The city of Perry is eligible for up to $1,143,905.63 in pandemic relief through the 2021 American Rescue Package Act (ARPA), according to figures released by the state of Iowa.
Some 930 Iowa cities with populations smaller than 50,000 — called non-entitlement units (NEUs) — are eligible to share in $111 million in Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds in this fiscal year and another $111 million next year.
The Perry City Council approved at its June 21 meeting a resolution authorizing the signing and acceptance of the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds terms and conditions. In order to receive the funding, the city must agree to the award’s terms and conditions and must assure the federal government of Perry’s compliance with all civil rights requirements.
Prior to requesting the ARPA funds from the federal government, the state of Iowa worked with many towns and the Iowa League of Cities on pre-spending plans in order to simplify and facilitate the administration of the federal money. About one-third of all eligible cities in Iowa have already completed their paperwork to access these funds.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury will make payments to each state for distribution to NEUs within each state. Nationwide the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund will provide $19.53 billion to support tens of thousands of NEUs.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or the American Rescue Plan, was a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden March 11, 2021.
The ARPA was intended to speed up the nation’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing recession. All Congressional Republicans voted against the ARPA.
