ARPA Overview
City Council approved $202.1 million in American Rescue Plan funds provided by the federal government. The City of Rochester's ARPA Spending Plan is organized around the vision detailed in Rochester 2034, the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
The plan includes a Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot; “Greenlines” formerly redlined areas with a “Buy the Block” Program; provides job training, grants for small businesses and entrepreneurs; expands ROC the Riverway to reconnect the community to nature and much more.
Read the December 2022 spending plan.
About ARPA
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) signed into law on March 11, 2021, provides $350 billion in emergency funding for state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to remedy this disparity between rising costs and falling revenues. The City of Rochester will receive $202 million, creating a historic opportunity to shape Rochester’s recovery and bring true equity to our city, along with more jobs, safer more vibrant neighborhoods, and greater educational opportunities.
Rochester's ARPA Dashboard
Click here to access the dashboard.
Citizen Input to Maximize Opportunity
The City engaged the community for direct input on the use of ARPA funds to transform Rochester’s recovery from the pandemic, and will use this input to develop a blueprint for allocation of funds over the next 3 to 5 years.
Three opportunities were presented to provide input:
Online Survey - took place May 27 to June 28, 2021
Telephone Town Hall - took place June 17, 2021 and May 19, 2022
Community Input Session - took place on June 3, 2021. View the video of that session below:
Click here to learn more and view the full Community Input Report.
Federal Guidance
The U.S. Department of Treasury listed four objectives for the funds:
Support urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to decrease spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control
Replace lost revenue for eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to strengthen support for vital public services and help retain jobs
Support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses
Address systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the unequal impact of the pandemic
Recognizing the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on disadvantaged communities, the Treasury's Final Rule identifies services that are eligible when provided in a Qualified Census Tract (QCT) or to individuals and families living in QCTs. A QCT is any census tract in which at least 50% of households have an income less than 60% of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI), The City of Rochester's QCTs can be found in the accompanying map, click here >>
Learn more
To read the City of Rochester's Preliminary ARPA Spending Plan (September 2021), click here>>
To learn more about the American Rescue Plan Act, click here>>
To learn how the Rochester City School District is investing its ARPA funds, click here>>
To learn how Monroe County is investing its ARPA funds, click here>>
Additional Resources -U.S. Department of Treasury