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City recognizes economic development and grants staff for meeting ARPA encumbrance deadline
Summary
Finance Committee formally recognized economic development and grants staff for their role in ensuring the city met the Dec. 31 encumbrance deadline for American Rescue Plan Act funds; staff credited team coordination across grants, finance and procurement.
The Finance Committee on Jan. 13 paused routine business to recognize members of the City of Santa Fe Economic Development and Grants teams for their work meeting the Dec. 31 federal encumbrance deadline for American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Director Joanna Nelson introduced Lizzie Portillo and Eric Renz Whitmore from Economic Development and recognized their roles in deploying ARPA funds tied to workforce, broadband, work-based learning and small-business technical assistance. Nelson said Portillo had a significant role managing roughly $1,800,000 in ARPA funding for community programs and that Whitmores work would support a small-business technical assistance program near $2,000,000 planned for deployment this year.
Finance Director Oster and Director Nelson thanked Grants Manager Erica B. Luhan and the grants and finance teams for streamlining reporting and audit processes; staff said Luhans team helped produce a single, consolidated schedule of expenditures of federal awards for the FY24 audit and helped set up processes to manage future grants.
Council members applauded the staff and noted ARPA funds will support several economic and community initiatives this year. The recognitions were ceremonial but staff said the work had direct fiscal consequences for the city's ability to deploy federal funds.
