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II.2. American Rescue Plan Act Overview; Bishop CITY OF HOPKINS Memorandum To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members Mike Mornson, City Manager From: Nick Bishop, Finance Department Date: January 11, 2022 Subject: American Rescue Plan Act Overview _____________________________________________________________________ PURPOSE The January 11, 2022 City Council special meeting will give an overview of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the City’s allocation and proposed timeline for adopting a Spending Plan. Staff is not expecting input from City Council until a later date. INFORMATION ARPA was signed into law on March 11, 2021. Within ARPA, the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund will provide $350 billion dollars to state, local, territorial and Tribal governments. Minnesota Cities and Towns will receive approximately $1.02 billion in funding. The City of Hopkins has been allocated $2,018,224 in federal grant aid through ARPA. Half of the funds were received during 2021 and half will be delivered in 2022. The City has until the end of 2024 to complete the spending of the ARPA funds. There are six broad categories for which the funds can be used: 1. Support Public Health Response 2. Address Negative Economic Impacts 3. Replace Public Sector Revenue Loss 4. Premium Pay for Essential Workers 5. Water & Sewer Infrastructure 6. Broadband Infrastructure There are two broad categories that are ineligible uses of the ARPA funds: 1. Direct or indirect tax reductions, rebates or credits. 2. Deposits into pension funds Finance Department The U.S. Department of Treasury provides the guidance for eligible expenditures. The attached fact sheet gives additional details and example uses of funds. FUTURE ACTION The next two work sessions (February 8th and March 8th) are being proposed as dates to review and discuss an ARPA spending plan. The April 4th City Council Meeting is being proposed to approve an ARPA spending plan. City staff would begin implementing the plan on April 5th. The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds provide a substantial infusion of resources to help turn the tide on the pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable recovery. The American Rescue Plan will deliver $350 billion for state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to respond to the COVID-19 emergency and bring back jobs. Eligible Jurisdictions & Allocations Direct Recipients •States and District of Columbia ($195.3 billion) •Counties ($65.1 billion) •Metropolitan cities ($45.6 billion) •Tribal governments ($20.0 billion) •Territories ($4.5 billion) Indirect Recipients •Non-entitlement units ($19.5 billion) Funding Objectives •Support urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to decrease spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control •Replace lost public sector revenue to strengthen support for vital public services and help retain jobs •Support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses •Address systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the inequal impact of the pandemic Address Negative Economic Impacts Respond to economic harms to workers, families, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector Premium Pay for Essential Workers Offer additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors Replace Public Sector Revenue Loss Use funds to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic Support Public Health Response Fund COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff Broadband Infrastructure Make necessary investments to provide unserved or underserved locations with new or expanded broadband access Water and Sewer Infrastructure Make necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water and invest in wastewater and stormwater infrastructure Example Uses of Funds