American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

Recovery Plan Performance Report posted and community engagement and planning process underway

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law. As part of ARPA, the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) was established to address certain impacts from the pandemic defined below. Boulder County was allocated $63,359,749, with half of the funding received in 2021 and the remainder anticipated to be disbursed mid-2022.

States, territories, counties, and cities with populations of 250,000 or more must publicly post and submit a Recovery Plan Performance Report to the Treasury Department by Aug. 31, 2021. The plan focuses on how Boulder County’s approach to using ARPA funds will support a strong and equitable recovery, respond to the public health emergency and negative economic impacts, and address racial, health, and economic disparities.

Community Engagement and Planning

The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) seeks to engage the community and hear first-hand about community needs in responding to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BOCC hosted an ARPA-focused Town Hall that took place on Thursday, Sept. 9, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and gathered a community survey – Boulder County Wants to Hear from You! – from Boulder County residents, in partnership with community leaders seeking ideas for building a durable and equitable recovery. Watch the Town Hall video and learn more about the ways to use the funding, the community engagement process, and Q&A from Boulder County residents!

Surveys were collected through October 15, 2021, online in Nepali, Spanish, and English, in person at many local events throughout Boulder County, in community newsletters, and more. Please check this page for survey results soon. Boulder County is partnering with the Community Foundation of Boulder County on community engagement to ensure ARPA funding investments achieve the highest level of positive and equitable impact for the community. The partner agencies supporting these efforts alongside Boulder County are:

With this community survey, Boulder County residents shared their ideas to help determine the use of federal relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Results of the survey will be posted soon. Please check back here for updates on community engagement and more!

ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Expenditure Categories

The Treasury Department launched this much-needed relief category to address the following:

• Support urgent COVID-19 public health response efforts to continue to decrease spread of the virus;
• 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;
• Replace lost revenue for governments to strengthen vital public services and help retain jobs; and
• Make infrastructure investments in broadband, clean water, and wastewater facilities.

The Treasury Department requires that local governments address disparate impacts and achieve equitable outcomes with ARPA funds and cites President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, signed on January 20, 2021. The BOCC stated their support for that executive order and for advancing racial equity in a Jan. 27 statement.

Boulder County’s initial recovery plan describes response and recovery efforts to date, community engagement and planning efforts, consideration of equity impacts and outcomes, actual and planned uses of funds, and other information required by the Treasury Department. The subsequent report in July 2022 will further expand Boulder County’s approach, goals, and measurable outcomes.

Initial Funding Allocation

Boulder County’s use of most of the funding received will be informed by the community engagement and planning process mentioned above. In addition to the survey and other opportunities for community engagement, existing data and prior feedback from the community will be analyzed and synthesized.

The Board of Commissioners approved an initial allocation of $5 million toward the county’s COVID Response Request (CRR) immediate needs phase of the county’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. The CRR process was designed to evaluate and respond to immediate unmet needs of the community and internal county operations as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency that were not funded in Boulder County’s annual budget cycle.

Initial projects awarded include Workforce Boulder County Call Center and job training supports and services, financial assistance to local non-profits, services for people experiencing homelessness, COVID-19 mitigation services at the Juvenile Assessment Center, affordable housing services to access Emergency Choice Vouchers, support for workers impacted by COVID-19 but unable to access Unemployment Insurance or other supports, and administrative support and a planning consultant, as allowable by Treasury. Additional projects are under consideration.

The county also previously received CARES Act funding and currently administers Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance funds, in addition to ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund dollars. Some of the programs CARES Act funds supported included grants for childcare centers, human services initiatives, local non-profits support, telework resources for county staff, public health support, and economic assistance to local businesses and non-profits organizations.