Select Board to brainstorm spending ARPA funds
October 20, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti
The Waterbury Select Board added an extra meeting for tonight into its schedule to begin brainstorming ideas for how the town should spend $1.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.
Tonight’s meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Steele Room at the municipal offices in person with the option to attend via Zoom using a link on the meeting agenda.
Waterbury’s allocation of the pandemic-recovery funds totals $1,540,964 and Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk said payments have been received in multiple installments in 2021 and this year.
So far, town officials have committed $321,000 of that sum, leaving just over $1.2 million unallocated. The money comes with requirements regarding both timing and uses. States, counties, cities and towns must decide by December 31, 2024 how they will use the funding. The money must be spent by the end of 2026.
COVID-19 expenditures or negative economic impacts of COVID-19, including assistance to small businesses, households, and hard-hit industries, and economic recovery, Premium pay for essential workers, Investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.
According to a Brookings Institution report in July, funds are being allocated across seven broad catregories of spending: community aid; economic and workforce development; government operations; housing; infrastructure; public health and public safety.
The Vermont League of Cities and Towns notes that Vermont is receiving a total of $1.25 billion in ARPA appropriations. It has detailed resources for communities regarding how to handle the funding along with a breakdown of the awards by community.
So far, Waterbury has committed funds in four directions:
Voters approved $100,000 to go to the Ice Center to help shore up its finances after losses due to that COVID-19 shutdown.
$95,000 is included in this year’s town budget for highway department spending.
$50,000 was allocated to CVFiber for its project to expand broadband internet service.
$76,000 has been pledged to the Waterbury Ambulance Service for its new station construction project in 2023.
Select board members have discussed the need for an extended conversation to consider the remaining sum and the potential uses it could serve. They also have acknowledged the desire to solicit public input into the process and will discuss ways to involve community members tonight.
At Monday’s regular board meeting, Vice Chair Dani Kehlmann stressed that tonight’s discussion does not aim to make any decisions but to simply delve into options to begin shaping priorities.
Expected at tonight’s special meeting is Tom Leitz, Waterbury’s recently hired next municipal manager who starts work Oct. 31 as deputy manager alongside Shepeluk who is retiring at the end of the year. Leitz will take on the manager role on Jan. 1.
Leitz will oversee the ARPA spending and was invited to participate in tonight’s brainstorming session.