DATE: August 23, 2022
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Approval of Letter to Federal Delegation - ARPA
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Authorize the Board of Supervisors to execute letter to Federal Delegation in appreciation of their support and work on the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will authorize the execution of a “thank you” letter to the Federal Delegation in appreciation of their support and work on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose not to execute the letter.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action.
DISCUSSION:
On March 11, 2021, ARPA was signed into law by President Biden, with the goal of accelerating the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The County of Fresno received $194,063,657 of Coronavirus State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). The funds are to be used for eligible activities under four general categories:
A. Respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts;
B. Providing premium pay for essential workers;
C. Replace public sector revenue loss, subject to certain limitations; and
D. Make necessary investments in water and sewer infrastructure, and broadband infrastructure.
On March 23, 2021, an Ad-Hoc Committee was created by your Board consisting of Supervisors Steve Brandau and Nathan Magsig tasked to work with the CAO’s Office and County department heads to develop the guiding principles and recommend a plan for the implementation of the SLFRF Program. The enactment of the ARPA Act has provided the County of Fresno $194 million of stimulus funding through the SLFRF Program.
On February 1, 2022, the County approved an expenditure plan that earmarks how the County intends to invest its SLFRF through various proposals that will set a path forward in support of a strong and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the County has earmarked 65 proposals and completed the vetting and approval of 30 proposals with an SLFRF funding allocation of approximately $141.1 million in support of proposals that range from: ongoing COVID-19 mitigation efforts, homelessness initiatives, rural mobile health linkages to wellness, improvements to public health facilities, construction of affordable housing, and infrastructure projects that will make much needed investments to public drinking water and sewer treatment systems in disadvantaged communities. In the following year, the County will vet the remaining 35 proposals which include internal County proposals and subrecipient proposals with an estimated funding value of $52.9 million for eligibility under the SLFRF Program which will help achieve the goals of mitigating, responding, and recovering from the unprecedented national pandemic.
The County of Fresno is appreciative of the Federal Delegation’s continued support for America’s cities, counties, and states by deploying the critical resources provided under ARPA to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and help foster a transformational economic recovery.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Letter of Appreciation
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck