City seeks help for ways to spend funds

The community’s help is being sought in determining how the city should spend the $21.7 million it has been allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act.

“These funds are critical as we recover from the pandemic and make a meaningful, once-in-a-generation, positive impact on the community,” said Taylour Tedder, city manager. “Making sure our residents have an opportunity to suggest how we allocate funding was important to me and to our City Council. I look forward to hearing ideas from our community.”

According to the city, it will receive the money in two payments. It received approximately $10.8 million in 2021 and will receive another $10.8 million this spring. It must commit how the money will be used by 2024 and then spend it by 2026.

Of the total amount, $11.7 million must be spent on expenditures allowed by the rescue plan. Those include: water and wastewater infrastructure, pandemic response and nonprofit and small business support. The remaining money can be spent in any way.

At a Feb. 23 City Council workshop, Tedder said council has already committed $193,500 to be spent on the previous vaccination drawing, test kits, personal protective equipment and assistance to Emergency Aid of Boulder City.

According to Tedder, staff is recommending the remaining portion of the first allocation of money be spent on the upcoming water and wastewater capital improvement projects, golf course irrigation rehabilitation, mental health support, park maintenance and converting to raw water for park irrigation.

“I’ll line out every project so that it’s very clear what it is, why we’re doing it and have you adopt that so we can start spending the money on these projects, especially the larger water and wastewater projects,” he told the council. “Because if we don’t get started now, it’s going to be really difficult to spend it if we commit … in two years and then we don’t have two years to do the project. So starting it now would be ideal.”

Tedder also said they were planning to have ways for the public to submit their ideas including a yet-to-be-scheduled workshop. Currently they can submit them to arpa@bcnv.org.

If the city does not spend the money by 2026, it has to return it to the federal government.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.