News: County staff are working on hiring new staff to help implement the approved ARPA projects. We will keep you posted on this and other updates with the new ARPA newsletter.

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

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What is the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) is the latest in a series of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related relief and economic stimulus legislation. ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds help build economic capabilities for state, local, territorial, and tribal government agencies to meet pandemic response needs, address the negative economic impacts, and build a strong and equitable recovery from this public health crisis. With this federal aid, jurisdictions have been able to strengthen and support vital public services put at risk by or needed because of the pandemic.

How Do ARPA Funds Impact Boulder County?

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law. As part of ARPA, the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) was established to address certain impacts from the pandemic. Boulder County was allocated $63,359,749.

States, territories, counties, and cities with populations of 250,000 or more are required to publicly post and submit annual Recovery Plan Performance Report to the Treasury Department by July 31st of each year. The plan focuses on pandemic efforts to date and how Boulder County’s approach to using ARPA funds will support a strong and equitable recovery, respond to the public health emergency and negative economic impacts, and address racial, health, and economic disparities.

Community Engagement and Planning

OVERVIEW

The Boulder County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) partnered with the Community Foundation of Boulder County, consultant Rebuild by Design, and local community partners on community engagement to ensure ARPA funding investments achieve the highest level of positive and equitable impact for the community.

The first phase of the community engagement process entailed six weeks of collecting feedback from residents, businesses, workers, and students in the county. From more than 1500 completed surveys and 41 events, the engagement process revealed that the greatest challenges facing community members are:

1) Negative Economic Impacts
2) Housing Affordability
3) Cost of Living
4) Mental Health
5) Childcare

These results were consistent across gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, employment status, and disability status.

The second phase consisted of a four-month Working Group process to delve more deeply into three priority areas and ultimately make recommendations for specific projects to address the needs in these areas: Economic Challenges, Housing Affordability, and Mental Health and Social Resilience. Read below for more.

The partner agencies supporting these efforts alongside Boulder County are:

Boulder County Arts Alliance logo Human Services Alliance logo Northwest Chamber Alliance logo Peak to Peak Housing and Human Services logo Front Rage Community College logo

PHASE 1: Feedback Collection

The process for collecting feedback in Phase 1 entailed six weeks of in-person and online outreach (September 1 – October 15), in partnership with community members and leaders, seeking ideas for building a durable and equitable recovery. County staff and community partners organized and/or attended over 41 events throughout the county to listen to residents’, businesses’, workers’, and students’ concerns and gathered more than 1500 surveys in English, Spanish, and Nepali, “Boulder County Wants to Hear from You!”

1,539 Surveys Completed

41 Engagement Events

331 Organizations Invited to Participate

When asked “What’s one thing Boulder County can do to improve the lives of you, your loved ones, or your business?” an overwhelming number of respondents suggested increased and improved affordable housing options. The other top suggestions include economic support to offset the impacts of the pandemic, improved mental health services including initiatives to combat social isolation from the digital divide, increasing affordable childcare options, and greater support for the arts and artists.

Feedback also revealed skepticism and doubts from the community that their opinions will be heard. We also heard that while the County has made resources available to those who have struggled throughout the pandemic, many individuals and businesses are unaware of the programs they can access or do not know how to navigate the current systems.

For more insights from the engagement process, lessons learned, and recommendations for Phase 2, read the ARPA Steering Committee Preliminary Engagement Report (in English), or the ARPA Steering Committee Preliminary Engagement Report (in Spanish), or watch the ARPA Steering Committee’s November 10th presentation to BOCC

The BOCC also hosted an ARPA-focused Town Hall that took place on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. Watch the Town Hall video and learn more about the community engagement process and Q&A from Boulder County residents! In addition to the survey and other opportunities for community engagement, existing data and prior feedback from the community were collected and synthesized

PHASE 2: ARPA Working Groups Planning Process

The BOCC and ARPA Steering Committee appointed three ARPA Working Groups in December 2021, comprised of community members that understand the diverse interests of Boulder County and can speak first-hand to the needs of those most impacted by COVID-19, moving into the next phase of community engagement and planning. Members were appointed in the three working group focus areas of: Economic Challenges, Housing Affordability, and Mental Health and Social Resilience. Working Groups met from February to May 2022, drawing from educational and informative workshops, subject matter experts, the needs and ideas of community members, Treasury guidelines for ARPA and the ARPA framework to promote equitable outcomes, and more. The recordings of these meetings are posted on the ARPA website.

