Douglas County will receive $68.2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The County desires to responsibly invest this funding based on your input.
To guide the conversation and decision-making, the Board of County Commissioners has established the following ARPA Funding Investment Principles:
- Ensure legacy benefit
- Respond to immediate needs, then forward-looking
- Integrate with Board Priorities
- Avoid duplication with other sources
- Leverage partnership opportunities
Here’s how to participate:
- Visit douglas.co.us/ARPA to learn about ARPA and related proposed priorities and projects.
- Attend an open house at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in the Board of County Commissioners Hearing Room, 100 Third St. in Castle Rock. You can explore display boards with information about the various proposals, talk one-on-one with experts and provide your feedback.
- Attend a Live Town Hall at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9. Join either online at douglas.co.us/townhall or by calling 833-380-0668.
The Board of County Commissioners has also established the following five investment priorities:
- Broadband
- Community Recovery
- Economic Recovery
- Mental and Behavioral Health
- Water and Wastewater Investments
Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 earlier this year to allocate stimulus funds to state, local and tribal governments recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Funds can be used in prescriptive ways to support public health expenditures, address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, replace lost public sector revenue, provide premium pay for essential workers, or to invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.
Conversations about the use of ARPA funds will continue with several more public engagement opportunities in 2022. Douglas County must commit the full ARPA allocation by 2024 and spend by the end of 2026.
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