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American Rescue Plan
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are being put to work right here in our community. The City of Durham, along with local partners, will be using these funds to create lasting change and to tackle critical issues we as a community face every day.
This page will be continually updated as decisions regarding funding allocation are determined. You can also access the resources listed below for more information regarding the American Rescue Plan and the City's procedure for utilizing these funds. If you would like additional information, please email [email protected].
Video Updates
You can catch up on how ARPA funding is being put to use across the Bull City by clicking in the video player below. Our Durham Television Network (DTN) original programming highlights different initiatives supported by this funding.
State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Reporting
All States and territories, and metropolitan cities and counties with a population that exceeds 250,000 residents that are recipients of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) awards are required to produce a Recovery Plan Performance Report (the “Recovery Plan”). The Recovery Plan provides information on the recipient’s projects and how they plan to ensure program outcomes are achieved in an effective and equitable manner. Each annual Recovery Plan must be posted on the public-facing website of the recipient by or on the same date that the recipient submits the report to Treasury.
- The most recent Annual State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Report can be found here.
- The 2022 Annual State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Report can be found here.
- The ARPA Project & Expenditures financial reporting information can be found here.
- Orientation events were held on June 22, 2022, and June 24, 2022.
Special City Council Meeting: Arpa Funding
At a Special Meeting on May 18, City Council decided to fund all eligible projects up to 70% of the initial request, with a maximum of $1 million. All projects can be viewed in the spreadsheet below:
City Council ARPA Funding Decisions (PDF)
Watch the May 18 City Council ARPA Funding Discussion:
CITY OF DURHAM'S ARP FUNDING PROCESS
Durham is taking an iterative approach to American Rescue Plan (ARP) implementation that will continue to adapt based on community, stakeholder, and Council feedback. Ongoing engagement, review, allocation, and evaluation will occur for the full life cycle of this federal funding. Watch the latest Bull City Today Segment on Durham's ARP funding process.
For more information, read the ARP funding process guidance (PDF).
The first round of proposals were due July 31, 2021. Watch the ARP update at the September 9th City Council Work Session here.
Eligible proposals were invited to submit a final application for funding, which was presented to City Council in December 2021. Watch the ARP presentation at the December 21st City Council Work Session here. View a summary of the initial applications for funding (PDF). Please check back for updates.
All funds must be allocated by the end of 2024 and spent by recipients by the end of 2026. For additional information, review Durham's first Recovery Plan Report which was submitted to the U.S Treasury on August 31, 2021. For questions about the process, you can email [email protected].
Community Engagement
The City of Durham is proactively working to engage residents and advance community-driven solutions to recovery. In partnership with North Carolina Central University, Durham County, and Neighborhood Improvement Services, and the Office of Equity & Inclusion, we conducted robust community engagement around this unique federal funding opportunity including, but not limited to, two events:
Identifying Community Needs
On June 8th, Durham residents were invited to discuss outstanding needs in our communities, share our common goals, and generate ideas for how to spend American Rescue Plan dollars. Watch the recorded meeting here. View notes from the meeting here (PDF).
Reviewing Community Priorities
On August 5th, residents were invited to a follow-up meeting to review the community input and provide feedback about which investments should be prioritized. This event reviewed how American Rescue Plan funding can be spent, discussed the needs and ideas identified through community engagement, and provided transparency about the process moving forward. Watch the recorded meeting here. View notes from the meeting here (PDF).
- "To the Rescue: How the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Can Help Your Locality Recover and Rebuild." by ICMA & Sustainable Strategies DC
- American Rescue Plan U.S. Conference of Mayors Information Packet
- NC League of Municipalities Resources on The American Rescue Plan
- 10 Priorities for Advancing Racial Equity Through the American Rescue Plan: A Guide for City and County Policymakers" by PolicyLink
About ARP
The American Rescue Plan Act 2021 was signed into law by President Biden on March 11th, 2021. This act provides U.S. cities and counties with $130.2 billion through December 31, 2024. The City of Durham will receive more than $50M as part of this allocation. These funds will be used to help offset revenue losses resulting from the pandemic, as well as fund other community needs. Specifically, these funds may be used to:
- Support public health expenditures, by, for example, funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff
- Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector
- Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic
- Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors
- Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and expand access to broadband internet
Within these overall categories, recipients have broad flexibility to decide how to best use this funding to meet the needs of their communities.
On January 6, 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) released the Final Rule (PDF) for the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund), which was authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act (PDF), and allocated $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every city in America. The Final Rule will go into effect on April 1, 2022. However, a city can choose to take advantage of the Final Rule’s new flexibilities and simplifications now, even ahead of the effective date.
For an overview of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program including expanded use of eligible uses, see the U.S. Department of the Treasury website.
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Bertha Johnson
Deputy City Manager
Service request:
Click or call 919-560-1200