COVID money is burning in the city’s pockets, and they want to hear from you on how to spend it.
The funds came from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) to rebuild the local economy following the pandemic. Susanville received 3.5 million, of which some has already been spent towards getting the city out of its deficit, paying back time for staff’s COVID sick leave, and the city’s newest CLick n’’ Fix app, among other items.
Discussions on spending the remaining amount have been brought back several times, but none of the monies were dedicated to any direct effort.
This coming week, during the City council’s December 6th meeting, the topic will be brought back once more. Staff is inviting the community to attend and share input and ideas on “potential public benefit projects.”
Can’t attend? Submissions will be collected through the Susanville Click & Fix App by Selecting the “ARPA Funding Category,”
You can also visit the city website to access the Susanville CLick and Fix web portal to provide your thoughts on how to spend the money.
Per the state treasury, funds can be used for Ttile 1 projects, surface transportation projects, emergency relief from natural disasters, water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure, or replace lost public sector revenue.
The city only has until next year’s December 31st to obligate the funds and until December 31st of 2026 to spend them; if not, the money will have to be returned to the federal treasury.
