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Kent County Launches Community Engagement Process For Federal American Rescue Plan Act Funding

The Kent County Board of Commissioners has launched a rigorous community engagement process to allow residents an opportunity to help identify community spending priorities for some of the $127.6 million Kent County received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Engagement Process

The Board of Commissioners wants to hear from as many people as possible about this one-time infusion of funds that will have a lasting impact on residents and businesses in Kent County. To obtain this feedback, the community engagement process includes:

• an interactive website,
• three community forums,
• an online survey, and
• an online form to submit ideas or proposals.

Website

A new website – KentCountyARPA.com – outlines where and how the County’s ARPA dollars are being spent. Visitors can sign up for future updates, get information on community meetings, and review the County’s performance reports. Visitors can also find a link to the community survey and to the form where they can submit project funding proposals. More information on the survey and proposal form is outlined below. Finally, the site will soon have a link to a registration page for suppliers and available bid opportunities.

Community Forums

Kent County is hosting a series of meetings where members of the community can learn more about ARPA funding eligibility and priorities. The meetings will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the following locations:

• Thursday, June 2 ∙ Kent County Health Department ∙ 700 Fuller Ave. NE ∙ Grand Rapids, MI 49503 ∙ This event will be livestreamed on the County’s Facebook page. 
• Monday, June 6 ∙ Rockford High School, Creative Teaching and Learning Center ∙ 4100 Kroes St NE ∙ Rockford, MI 49341
• Wednesday, June 8 ∙ Gaines Charter Township ∙ 8555 Kalamazoo Ave SE ∙ Caledonia, MI 49316

All three meetings will cover the same information.

Individuals needing language assistance or accommodations for effective participation at the forums should contact kentcounty@kentcountymi.gov or call the Board of Commissioners Office at (616) 632-7582 by May 31, 2022, to request language, mobility, visual, hearing, translation, and/or other assistance.

Priorities & Ideas Survey

A convenient online survey is available for residents, we are collecting community opinions and general ideas for the use of Kent County’s ARPA funds. Community members are encouraged to rank the five priority areas.

This survey is estimated to take 10 minutes to complete and will soon be available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Printed copies of the survey are available by calling the Board of Commissioners Office at 616-632-7582. The survey closes on Friday, June 24.

ARPA Funds Proposal Form

This form is where community members or organizations can submit an ARPA proposal funding request for their program. Applicants will be asked a series of questions about the work or project they’d like funded, including how their project will benefit the community, project costs and organizational capacity. The proposal form will soon be available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Vietnamese. This form closes on Friday, July 15.

Please note: We anticipate funding requests will exceed our ARPA allocation. Therefore, we encourage residents and community organizations to continue seeking alternative funding sources for their programs, proposals, and ideas.

Timeline

• June 2 – June 8 – Community Forums
• June 24 – Community Survey Closes
• July 15 – Proposal Form Closes
• June/July/August - All ideas and proposals will be reviewed by an internal team and then submitted to the Board of Commissioners for review and consideration.
• July/August/September - The Board of Commissioners will begin appropriating ARPA funds for projects.

Community members are encouraged to visit KentCountyARPA.com and to sign up for email updates.

Background

Under the ARPA, passed by the federal government in March 2021, eligible state, local, territorial, and tribal governments received federal aid to respond to the public health and economic impacts created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board of Commissioners developed five key areas for this investment:

1. Community Health
1. Investing in new and existing mental and physical health programs for the community such as mental health crisis support and removing lead from homes.

2. Quality of Life
   1. Long-term quality of life improvements for our community such as parks and riverfront enhancements, and family and visitor entertainment attractions.
3. Infrastructure
   1. Investments in the infrastructure of Kent County and its future such as broadband internet, stormwater flooding mitigation (drains), and county-wide mobility.
4. Economic Innovations and Workforce Development
   1. Investments in the future of Kent County’s economy to provide a thriving, innovative and sustainable business climate and skilled workforce that addresses industry demands in the long-term, such as workforce training and food licensing fee waivers.
5. Improving Government Operations
   1. Investing in Kent County government operations, such as facility improvement and new technology, to address the growing needs of the community and to improve customer service.

After we have collected community opinions on how Kent County should spend some of the ARPA funds, the Kent County Board of Commissioners will assess proposed ideas and projects. The Board will then appropriate funding to support transformational initiatives that will build a better future for our community.

All ARPA funding commitments must be in in place by Dec. 31, 2024, but the County has until December 2026 to spend the money.

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Media Inquiries Only Contact: 

Sanda Vazgec 

PH: (616) 260-3629

EM: sanda.vazgec@kentcountymi.gov