NORTHAMPTON — The city has launched a new survey to seek ideas for spending $21.7 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds over the next two years.
The deadline to complete the survey, available on the city’s website in English and Spanish, is Nov. 19.
All adult Northampton residents, people who work in or own a business or organization in the city, and people who live elsewhere but own property in Northampton are invited to participate.
Mayor David Narkewicz said the relief money authorized by Congress under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) represents “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make critical investments in our city and especially for those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion relief package in March. Under the law, the money each community receives will be distributed in installments — Northampton received its first installment in June — and it must be fully committed by Dec. 31, 2024, and fully spent by Dec. 31, 2026.
“This survey data will be vital to informing the city’s next steps in crafting a process and plan for allocating these funds that all community members can support,” Narkewicz said. “I urge everyone to participate and to encourage their friends and neighbors to take the survey.”
There are four categories of acceptable uses for ARPA money: responding to the pandemic or supporting the economy through assistance to households, small businesses and nonprofits; paying essential workers a premium, even retroactively; providing government services in a dollar amount that is equal to the pandemic-related reduction in city revenue during the last fiscal year; and making necessary investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure.
Job training, homelessness prevention, affordable housing and food, utility and rental assistance programs are some possible uses, along with grants and loans to small businesses, and aid to hard-hit industries including hospitality and tourism.
In September, Narkewicz explained some of the restrictions and best practices in a presentation to the City Council. Citing guidance from the Government Finance Officers Association, Narkewicz said that revenue replacement should be given high priority in order “to rebuild financial flexibility and to restore fiscal resiliency,” and that the city should “use other dedicated grants and programs first whenever possible and save ARPA funds for priorities not eligible for other federal and state assistance programs.”
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.