Commissioners Begin to Plan Use of Federal Recovery Funds
Westminster, MD, Monday, July 19, 2021 – On Thursday, July 8, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners received a presentation from staff highlighting potential county projects eligible for allocation of State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Funds (FRF).
The funds, part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), were signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. Carroll County will receive a direct federal award of $32,718,855 in 2 allocations (May 2021 and May 2022) for a grant period of 3/11/21 – 12/31/26, with funding obligated by 12/31/24. The grant is intended to assist the county response to COVID-19, stimulate the local economy and support long-term recovery. Eligible project categories include:
- Response to COVID
- Address the negative economic impact on businesses and individuals
- Serve hardest-hit communities and families
- Replace lost public sector revenue
- Premium pay for essential workers
- Invest in necessary water, stormwater and sewer infrastructure
- Invest in necessary broadband infrastructure
During the presentation, staff provided high-level and broad overviews of 44 potential projects with total cost of over $57 million. The commissioners will next evaluate the presentations and determine which projects advance for further review. The projects selected to move to the next phase will be presented in more detail at a future time.
Residents interested in following the process can access information, presentations and recorded sessions on a dedicated county webpage, https://www.carrollcountymd.gov/frf.