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Nevada County adopts revised ARPA plan, highlights $2M in community resiliency grants and several staff resolutions
Summary
The Board adopted a 2024 revision of the county’s ARPA expenditure plan, approved budget adjustments and celebrated community resiliency and outdoor visitor‑safety grants that have supported nonprofits, arts organizations, recreation projects and homelessness services. The board also adopted several staff resolutions earlier in the session, including a North San Juan CSA parcel charge, an EV transition plan and a Good Neighbor Agreement with Tahoe National Forest.
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors on July 9 adopted a revised expenditure plan for the county’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and directed budget amendments to implement projects and grants previously approved by the board. The action authorized staff to finalize budget setup and to allow the CEO limited authority to make small project budget adjustments necessary to execute grants and capital projects.
County staff reported that the county allocated roughly $5.8 million toward community and economic resiliency in 2021; a competitive Community Resiliency Grant program awarded 34 grants totaling just over $2 million to local nonprofits and community projects. The board heard summaries from multiple grantees on results including youth homelessness services, arts and cultural programming, small‑business accelerators, recreation facilities and river‑safety initiatives.
Highlights included: Sierra Commons’ startup and accelerator events; Nevada County Arts Council’s scholarship support and a widely distributed Muse guide; Bright Futures for Youth expanding SAFE case‑management and housing support for transition‑age youth; Rough and Ready Grange re‑opening kitchen capacity for community meals; and Bear River Recreation using funds to finish a new multiuse field now booked nightly for youth and adult sports.
Board members and grantees emphasized leveraging ARPA funds to attract matching grants and to sustain local services created or stressed during the pandemic. “Because of your support, we provided 70 full scholarships… and distributed 5,500 copies of MUSE across the county,” said Heather Heckler of the Nevada County Arts Council during public comment.
The ARPA package the board approved also included staff recommendations to manage timing and federal compliance (encumbrance by Dec. 31, 2024; final expenditure by Dec. 31, 2026) and to use the $10 million government‑services allowance where appropriate for county operations and program continuity. The board voted to adopt the revised plan and to authorize the Auditor‑Controller to establish the associated budgets.
In related action earlier in the meeting, the board also approved: (a) formation of County Service Area 39 (North San Juan Fire Suppression System) and a parcel charge after a Proposition 218 ballot passed (approx. $130/year for 42 parcels); (b) adoption of the county’s Zero‑Emission Vehicle Transition Plan; and (c) a Good Neighbor Agreement with the Tahoe National Forest to fund and implement multi‑jurisdictional fuels‑reduction projects in east county. Those items were either adopted by roll call or passed after public hearing and tally.
What comes next: staff will post the revised ARPA budget documents, finish contract encumbrances for the remaining grants and return required reporting and reconciliation to the board as projects move toward completion. Grantees reported most projects are on track to meet ARPA encumbrance and expenditure deadlines.
