The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes some $350 billion in pandemic-related aid for state and local governments. Vermont will receive more than $1.25 billion of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding from ARPA. In particular, the Town of Monkton will receive an allocation of over $629,000. The ARPA legislation outlines four broad eligible uses for these monies:
- To respond to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality;
- To respond to workers performing essential work during the COVID-19 public health emergency by providing premium pay to eligible workers;
- For the provision of government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue due to the COVID–19 public health emergency relative to revenues collected in the most recent full fiscal year prior to the emergency; and
- To make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
There is more information on eligible and ineligible uses at the U.S. Dept. of Treasury Interim Final Rule and the Vermont League of Cities and Town has a comprehensive ARPA page.
The Selectboard has compiled a list of potential ARPA projects from our informational meeting on the ARPA monies and various community members. What we are looking for now are advocates for individual projects who will investigate whether a given project is eligible, drill down into the feasibility of the project and present to the Selectboard an estimate of the costs and benefits for the Town. Possible projects include:
- Weatherization programs
- Child care
- Pedestrian/bike corridors
- Child Savings Accounts
- Community Solar project
There are lots of possibilities – please take the time to review the entire list of projects or, if you have an idea for a new project please pass it along.
Regards,
Town of Monkton Selectboard
selectboard@monktonvt.com