Each of the working groups included a community partner and County department head as co-leads, with a County Commissioner as sponsor to support the process. Working groups added additional members in subcommittees or as advisors to draw from lived and subject matter expertise and experience in the community. Click on the tab: ARPA Working Groups Descriptions below for detailed information on the structure, roles, and responsibilities of each one the working groups and its members.

Working Groups proposed recommendations to the BOCC in May 2022 that support ARPA investments in each of the three focus areas for a total of approximately $46 million in funding. Phase 2 projects were approved at business meetings in June and August 2022

ARPA Working Groups Descriptions

Each of the categories for the working groups is directly based on the findings from the initial outreach to Boulder County communities. This community engagement process identified Economic Challenges, Housing Affordability, Mental Health, and Social Resilience among the greatest concerns for residents, business owners, workers, and students in Boulder County.
You can find detailed results of the community engagement process following the link to the ARPA Steering Committee Preliminary Engagement Report.

The following is the description of the focus areas and the priority issues for each of the three working groups:

Economic Challenges – Economic challenges are the number one issue affecting Boulder County residents, businesses, and students. Many survey respondents raised the interconnected issues of cost of living, small business needs, workforce development, childcare, and other economic issues. This working group will recommend initiatives that address economic challenges within the community, with a particular emphasis on the issues magnified by the pandemic.

Co-Chairs: Rebecca Novinger, Human Services Alliance and

Susan Caskey, Boulder County, Co-Director of Housing and Human Services

Sponsor: Marta Loachamin, County Commissioner

Housing Affordability – The challenge of housing affordability for the residents of Boulder County existed before the pandemic. For some community members and businesses, the loss of income due to the pandemic exacerbated housing instability. This group proposed solutions to address the housing crisis in Boulder County for both renters and owners alike.

Co-Chairs: Karen Gerrity, InterMountain Alliance, and BOCO Long Term Recovery Group

Paul Jannatpour, Boulder County, Co-Director of Housing and Human Services

Sponsor: Claire Levy, County Commissioner

Mental Health and Social Resilience – Being physically apart from friends and family during lockdown brought on many challenges, including social isolation, worsened mental health, workforce burnout, and compassion fatigue. While some suffered due to too much time in a digital world, others struggled due to lack of access or ability to use technology. This group researched policies and programs that will bring communities together and address social isolation, and mental health and public health challenges.

Co-Chairs: Katrina Harms, Peak to Peak Housing and Human Services and

Robin Bohannan, Boulder County Director of Community Services

Sponsor: Matt Jones, County Commissioner

Community Engagement and Pandemic Reports

To better understand the impacts of the pandemic in the community and the needs of community members, Boulder County engaged in research and a community engagement process. Boulder County retained TDA Consulting, Inc. to conduct a gap analysis analyzing data on the pandemic’s impacts in Boulder County, using ARPA spending categories to categorize data and summarize priority needs identified by community stakeholders. Boulder County commits to promoting and practicing racial equity, and the report incorporates data, when available, that illuminates ways the pandemic has had racially disproportionate impacts. TDA Consulting’s report, Impacts of the Pandemic on Boulder County provides more information.

With the assistance of consultant Rebuild by Design and in collaboration with Community Foundation Boulder County and the ARPA Steering Committee, the first phase of the community engagement process sought community feedback regarding needs in the community and recommendations for a transformative and equitable recovery. In November 2021, the ARPA Community Steering Committee shared the results with the ARPA Steering Committee Preliminary Engagement Report in English and Preliminary Engagement Report in Spanish.

