CCM ARP Advisory Committee Municipal Toolkit

INTRODUCTION

Municipal leaders continue to determine how best to use the funding provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Since May 2021, municipalities have been operating under Treasury’s “interim final rule.” The rule provided a framework to assist local governments to address the public health emergency, address negative impacts to households and business and make investments in water, sewer and broadband projects. However, the interim rule lacked clarity and specificity in several areas. On January 6, 2022, Treasury released the Final Rule for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) of the American Rescue Plan Act. The final rule provides clarity and broadens in select categories, eligible uses. The rule takes effect April 1, 2022, however it does afford local officials to take advantage of any new provision prior to the effective date.

The ARP program offers a great opportunity for local leaders to engage partners in their town and region to jumpstart a long and large economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects. It also lets us address long-term issues that haven’t been adequately dealt with before, while balancing ever-changing local needs with declining support from the state and federal governments.

Following the publishing of the interim rule, CCM’s ARP Advisory Committee developed a toolkit to help be a resource and provide thinking into eligible uses. This toolkit v2.0 is intended to reflect the provisions in the final rule, along with providing greater examples and resources that have been developed over the past several months.

This toolkit is intended to be a resource and supplement formal information from the Department of Treasury. These documents include, among others, the SLFRF Final Rule, Compliance and Reporting Guidance, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, which is routinely updated.