North Nevada News

County of Elko issued the following announcement.

Elko County has an opportunity to work with our communities to invest strategically in people, organizations, and projects which will have positive, long-term economic impacts for years to come.  Recognizing the need to provide support to strengthen our local businesses and communities, Elko County is providing grants to eligible small businesses, non-profit organizations, and governmental units through its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Relief Funding.

INTRODUCTION

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill, was signed into law in March 2021.  This funding package builds upon the CARES Act from March 2020 and its extension in December 2020.  ARPA provides a total of $350 billion in assistance for eligible state and local governments through the Fiscal Recovery Fund (FRF) and is intended to support the continued recovery efforts in response to the impacts of COVID-19.  Elko County is expected to receive a total of nearly $10.3 million under ARPA.   

TIMELINE

Funds must be obligated by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026.  The funds from the Treasury to the County are distributed in two tranches.  Elko County has received the first half of funding and the other half is anticipated to be received in 2022. 

Applications will be accepted beginning October 28, 2021 until November 30, 2021 or until all funds have been distributed.

GENERAL GUIDANCE

The Fiscal Recovery Fund was established to help turn the tide on the pandemic, address its economic fallout and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable recovery.  There are four primary ways – outside of the lost revenue allowance – that counties may invest funds:

• Support public health expenditures, by, for example, funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety
• Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public
• 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
• Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband

Within these overall categories, counties have broad flexibility to decide how best to use this funding to meet the needs of their communities so long as they can demonstrate that these activities support the public health response or that recipients of the recovery funds have experienced economic harm from the pandemic. The United States Department of Treasury (Treasury) outlines the statutory requirements in the Compliance and Reporting Guidance: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Manual and adopted an Interim Final Rule to implement these eligible use categories and other restrictions on the use of Fiscal Recovery Funds.

It is Elko County’s responsibility to ensure all Fiscal Recovery Funds are used in compliance with the requirements set forth in the Interim Final Rule and any future guidance from Treasury.

For more information or to obtain the application, visit Welcome to Elko, Nevada (elkocountynv.net) or contact the County Manager’s office at 775-738-5398.

Original source can be found here.