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<br /> <br /> STAFF REPORT <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />TO: Mayor Keis and Members of the City Council <br /> <br />FROM: Chris Heineman, City Administrator <br />Brenda Malinowski, Finance Director <br /> <br />DATE: December 1, 2021 <br /> <br />RE: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds <br /> <br /> <br />ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED <br /> <br />Adopt Resolution 2021-12-144, Accepting the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds <br />Established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and motion to record the 2021 <br />allotment of $573,786.39 of ARPA Funds in the General Capital Improvement Fund to be used <br />for future capital projects including the Rondeau Park Improvements. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) are federal funds that are to be used to address the <br />COVID-19 pandemic. The ARPA funding that was approved in 2021, builds on the CARES Act <br />that was distributed to local governments in 2020. Unlike the CARES Act, ARPA funds are <br />more flexible, provides a longer period for recipients to use funds, and can be used for revenue <br />losses incurred. ARPA funding is intended for continued responses to COVID-19 and for <br />addressing longer term effects of the pandemic. Additional ARPA funding is being distributed <br />to other entities for childcare, Head Start, family caregivers, mental health, transit, education, <br />small businesses, and other uses <br />. <br />City of Little Canada Funding Allocation: <br />As part of the American Rescue Plan Act, the City of Little Canada will receive funds totaling <br />$1,147,573 under the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund based on a population formula. The first half <br />of these funds in the amount of $573,786.39 were received in 2021, and the second half will be <br />received in 2022. <br /> <br />The 2022-2031 Capital Improvement Plan includes the funding of the Rondeau Park <br />improvements in 2022 in the amount of $518,500 with the use of these funds. One of the of the <br />eligible uses of these funds are for park improvements in a Qualified Census Tract (QCT). <br />Rondeau Park is in a QCT. These funds can be considered an eligible use for parks, public <br />plazas, and other outdoor recreation spaces within a QCT since investments in improving <br />outdoor recreation spaces (e.g. parks) may be responsive to the needs of disproportionately <br />impacted communities by promoting healthier living environments and outdoor recreation and <br />socialization to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. (Treasury FAQ 2.18).