The following reports further explain the process, findings, and recommendations for each phase of the community engagement and planning process:

Boulder County ARPA Final Report: A Community-Driven Path Towards an Equitable Recovery
ARPA Working Groups Final Proposal Programs
Propuesta Final de los Programas de los Grupos de Trabajo ARPA

Funding Allocations

Funding Timeline

$63,359,749 million total ARPA SLFRF funding awarded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to Boulder County.

Spring 2021
Pandemic Response and Immediate Needs

2021 -2022
Community Engagement and Planning

2022 – 2026
Phase 2 Project Implementation

ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Expenditure Categories

The U.S. Department of the Treasury launched this much-needed financial relief to address the following:

Support urgent COVID-19 public health response efforts to continue to decrease spread of the virus;
Support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses;
Address systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the inequal impact of the pandemic;
Replace lost revenue for governments to strengthen vital public services and help retain jobs; and
Make infrastructure investments in broadband, clean water, and wastewater facilities.

Treasury requires that local governments address disparate impacts and achieve equitable outcomes with ARPA funds and cites President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, signed on January 20, 2021. The BOCC stated its support for that executive order and for advancing racial equity in a Jan. 27, 2021, statement.

Boulder County’s annual recovery plan describes response and recovery efforts to date, community engagement and planning efforts, consideration of equity impacts and outcomes, actual and planned uses of funds, and other information required by Treasury. See the most recent ARPA SLFRF Recovery Plan Performance Report.

What Boulder County Has Funded So Far

Boulder County has made two rounds of funding allocations from the $63,359,749 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) award that the County received from Treasury. The Board of County Commissioners approved an initial allocation of $5,531,880 in 2021 toward immediate needs in pandemic response and recovery. The immediate needs process in Summer and Fall 2021 evaluated and responded to unmet needs of the community and internal county operations as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency that were not funded in Boulder County’s annual budget cycle.

To determine how to expend the remainder of funds, aside from administrative and a reserve for pandemic costs, the County and partners engaged in a community engagement and planning process, with the assistance of consultant Rebuild by Design and in collaboration with Community Foundation Boulder County and the ARPA Steering Committee. First, the County heard from more than 1500 residents about needs and impacts of the pandemic.

Community feedback identified three areas of greatest need: Economic Challenges, Housing Affordability, and Mental Health and Social Resilience. Working Groups formed around each of these issue areas to identify projects for a transformative and equitable recovery. Working groups were composed of community members from non-profits, businesses, and other stakeholders, and each was sponsored by a County Commissioner and co-led by a community leader and a Boulder County department head. Their work was informed by feedback from community feedback as well as stakeholder input, best practices and research, advice from subject matter experts, and other ways. Working Group members developed project ideas and then prioritized according to what would have the most impact and other criteria. Proposals were presented to the Board at a public hearing on May 3, 2022 and approved at Business Meetings in June and August 2022.

The county also previously received CARES Act funding in 2020 and Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance funds through early 2023, in addition to ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund dollars. Some of the programs and services CARES Act funds supported included grants for childcare centers, human services initiatives, local non-profits support, telework resources for county staff, public health support, and economic assistance to local businesses and non-profits.

PHASE 1: ARPA SLFRF Immediate Needs Project

View Phase 1: ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Immediate Needs

PHASE 2: Pandemic Recovery and Relief Projects

View Phase 2: ARPA Pandemic Recovery and Relief Projects

Financial Transactions

ARPA Funds Distribution

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), signed into law on March 11, 2021, provided funding to relieve the continued impacts of COVID-19 on the economy, public health, individuals, and businesses. Boulder County was allocated $63,359,749 through the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

ARPA funding is critical for Boulder County to address the lingering public health effects and economic challenges left by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes tackling the disproportionate impacts that the pandemic revealed and exacerbated.

