ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) Engagement
ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) Engagement
The City of Asheville will be receiving $26.2 million in federal grant funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Government Fiscal Recovery Funds. This federal COVID recovery funding is to respond to the economic and public health impacts of COVID-19, to contain the impacts of COVID-19 on our communities, residents, and businesses, and to lay a foundation for a strong and equitable recovery. This recovery funding for local governments is just one part of an overall package of aid to local communities supported by the American Rescue Plan Act.
The federal government provides guidance about how this money can be used and when projects must be started and completed. The City of Asheville is committed to investing these funds in project that meet six guiding principles:
Use an equity lens
Invest in resilience
Align with Council strategic priorities
Focus on measurable impact
Leverage partnerships
Consider the long term
HAPPENING NOW
At its May 10, 2022 meeting, Asheville City Council passed a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute the agreements for the fulfillment of the American Rescue Plan Act funding recommendations.
City of Asheville staff evaluation scores posted here.
The Asheville City Council held a Work Session to discuss funding awards for the ARPA grant funds on Monday, April 25 at 10:00 am.
The meeting is available for viewing on the City's Youtube Channel.
As a reminder, on November 15, 2021 the City of Asheville received 70 applications for ARPA funding.
Following the application deadline, a team of staff reviewed all the proposals and evaluated them based on the following criteria:
Equitable community impact - 40%
Project plan and evaluation - 40%
Organization qualifications - 20%
All applications and the staff evaluations and scores were then shared with the City Council for review.
The staff evaluations along with feedback received from City Council members in small group check in meetings were used
to create a final list of recommended projects for council consideration at the upcoming council work session.
City of Asheville staff evaluation scores posted here.
Tenative Timeline for the ARPA Process
| July 27, 2021 | Worksession #1 Presentation |
| August 24, 2021 | Worksession #2 Presentation |
| September 14, 2021 | Council to approve category allocation |
| September 27, 2021 | Open RFP process to the community |
| October 13, 2021 | Community Investment Meeting: ARPA RFP Review and other local investment opportunities |
| November 15, 2021 | Due date for RFP proposals |
| November 2021 - December 2021 | RFP evaluations and staff recommendation of project awards |
| January 6, 2022 | US Department of Treasury released final rule on ARPA funds: https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRF-Final-Rule.pdf |
| February 1 and 2, 2022 | Applicant presentations to City Council |
| February 2022 - March 2022 | Staff meetings with City Council members to provide any additional information and get feedback/input from council members. |
| April 2022 | |
| April 2022 | Council approval of final project awards |
| Eligible Funding Categories |
|---|
| Affordable housing |
| Care for aging residents |
| City infrastructure |
| Climate Change |
| Community communication |
| Domestic violence prevention and assistance |
| Food systems |
| Homelessness services |
| Small business recovery |
| Workforce development |
Following the November 15 deadline, a team will review all proposals and evaluate them based on the following criteria:
Equitable community impact - 40%
Project plan and evaluation - 40%
Organization qualifications - 20%
Community Investment Meeting: ARPA RFP Review and other local investment opportunities
2-part virtual meeting for organizations planning to respond to the City’s Request for ARPA proposals and community members interested in learning about other funding opportunities available through the City of Asheville and Buncombe County.
* 4pm -5pm
This first portion of this meeting will serve as the Non-Mandatory RFP Pre-Proposal workshop. During this time staff will provide information about the RFP and answer questions from participants. All questions and responses from the session will be posted in the form of an addendum. This meeting is optional for those wishing to enter a proposal and a recording will be posted following the meeting.
*5pm-5:30pm
Presentations from staff about other local investment opportunities
Participants are encouraged to join the google meet at this link meet.google.com/ykb-wiin-cgh to participate and ask questions.