded $10,668,497 in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Plan Act. The Town received the first allocation in May 2021 and expects to receive the second allocation in May 2022.
Preliminary guidance from the U.S. Treasury outlines five areas where funds can be spent to help offset the negative impacts of COVID-2019 pandemic:
1. Support public health
2. Address negative economic impacts
3. Replace lost Town revenue
4. Provide premium pay for essential workers
5. Investment in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure
Town staff attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government ARPA training series pertaining to compliance, reporting, eligible projects, community engagement, and performance measurements.
One of the key topic areas covered by the School of Government was project eligibility. The following areas were defined as being safe harbors (areas that are clearly defined by NC State Statute to be allowable expenditures):
* Programs and services in Qualified Census Tracts (QCT) or other low-income communities
* Stormwater infrastructure
* Government services up to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic
* Premium pay for essential workers (limits to amount that can be paid)
* Infrastructure improvements (must be able to tie back to pandemic impact)
Town staf...
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