The city is continuing its review of community applications for American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Applications were due July 15 and the city received 34 applications that total $10,464,425.81.

Tom Hazen, the city’s grant administrator, began reviewing the applications for completeness and eligibility.

City beginning review of ARPA applications from community agencies

He told City Commissioners during their Sept. 6 meeting that eight applications were removed from consideration because they didn’t meet the minimum requirements under the city’s guidelines.

The city received $19.47 million in ARPA funds, which are COVID relief funds. Those funds carry more detailed rules on eligible uses and deadlines for expenditure.

Hazen said that the internal staff committee began their review and evaluation of the remaining 26 applications on Aug. 16.

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They’re using the scoring sheet that commissioners approved and was included in the application that was published in February.

The commission decided in May to cap the ARPA funds for community grants at $3 million.

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Hazen told commissioners that the review committee is meeting Sept. 12 to review their scoring and he hopes to get a recommendation to the city manager’s office shortly thereafter.

The city manager’s office will review the recommendations and then make a recommendation to the commission.

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At that point, Hazen said they’d provide the full list of applicants to the commission but for now they’re keeping that as part of the internal process.

Hazen said that he had recused himself from consideration of one application and another committee member had recused themselves from consideration of a different application. He said that the recommendation list will include letters from those staffers on why they did so.