Signed into law on March 11, 2021, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ("ARPA") provided $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local, territorial, and tribal governments.

ARPA funding counters the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and helps remedy the disparity between rising costs and falling revenues.

Albany County was allocated $59.3 million, distributed in two equal tranches. This funding creates a historic opportunity to achieve fiscally responsible objectives that will shape the County’s recovery and future.

All funds to Albany County have been obligated and the application process is closed. Awards to external organizations were made after the completion, submission, and comprehensive review of a proposal.

Generally, this process includes, but is not limited to:

• Initial scrub of proposal for completeness
• Eligibility review
• As applicable, proposal scoring by selected evaluators
• Review of evaluator recommendations by an ARPA Subcommittee
• Subcommittee recommendations are moved forward for consideration by the ARPA Executive Committee
• Executive Committee recommendations are moved forward for consideration by the County Legislature
• Tentative award letters are distributed to organizations approved by the Legislature

To ensure that ARPA investments directly respond to the needs of County residents, the County developed a four-pronged community engagement strategy to shape its ARPA decision-making.

These steps included informing and consulting with stakeholders, collaborating with stakeholders and, finally, the approval of the most strategic initiatives.

Some of the community engagement tools employed by the County included:

• the launch of an ARPA web portal (August 2022);
• a stakeholder survey (October 2022);
• the public release of an ARPA Investment Plan (March 2023);
• public feedback on the Investment Plan; and
• various information sessions/office hours.

Of note, there were approximately 1,600 responses to the public engagement survey.

In March 2023, the County released a formal Investment Plan which identified various categories and subcategories with respect to the strategic use of its ARPA allocation.

The Investment Plan was rooted in the evaluation of local economic data, a review of County department and capital needs and a comprehensive stakeholder engagement effort.

In addition, the Investment Plan outlined the "rules of the road" set by the Treasury Department, explained the County’s process, established a timeline for next steps, and provided information on proposed uses.

The Investment Plan is divided into three categories:

1. Economic Recovery and Growth;
2. Community Development and Public Health; and
3. County Infrastructure and Workforce.

To date, more than 95% of allocated funds within these investment areas have been awarded by the County.