Item:
Title
Approve Certain Adjustments to the County's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds and Approve Grant Agreement Contract Amendment for ARPA Grant to Early Years in Amount of $1,690,296
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: October 27, 2025
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve a change to the County's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF), and to approve an amendment to the ARPA subaward agreement with Early Years to increase the allocation for the grant from $2,400,000 to $4,090,296, a $1,690,296 increase. As described below, these changes are necessary due to uncertainty over State legislation regarding guaranteed income programming that has created a substantial risk that the County's planned ARPA-funded initiative would not be able to be completed within the ARPA period of availability, a change in the contract scope for the ARPA-funded East Durham Market project, and the ongoing need for additional support for income-qualified families to access affordable childcare and related support services.
Following enactment of ARPA in March 2021, Durham County received $62,445,275 under the CSLFRF program to help the County respond to the various health, economic, physical, and revenue impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under U.S. Treasury Department regulations, the County was required to fully obligate its full CSLFRF allocation by December 31, 2024, which the County successfully was able to accomplish through the issuance of over 45 grants, contracts, and interlocal agreements. The County has until December 31, 2026 to fully expend all funds under the agreements.
While U.S Treasury requirements prohibit entities from entering into new grants, contracts, or other agreements after December 31, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department recognized through its Obligation Final Rule that circumstances may arise during the two-year liquidation period that could result in localities nee...
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