ARPA Funds As Financial Relief In State, Local Governments

The American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA Funds are issued in several state and local governments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Daviess County and the city of Washington, for instance, has received millions of dollars from the federal government.

ARPA Funds [Photo: BbkLaw]

Daviess County

In the early 2020, the Daviess County received millions of dollars from the federal government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael Taylor, Daviess County Commissioner, said that the biggest amount of COVID-19 relief grants has come from the American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA Funds.

An article on the Washington Times-Herald states that the Daviess County has received COVID-19 relief grants worth $8.9 million from the ARPA Funds. In addition, a separate $555,000 was allocated to small business and housing programs in the county. Some of the funds were designated to the health department and used to test the virus and provide vaccinations. However, the rest of the funds remained stagnant.

READ ALSO: $150 Billion Remaining ARPA Funds Expected To Support Public Sector, Families, Children

Washington

According to an article on the Yahoo News, the city of Washington is also currently using a huge portion of the ARPA Funds on their waste water treatment plant project. Reportedly, the city is using $1.6 million of the ARPA Funds to improve the project because they need to meet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements.

The city of Washington reportedly received around $2.8 million worth of ARPA Funds. Mayor David Rhoads claimed they have used some to distribute bonuses to employees at the end of 2022. However, they have not yet decided where to spend the remaining funds other than the treatment plant project.

READ ALSO: Maine To Receive $450 One-Time Payments Under American Rescue Plan Act