[Archived] Alexandria City Council to Hold Public Hearing on American Rescue Plan Act Funding Uses

­­For Immediate Release: June 15, 2021

On June 19, the Alexandria City Council will hold a virtual public hearing on potential uses of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. City of Alexandria residents may provide input by requesting to speak during the hearing or by providing written feedback by June 18. The virtual meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m.

A list of potential programs and projects was developed to help guide the use of the funds, based on needs identified in past planning efforts, initiatives to combat issues exaggerated by COVID-19, and through community feedback received. Through the passage of ARPA, the City is being allocated $59.4 million in two equal allotments: one that occurred in May 2021 and the next scheduled for May 2022. City Council will consider the first-phase spending plan for funds in 2021 at their legislative meeting on July 6. The second-phase spending plan will be further developed in fall 2021, in anticipation of the second funding allotment. 

In March, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 established the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. Approximately $360 billion of this one-time aid will be directly allocated to states and localities on a formulaic basis. The City’s intent for this one-time funding is to improve quality of life in Alexandria, for both the community’s immediate recovery needs and as a long-term investment.

Visit alexandriava.gov/AmericanRescuePlan for more information about ARPA funding.

For inquiries from the news media only, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact dana.wedeles@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.5491, Virginia Relay 711.