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1. What is ARPA?

ARPA is an acronym for the American Rescue Plan Act, which provides funding to address the pandemic. The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, a part of the American Rescue Plan, delivers $350 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments across the country to support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

2. Why did the City of Missoula get direct funding?

As a “metro city” with a population over 50,000, the City of Missoula received a direct allocation from the U.S. Treasury. Great Falls and Billings were the other two cities in Montana who received a direct allocation (other Montana cities receive their ARPA funding through the State). We received half of our total direct allocation in May 2021, and the other half in May 2022. 

3. What are eligible uses of ARPA funding?

The federal government intended ARPA funding to help:

• respond to the Public Health and economic impacts of COVID-19
• support premium pay for eligible employees
• replace lost public sector revenue 
• improve water, sewer and broadband infrastructure

For more info on guidelines, visit Treasury’s SLFRF website.

4. How does revenue loss impact ARPA?

Local governments that lost revenue (lost taxes, utility payments, etc.) during the COVID-19 pandemic can use ARPA funds, up to the amount of revenue lost, for "government services."  This category is extremely discretionary and allows the funds to be used for any service traditionally provided by a government. Treasury’s Final Rule allowed local governments to claim a standard allowance of $10 million in lost revenue, and the City of Missoula did take this standard allowance,