The American Rescue Act Plan
What is The American Rescue Plan Act?
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a $1.9 trillion federal economic aid package designed to address the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses. The Act was signed into law on March 11, 2021.
Part of ARPA is the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recover Funds (SLFRF) which delivered $350 billion to state, local and tribal governments. As a local government, the City of Amarillo received funds to be used to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, maintain vital public resources, and build a strong local recovery.
How can ARPA funds be used?
The U.S. Treasury Department provided limitations regarding what kinds of expenditures are approved for ARPA funds. In other words, those funds are only allowed to be spent on projects and programs in certain categories. Those categories are:
Replace Lost Public Sector Revenue This category includes funding to replace city revenue lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |
| | Address Negative Economic Impacts This category includes funding to address economic harms caused by the COVID-19 including those to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector. |
| | Support Public Health Response This category includes funding for COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health staff and safety staff. |
| | Invest in Water, Sewer, and Broadband Infrastructure This category includes funding for necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband internet. |
Provide Premium Pay for Essential Workers This category includes funding to support those who have borne and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors. |
How much money did the City of Amarillo receive?
The City of Amarillo received a total of $39.7 million from the American Rescue Plan. Half of the funds were received May 19, 2021, and the remaining half was received on June 6, 2022.
Who decides which City of Amarillo programs or projects should get ARPA money?
The Amarillo City Council decides how to spend the ARPA funds at regular City Council meetings within the limitations that the U.S. Treasury identified as approved. They consider things like which programs have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which projects will have the biggest impact on our community, and how the money might be turned into investments that will benefit the City for decades to come.
On October 12, 2021, the Amarillo City Council approved the allocation of the first round of funds for several different projects.
On June 14, 2022, the Amarillo City Council approved the allocation of the second round of funds for a variety of different programs and projects.
On April 25, 2023, the Amarillo City Council approved an amendment to the project plan for the second round of funds for a variety of different programs and projects.
On February 27, 2024, the Amarillo City Council approved an amendment to the project plan to reallocate a portion of Broadband funding to Homeless Reintegration.
Second Half of ARPA Funds
The following chart illustrates the City Council-approved allocations for the second half of the ARPA funds received.
Lost City Revenue ($14,313,919) The ARPA funds include a formula that calculates the city revenue lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These replacement funds were used for various city council-approved operations and projects. | |
Senior Citizen Support ($100,000) We used ARPA funds to support projects for improved ventilation, food insecurity assistance, and social distancing support for senior citizens. | |
Fire Department ($1,552,300) We used ARPA funds to purchase additional equipment to better equip our firefighters to respond to emergency medical calls and for additional training to better prepare city firefighters to respond to medical emergencies. | |
Park Improvement ($1,000,000) We used ARPA funds to update park lighting in low to moderate income areas. | |
Homeless Reintegration ($1,363,940) We used ARPA funds to continue a program that combined our need for better park maintenance with job opportunities for participants in the Coming Home program (assisting chronically homeless with housing). Additionally, we used ARPA funding to help fund a new pilot pallet shelter project to provide housing to the chronically homeless in our community to get them off the streets and into shelter. | |
Police Department ($1,108,000) We used ARPA funds to remodel and update the Academy classrooms and locker room facilities for the Police Department. These much-needed updates will allow us to improve ventilation, increase Academy class sizes to bolster the staffing of our department, and modernize facilities to allow for proper social distancing. We also used ARPA funding to purchase equipment to better equip city police officers to respond to emergency calls. | |
Neighborhood Improvement ($400,000) We used ARPA funds to allow investment in underserved communities through our four existing neighborhood planning areas: North Heights, Barrio, San Jacinto, and Eastridge. With the input of these communities, funds will be used to provide additional investments in these historically underserved low to moderate income areas. | |
First Half of ARPA Funds
The following chart illustrates the City Council-approved allocations for the first half of the ARPA funds received.
Lost City Revenue ($11,205,000) The ARPA funds include a formula that calculates the city revenue lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These replacement funds were used for various city council-approved operations and projects. | |
Senior Citizen Support ($500,000) We used ARPA funds to support projects for improved ventilation, food insecurity assistance, and social distancing support for senior citizens. | |
Fire Department ($433,159) We used ARPA funds to purchase additional Lifepacks and provide additional paramedic training for our firefighters. | |
Park Improvement ($600,000) We used ARPA funds to purchase new playground equipment in four parks in low to moderate income areas. | |
Tourism ($100,000) We used ARPA funds to provide additional funding to the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to promote tourism and stimulate economic recovery for our tourism industry. | |
Homeless Reintegration ($350,000) We used ARPA funds to pilot a program that combined our need for better park maintenance with job opportunities for participants in the Coming Home program (assisting chronically homeless with housing). Additionally, we used ARPA funding to help fund a new pilot pallet shelter project to provide housing to the chronically homeless in our community to get them off the streets and into shelter. | |
Police Department ($750,000) We used ARPA funds to purchase equipment needed to create a crime center that will better monitor local crime due to an increase in gun violence. | |
Citywide Broadband Internet Access ($5,900,000) We used ARPA funds to provide affordable broadband internet connectivity to all Amarillo residents. | |