Window for ARPA proposals opens next week

Patti Brandt Burgess, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·2 min read

Aug. 27—TRAVERSE CITY — Grand Traverse County officials will begin taking proposals for spending American Rescue Plan Act money on Sept. 1.

The window for applications will be open for two months, ending Oct. 31. Once the process begins there will be a link posted at the county website.

County Administrator Nate Alger said he and Tim Dempsey, the consultant hired to lead the county through the process, are still working on details of the application form.

Proposals should fit into one of eight categories outlined by the ARPA committee earlier this year. They are workforce housing, mental and behavioral health services, public safety, childcare, infrastructure, small business and economic development, increasing skilled workers and stabilizing the healthcare system.

Alger said the GTC commission, which will make the final decision on ARPA funding requests, will also consider innovative ideas that do not fit into any of the named categories.

In a community survey taken this year, those who live, work or own a business in Grand Traverse County ranked those same categories, naming infrastructure, workforce housing and social services such as mental health services as the top three.

The county has about $18 million in ARPA funds; they must be allocated by 2024, with all funds spent by 2026.

A recent request for information on potential projects needing funding netted 47 informal proposals totaling $28 million. Alger has said the county was seeking a general idea of what the need is out there.

Those who submitted informal proposals will now need to give more details on their funding requests, he said.

Alger said he heard from several people that they weren't aware the county was seeking RFIs and said they need to do a better job of getting the word out.

The applications will be graded on things such as whether address a long-term or ongoing need in the community, if it benefits a large proportion of county residents and whether the organization submitting the proposal is making a financial match.

Many of those on the ARPA committee are county leaders from organizations that plan to submit proposals. Alger said a committee member will not be a part of grading a proposal from their own agency to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Alger said the committee still plans to hold workshops or hearings to which the public will be invited, but no dates are set.

The committee has met four times, with the last meeting held in May. All were closed to the public.