Local leaders met on Wednesday in a joint work session between the Lubbock City Council and Lubbock County Commissioners to discuss spending nearly $116 million in federal funding they will receive over the next few years.
The funds are part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a $2 trillion stimulus package signed by President Joe Biden in March to address the national economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the $116 million total in ARPA funding, the City of Lubbock will receive nearly$56.6 million and Lubbock County will receive about$60.3 million.
While the city hasalready allocated $14 million to a new public health facility and emergency service vehicles for the police and fire department, most funding has not been earmarked.
Lubbock County’s latest tentative ARPA funding estimate left only around $1.8 million unassigned. But the estimate is broad and doesn’t specify who will receive funds, leaving room for adjustment.
This includes allocating $20 million for organizations classified as public health community support services and $7 million to improve the McMillan Dam at Buffalo Springs Lake, which has reportedly needed work for over a decade.
Wednesday was the first joint meeting between City Council and County Commissionerssince the 1990s.
“Our goal in the next couple of hours is to have a high-level discussion about what I think is a generational opportunity for our community, our county and our city,” Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope said.
Five areas of focus for potential ARPA funding were presented:homelessness,public health,broadband availability to non-served or underserved areas,mental health and a potential micro-grant program for small businesses.
Local organizations presented funding needs for four areas, including:
- Forming a homeless care continuum to coordinate and prevent duplicate services between outreach programs
- Creating a joint city and county public health district
- Expanding broadband access to areas in need
- Building a mental health diversion center
Local leaders led the discussion on creating a new micro-grant initiative modeled afterthe program Lubbock established briefly last year to assist businesses affected by COVID-19.
Lubbock City Manager Jarrett Atkinson said the previous program created a successful framework for future projects, however, it suffered from a lack of funding.
“The challenge from the last one was not in getting the word out, it was having enough money,” he said.
Commissioners discussed possibly allocating $5 million from county ARPA funding for the potential micro-grant program. Mayor Popestated the council had not yet considered an amount.
City council and commissioners did not make a decision on funding during the meeting. Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish said commissioners will look closer at the micro-grant program during the commissioners’ court meeting on Monday.
Officials have until the end of 2024 to decide how ARPA funds will be spent.
