On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law. This legislation established the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF), which provides significant resources to state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to address impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Treasury allocated $18.3 million to the City of Iowa City to both address emergency stabilization needs and help make long-term, transformative investments (especially in underserved populations) through careful planning and extensive public input. All funds are currently allocated and must be expended by December 31, 2026.

Iowa City's Use of Funds

City Council identified guiding principles to inform the process of prioritizing ideas for use funds. Iowa City also held a round of public input opportunities throughout the summer of 2021 to guide the allocation of funding. Feedback is included below.

• ARPA Public Input Summary Memo (Sept. 2, 2021)
• Summary of Initial Public Input Ideas 
• Raw ARPA Survey Results (Closed as of Aug. 15, 2021)

City Council and staff will continue working collaboratively with residents, businesses, non-profits, and other community partners and stakeholders to ensure a transparent process that is aligned with community needs. Additionally, the City will continue coordinating with Johnson County and neighboring cities to maximize the transformative impact of these funds and the many other funding streams and programs included in the American Rescue Plan Act.

An update on current progress of ARPA-funded initiatives is available as follows:

• ARPA Status Update Memo (August 7, 2024)

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