1. About The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA )
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) included $350 billion in pandemic-related aid for state and local governments.
Vermont is receiving more than $1.25 billion of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding from ARPA. While the legislature and the governor will determine how more than $1 billion of that funding will be spent, Congress directed nearly $200 million of that funding directly to Vermont’s cities, towns, and villages.
South Hero is directly receiving $493,000.
2. How May South Hero Spend the Funding?
ARPA includes four broad criteria outlining eligible uses:
- 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.
- To make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
The South Hero Planning Commission and Select Board asked for community input on how the Town of South Hero should spend its ARPA funds.
Here are the results of that survey: ARPA Survey Results
$40,000 was allocated for digitalizing land records