The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a $1.9 trillion economic recovery bill that was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. As part of the ARPA, the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund provides $130 billion for local governments split evenly between municipalities and counties to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts.
The City of Claremont will receive $8.6 million in ARPA funding, scheduled to be accepted in two installments.
One half of the funds was received in July 2021 and the second half will be received in July 2022. ARPA funds must be obligated by December 2024 and spent by December 2026, according to a recent post on the city’s website.
Cities can use ARPA funds for the following: responding to the COVID-19 pandemic covering costs incurred from the public health emergency, replacing lost, delayed, or decreased revenues to local governments due to COVID-19, addressing the negative economic impacts on local businesses and nonprofits; and making investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
In addition, the Claremont City Council is asking for the community’s input about how to spend the funds for economic recovery. The city is encouraging residents and business owners to take a brief survey online to voice their ideas.
The survey is available in both English and Spanish and can be found at ci.claremont.ca.us/living/american-rescue-plan-act. The survey is conducted via SurveyMonkey and will close on March 31.