City Of Wauwatosa: How To Prioritize Federal Relief Funds In Wauwatosa

Press release from the City of Wauwatosa:

07/07/2021 6:30 AM

On March 11, the President signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. This is a federal relief package aimed at providing economic support directly to communities from effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Wauwatosa has been designated as the recipient of just over $24 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Approximately $12 million has been received by the City so far.

The federal guidelines say that funds can only be used for:

• Revenue replacement for the provision of government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, relative to revenues collected in the most recent fiscal year prior to the emergency,
• 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, or
• Investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. 

Given the enormity of the funding and potential impact, we believe public engagement is needed. The public would not be the decision-makers, but we would have a formalized process to solicit their input in a focused way and make that data available to departments and decision-makers. Final decision-making authority would remain with the Financial Affairs Committee and the Common Council.

The Common Council approved a contract with Raftelis to help us engage with the public to identify and prioritize projects that fall under the federal guidelines.

Sign up to receive email updates about various ways to get involved with this process. We anticipate virtual and in-person opportunities to talk with various stakeholders on the impact of COVID-19 and how these funds can be allocated.

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This press release was produced by the City of Wauwatosa. The views expressed here are the author’s own.