Some of the projects ARPA has supported include:

Food insecurity programming to provide fresh foods to low-income families
Workforce Boulder County call center and employment services
Public health support that includes COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts
Support for low-income workers to quarantine or address work reductions
Housing and support for people who are unhoused

In alignment with the County’s strategic priority of Organizational and Financial Stewardship, ARPA SLFRF financial data is publicly shared here for all to review. Limitations of this data include:

The financial data on this page only demonstrates the use of ARPA funds Boulder County received from Treasury
County departments and Boulder County Public Health received non-SLFRF ARPA funds. That data is not included here
The data shown for public health represents payments that were made from Boulder County to Boulder County Public Health as they are a separate legal entity that manages their own transactions.

To date, ARPA funds allocation relates to the following Treasury Expenditure Categories:

Public Health: Public health eligible uses include COVID-19 mitigation and prevention, medical expenses, and behavioral healthcare
Negative Economic Impacts: Focused on direct community economic relief and assistance to households, businesses, and nonprofits
Public Health: Negative Economic Impact: Public Sector Capacity: Funding for Data and Evaluation for ARPA
Revenue Replacement: Funding to provide government services during the pandemic
Administrative Support: For planning, implementation, and monitoring of programs structured under ARPA SLFRF requirements

To learn more about ARPA, go to the U.S. Department of Treasury State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds website.

NOTE: The ARPA fund distribution data is updated quarterly. Details of Boulder County’s allocation of ARPA funds will reveal additional information on the breakdown of each segment.

Pie chart of all costs by spending category Total costs by projects task

Revenue Replacement: Spirit of ARPA Projects (SOAP)

In January 2022, Treasury provided the opportunity for a one-time standard allowance of up to $10 million in the revenue replacement category of eligible uses, whether revenue was lost or not, to be spent on general government services. The Boulder County Commissioners opted into the standard allowance and directed that revenue replacement dollars be expended on projects that address disparate pandemic-related impacts identified by and in the community. Projects selected for this category are referred to as Spirit of ARPA Projects (SOAP) and were recommended in Immediate Needs or the Phase 2 Working Group process, ensuring these projects remain true to the intention of addressing disparate pandemic-related impacts identified by and in the community.

The Boulder County Commissioners further directed that revenue replacement dollars be expended on projects that align with needs identified by the community and the ARPA Working Groups, but that would not be possible to implement due to program complexity, administrative burden, or eligibility and other constraints of the ARPA funds. Projects allocated under the $10 million revenue replacement category include Digital Divide and Family Resource Center projects totaling $2,057,396. Additionally, $7.94 million of annual budgeted funding from the county general fund for Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) was funded instead from ARPA revenue replacement dollars, freeing up that same amount in the county general fund for SOAP projects. The $7.94 million freed up through ARPA revenue replacement is funding:

Manufactured Housing Park Acquisition and Upgrades
Regional Housing Partnership
Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley
Small Business Back Taxes

The dashboard Spirit of ARPA Projects (SOAP) from Revenue Replacement Funds provides a breakdown of each funding category and as transparency is a priority at Boulder County, this website will be updated with spending updates, key performance indicator data, and additional program information.

The chart includes expenditure amounts for each project. Habitat for Humanity percent of total: 50.5%, small business back taxes: 39%; manufactured housing park program: 6%; regional housing policy partnership: 4.5%

NOTE – The SOAP Expenditures chart shows the expenditure amounts for each SOAP project. To learn more about SOAP investments, visit the Spirit of ARPA Projects (SOAP) from Revenue Replacement Funds Dashboard or the SOAP Expenditures chart.

SOAP expenditures organization shows investments per month.

Reports

Stay Informed

Newsroom

Longmont Public Media Highlights the Progress of the Affordable Housing Project, Willoughby Corner

Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin and Tanya Jimenez, Housing Developer with the Boulder County Housing Authority, were invited to the Longmont Public Media studios for an interview to share updates on ARPA investments in affordable housing options for Boulder County communities.

The interview highlighted the progress of Willoughby Corner construction, supported by ARPA funds. Willoughby Corner is a planned neighborhood of permanently affordable homes. The Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) is developing the project, which will include 400 homes in a variety of building types, such as duplexes, townhomes, and apartments.

Watch the interview on ARPA investments in affordable housing options and the Spanish interview on affordable housing options.