View of skyline from Capital City Trail along John Nolen Drive
Finance
David Schmiedicke, Finance Director

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

Updated May 2023:

Quarterly Expenditure Reports

The City submits expenditure reports to the U.S. Treasury on a quarterly basis. See below for links to the reports and presentations to the Finance Committee.

Recovery Plan

The 2024 Recovery Plan was submitted to the U.S. Treasury in July 2024. This plan provides an updated roadmap for the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF), including information on equity and outreach strategies and performance measures. The 2024 Recovery Plan is an update to the 2023 Recovery Plan. The 2022 Recovery Plan was submitted in July 2022 and the first annual Recovery Plan was submitted in July 2021.

Translations

Information on the City of Madison’s ARPA plan has been translated into Spanish and Chinese. 


The City of Madison will receive $47.2 million of federal funding through the State and Local Recovery Funds component of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to recover from the negative public health and economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The City has adopted a plan to use ARPA funds to address critical community issues, support an equitable recovery, and continue to provide government services.

Investing in an Equitable Recovery

The City’s plan for ARPA funding focuses on five priority areas. These investments will support communities that were most impacted by the pandemic while allowing the City to improve long-term resiliency.

On July 6, 2021, the Common Council approved a plan that allocates $22.8 million to community investments, including almost $8.3 million that will be allocated immediately, with the remaining funds to be allocated in the 2022 budget.

  • Violence Prevention & Youth Engagement - $2,585,000.
    Funding supports youth employment and programming, violence prevention initiatives outlined in the Violence Prevention Roadmap, and evaluation of the CARES alternative crisis response team.
  • Homelessness Support - $8,650,000.
    Funding supports a variety of strategies to support persons experiencing homelessness in Madison such as a permanent men’s shelter and additional tiny houses, as well as an Occupy Madison Solar Project that will reduce housing costs.
  • Affordable Housing - $6,650,000.
    Funding expands low-cost housing choices, including housing for youth aging out of the foster care system who need support to succeed at work and school. The plan also supports a tenant assistance fund that can hasten getting rental units back in service, expands financial assistance to help Madison residents purchase a home and make needed home repairs or energy-saving retrofits, and commits funds to help facilitate the use of available rental assistance dollars.   
  • Emerging Needs - $1,000,000.
    Funding helps members of our community, including undocumented residents and seniors, gain access to services and resources that meet their basic needs.
  • Economic Development - $3,915,000.
    Funding increases grants to small businesses, supports neighborhood business districts, brings art to vacant storefronts downtown, and aids the Public Market Foundation while their site is used as temporary shelter.

In addition to community investments, the City will allocate $24.4 million of ARPA monies to address deficits in the city budget due to pandemic-related revenue losses. City revenues were below pre-pandemic levels by over $44 million in 2020 and are expected to remain below those levels for the next few years as the economy recovers. Allocating funds for revenue replacement allows the city to continue providing core services to residents.

Timeline and Process

Proposals for community investments were developed by cross-agency Recovery Teams comprised of City staff with expertise in affordable housing, community services, economic development, public health, and other areas. Recovery Team proposals were prioritized based on impact, urgency, and feasibility. At the same time, the City analyzed its revenue losses and the fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on government services. A funding plan was developed that balanced community investments with continuing government services. This plan was approved by the Common Council on July 6, 2021.

Transparency & Accountability

The City is committed to transparency on how ARPA is being used and how funding decisions are made. There will be opportunities for community members, community-based organizations, the Common Council, and other stakeholders to provide input on specific projects that utilize ARPA funds. This website will be updated regularly with information and reports on the use of ARPA funds.

For information on the criteria and processes for allocating funding in the 2021 budget, you can review the report on 2021 ARPA allocations submitted to the Common Council.

What is the American Rescue Plan Act?

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) was passed by the U.S. Congress to provide for a strong and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. ARPA provides $350 billion directly to state and local governments, including the City of Madison, to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible uses for ARPA funds include addressing ongoing public health responses costs, addressing the negative economic impacts of COVID-19, and supporting city operations and government services.

For more information on ARPA state and local recovery funds, visit the U.S. Treasury website.
For more information on the comprehensive ARPA legislation, visit the White House website.

Other Federal Funding

In addition to City ARPA funds, the federal government has provided COVID-19 relief funding to the City, Dane County, Madison Metropolitan School District, and the State of Wisconsin through other legislation, including the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. This funding has assisted with the public health response, including COVID-19 testing, tracing and vaccinations; housing stability, including emergency rental assistance; food security; continued operation of the city’s bus system; support to affected businesses, non-profit organizations and cultural institutions; unemployment compensation; elementary and secondary and higher education instruction; and direct aid to individuals and families. The City considered the availability of other federal funds when prioritizing requests for ARPA funds.

 

 

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Budget

Virtual Town Hall

Watch a recording of our Virtual Town Hall with the Mayor and key City staff to learn more about the City's budget process and the allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The town hall provides details on how Madison develops its annual budget, financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of ARPA funding recovery.

Watch a recording of the Town Hall Livestream

Review the Town Hall Presentation

You can also  watch clips watch clips of the Town Hall focused on specific subject areas.