American Rescue Plan Act

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law on March 11, 2021 and established the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) program. Through this program, $350 billion was provided to State, territorial, local and Tribal governments to  support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency. Specifically, eligible categories of expenditures for SLFRF funding as established by the U.S. Treasury are: 

• Support public health expenditures related to the COVID-19 emergency  
• Address negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic 
• Replace lost public sector (Lewis and Clark County) revenue, support public services, and retain jobs  
• Invest in necessary water, sewer and broadband infrastructure

SLFRF funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024 and spent by December 31, 2026.

ARPA funding allocated to counties was based on each county’s population share of the total population of all counties, using 2019 Census data.  

Lewis and Clark County’s ARPA funding allocation: $13,486,352

The SLFRF Interim and Final Rules provided local officials with broad flexibility on how funding could be expended as long as projects fit into one of the above categories and met other eligibility criteria as defined in the program rules.  

To that end, Lewis and Clark Board of County Commissioners allocated the County’s SLFRF funding into the following five major categories to address immediate and long-term impacts from the COVID-19 emergency:  

• Public Health 
• Community Assistance 
• Community Water and Sewer Infrastructure 
• Public Safety and Services 
• County Facility Improvements  

Priority considerations in reviewing and approving projects for ARPA funding included one-time expenditures, infrastructure improvements, level of project need, long-term impacts, and shovel-ready projects. Priorities established by County departments and community organizations through existing  assessments, such as the annual Community Needs Assessment, were also considered.

In addition to the County’s direct SLFRF funding, the State of Montana established an  ARPA Water and Sewer Grants  program which included a  Minimum Allocation Grant  program that set aside a specific amount of funding for cities, towns, and counties to access for eligible water and sewer projects. Minimum Allocation Grant funds required a 1:1 match.   

Lewis and Clark County’s Minimum Allocation funding: $2,380,376 

Lewis and Clark County has applied for all its available Minimum Allocation Grant funds. Projects awarded include necessary infrastructure improvements for the cities of East Helena and Helena, five water and sewer districts/associations, a rural school, a rural community’s water source, and flood mitigation activities in the Helena Valley.

Use the map below to interact with the project locations. Click on a project symbol (dot) to learn more about that project. In the pie chart, select a wedge to show all those projects types on the map.

Contact the Lewis and Clark County Grants and Purchasing office to learn more:

- Carrie Lutkehus, ARPA Program Specialist,  clutkehus@lccountymt.gov   

- Ann McCauley, Director, Grants and Purchasing,  amccauley@lccountymt.gov