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Flagstaff appeals after EPA halts Resilience Hubs funding, city shifts limited local support
Summary
City staff said an EPA stop‑work order suspended roughly $1 million in resilience‑hub funding; the city has appealed and is redirecting limited local resources and seeking other funding while hubs continue operating without EPA dollars.
Flagstaff City staff announced that a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stop‑work order took effect March 31, pausing federal grant payments that funded local resilience‑hub staffing and programming.
The pause in federal funding affected the city’s Resilience Hubs project and led staff to file an appeal with the EPA. Nicole, a Sustainability Division staff member who presented the update, said the city formally submitted the appeal last Friday and that the agency has up to six months to review it.
"We appealed the termination, and that was submitted formally this past Friday. The EPA has up to 6 months to review our appeal," Nicole said. She added the city would issue a press release after the appeal filing and is calling for letters of support from project partners and federal elected officials.
City staff described immediate operational steps while the appeal is pending. Staff said the hubs are continuing to operate but that direct EPA funding is suspended. The city has safeguarded some local funds to partially carry the program through the review period and is pursuing philanthropic grants, earmark requests and other federal funding.
"We are going to uphold our commitment. I am gonna fight as best I can. We have internal support," Nicole said, describing efforts to redirect limited city dollars and identify alternative funding sources.
Commissioners and staff identified the local nonprofit partners named in the project: Southside Community Association, Sunnyside Community Association and a Community Assistance Team. The Sustainability Division said those organizations and the staff positions they were to fund were affected by the EPA action.
Staff estimated the immediate hold related to the suspension at about $1,000,000 and said one of the community grantees may have lost roughly $330,000 of anticipated funding; the city called the latter a preliminary estimate. Nicole said Senator Mark Kelly is aware and staff have requested support from Representative Crane.
No city action to terminate local support was taken at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to keep the commission informed and requested copies of the press release and of any public briefing materials once released. Staff said the city will continue to operate and support the hubs to the extent possible while the appeal is adjudicated.
Why it matters: the Resilience Hubs program was designed to provide community centers for resource distribution, emergency preparedness and workforce development. Suspension of federal payments affects staffing and programming capacity at hubs serving vulnerable neighborhoods.
What’s next: staff said they will send the commission the press release and related materials after they go public, pursue alternative funding, and report back to the commission during future meetings or earlier if material developments occur.
Sources: public remarks and Q&A during the April Sustainability Commission meeting, Sustainability Division staff update and the formal appeal filing described by staff.
