| Idaho cities to start receiving new round of federal relief dollars Governor Brad Little and State Controller Brandon Woolf announced recently Idaho cities with populations below 50,000 will start receiving their share of $54 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Governor Little and the Idaho Legislature unanimously accepted the federal funds, which will be used by local government in Idaho to respond to COVID-19 or invest in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure. “From the start, I emphasized the need to direct the billions of dollars allocated for Idaho from the American Rescue Plan Act into long-range investments that will benefit our children and grandchildren. The funds going to cities starting today add to the significant investments we’ve already made in infrastructure to support the next generation of Idahoans,” Governor Little said. “I urge cities to leverage these dollars for investments that will reduce the property tax burden that Idahoans will face in the future.” The $54 million distribution is just the first tranche of funds that will be distributed to Idaho cities. Another round of $54 million will be distributed to cities next year. At the request of the Idaho Legislature and Governor Little, the State Controller's Office has delivered an easy-to-use portal for all Non-Entitlement Units of Local Government (NEU) to receive the Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. An NEU is any city in the State of Idaho with a population less than 50,000 that is not otherwise receiving direct funding from the U.S. Treasury. “The State of Idaho was better prepared to receive, distribute, and report on CARES Act funding thanks to the robust Transparent Idaho portal,” State Controller Woolf said. “I am proud to expand Transparent Idaho’s functionality to funnel ARPA funding to cities across our great state.” Unlike coronavirus relief funding utilized in CARES Act grants, the State of Idaho is not the primary recipient of this funding and will not be reviewing expenses for eligibility, but rather act as a pass-through entity for distribution purposes only. The State Controller’s Office will work with NEUs to provide an expedient distribution. If an entity is interested in receiving funding and has not previously registered to receive CARES Act funding, it will be required to register to receive ARPA funds. To complete an entity registration, visit the ARPA portal at Transparent.Idaho.Gov. Once an entity has registered to receive funding, it will be required to complete a request for funding. If an entity has any issues registering or requesting funding they are encouraged to call the Idaho State Controller’s Office at 208-334-3100 for assistance over the phone.
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