Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Arpa Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City says ARPA-funded small-business and workforce grants will move this month; council demands clearer timeline
Summary
Deputy mayor reported ARPA-funded childcare, workforce and literacy grantees will be trained this week and small-business awardees will be finished meeting Oct. 16; council asked administration for written timeline by Oct. 21.
Pontiac officials told the city council on Oct. 7 that administration of several American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant programs is advancing after an extended review and that disbursements will follow training and contract signings.
Deputy Mayor Stevens, presenting information prepared by the grants director, said workforce, childcare and literacy grantees were meeting pre-award compliance reviews and were scheduled for training this week; the city will sign contracts and then begin disbursing funds. The deputy mayor said small-business awardees require more meetings because there are more applicants; staff expect to finish meeting with small-business awardees by Oct. 16 and then schedule training and payments.
The city said the technical-assistance portion of ARPA — consultants who support small businesses — was paused while the program was reviewed; some vendors were fully paid and others have remaining not-to-exceed amounts and will be reviewed by Ernst & Young. The city also said placemaking, arts and culture awards have begun to move and that an invoice was approved the day of the meeting.
Council members pressed for a public timeline. Pro Tem Carrington asked for an update by the end of the month; the council formally requested a written update to be provided no later than the Oct. 21 council meeting. Council members said several local organizations had been waiting months for funds and that projects had been delayed. Officials emphasized compliance with federal rules was the reason for the extra review and said training and contract signature are required before disbursements can be made.
The administration said that after training and contract signing the grantees will be eligible to receive funds and that more detailed scheduling information would be provided to council at its Oct. 21 meeting.
