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1 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Public Feedback Session 2 November 23, 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- AGENDA • Welcome • ARPA Background • Timeline • Survey Results • Proposals, Ideas, and Comments • Recovery Principles • Comments / Q&A November 23, 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- BACKGROUND ---PAGE BREAK--- ARPA BACKGROUND • The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law March 2021 • ARPA Created the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund • $350 billion for state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to respond to the COVID- 19 Pandemic ---PAGE BREAK--- ARPA BACKGROUND • Funds distributed to municipalities in two tranches • Salem will receive a total of $35 million o$27 million from direct allocation to cities and towns o$8 million from allocation to counties • Funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024 and expended by December 31, 2026 ---PAGE BREAK--- ALLOWED SPENDING CATEGORIES & USES • Public health o Directly related to pandemic o To build resiliency against future pandemics • Negative economic impacts o Household assistance (food, rent, eviction protection) o Unemployment benefits and job training o General small business assistance • Services to disproportionately impacted communities o Education assistance o Childcare o Social determinants of health • Premium pay for certain frontline workers • Infrastructure o Clean water o Drinking water o Broadband • Revenue replacement • Administrative o New staff o Data collection and analysis o Auditing and reporting ---PAGE BREAK--- DISALLOWED SPENDING CATEGORIES AND USES • Deposits into pension funds • Matching funds for Federally-funded projects • Tax relief ---PAGE BREAK--- TIMELINE & PROCESS ---PAGE BREAK--- TIMELINE First Stakeholder Meeting Vision document completed Second Stakeholder Meeting August 23 December 15 Third Stakeholder Meeting First Public Listening Session Second Public Listening Session Public Survey Opens Public Survey Closes September 28 November 23 September 17 August 23 October 8 November 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- STAKEHOLDER WORKING GROUP ROLE The ARPA Stakeholder Working Group will assist City staff in identifying appropriate priority categories to which ARPA funds should be directed. These priority categories will be consistent with eligible uses for the ARPA funds and existing / previously identified capital and programmatic needs. The priority categories will be published in a vision document that the group will approve at its final meeting. ---PAGE BREAK--- ARPA SURVEY RESULTS ---PAGE BREAK--- • Survey was open for 3 weeks in September • Available in English and Spanish • 613 total responses from across the City o Only 5 responses to the Spanish survey o Respondents were close to an accurate representation in terms of gender ARPA SURVEY RESULTS ---PAGE BREAK--- ARPA SURVEY RESULTS • Survey responses overrepresented older residents (65+) o 21.8% of respondents were 65 or older, whereas Census data indicates 16.2% of residents are 65 or older • Homeowners were also overrepresented o 73.3% of respondents were homeowners, whereas Census data indicates 51.5% of residents own their home ---PAGE BREAK--- ARPA SURVEY RESULTS Q4: HOW MUCH, IF AT ALL, HAS COVID-19 IMPACTED YOUR HOUSEHOLD INCOME? ---PAGE BREAK--- ARPA SURVEY RESULTS Q2: How much of a problem, if at all, are the following currently for your household? ---PAGE BREAK--- ARPA SURVEY RESULTS ---PAGE BREAK--- ARPA SURVEY RESULTS Q8: THE AREAS LISTED BELOW ARE SOME OF THE GENERAL PRIORITIES FACING THE COMMUNITY THAT MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR ARPA FUNDING. PLEASE RANK THEM FROM 1 TO 11 IN THE ORDER THAT YOU BELIEVE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR THE CITY TO ADDRESS, WITH #1 BEING YOUR TOP PRIORITY AND #11 YOUR LOWEST PRIORITY. ---PAGE BREAK--- OTHER PROPOSALS, IDEAS, & COMMENTS ---PAGE BREAK--- OTHER PROPOSALS, IDEAS, & COMMENTS • Improved project management for existing City projects • Increased investments in SiFi network o Note: The SiFi project is privately funded, but ARPA funds could support other broadband infrastructure • High quality, safe, affordable daycare • Funding for first time homebuyers • Affordable housing o Construction of actual units o Purchase of deed restrictions • Increased tree planting and resources for tree management • Greenlawn Cemetery Improvements • Rental assistance • Workforce training • Funding for victims of domestic violence • Funding for substance abuse recovery center • Small business assistance o Assistance only for small businesses that didn’t get PPP loans • Future pandemic preparedness • Broadband/WiFi access at public parks • Support for pedestrian, bicycle, and transit projects and services • Sidewalk repair and ADA improvements • Water main replacements, cleaning, and other maintenance • Sewer relocations and investigations ---PAGE BREAK--- STATE ARPA OPPORTUNITIES ---PAGE BREAK--- STATE ARPA OPPORTUNITIES • The House and Senate both passed ARPA spending bills, but did not pass a compromise bill before the session ended • Both bills combined ARPA funds with budget surplus, so the bills go beyond the allowable ARPA spending categories • Both bills include $500 million for premium pay for essential frontline workers and $500 million for the unemployment insurance trust fund • The bills also include hundreds of millions of dollars for public health, workforce training, housing, climate initiatives, and economic relief and recovery programs ---PAGE BREAK--- SALEM’S RECOVERY PRINCIPLES ---PAGE BREAK--- SALEM’S RECOVERY PRINCIPLES Salem’s pandemic recovery... will focus on providing services and assistance to those that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. will build resiliency for future pandemics and be financially sustainable. will enhance or complement state and federal programs, and use recovery funds in creative ways to address local challenges. will be flexible and transparent, with regular reviews to determine if needs have changed: Reports submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department will be posted publicly. Public forums in June and December each year of the recovery program with programmatic updates. Review and update the Recovery Principles document annually. Recovery website with all reports and plans easily accessible. ---PAGE BREAK--- SALEM’S RECOVERY PRINCIPLES When you think about Salem’s recovery, do the projects you think about fit these principles? Are these principles sufficient guides for the City to consider when spending ARPA funds? How should the City balance spending to address needs now vs. reserving funds to spend later in the program? ---PAGE BREAK--- DISCUSSION / Q&A