ARPA Information Local Governments
American Rescue Plan Act
On March 11, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). ARPA is an ambitious initiative to stimulate the American economy, support residents, and curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Cook County will directly receive over $1 billion from the federal government through ARPA and is in the process of developing a responsible, comprehensive, and equitable spending plan to strategically use these one-time resources to support both immediate recovery needs and long-term transformative initiatives.
Additionally, Metropolitan Cities in Cook County with populations over 50,000 will receive direct funding from ARPA while the State of Illinois is responsible for distributing funding to entities with less than 50,000 residents, referred to as Non-Entitlement Units (NEUs).
Click here to see a preliminary list of Cook County Metro City and NEUs who will be receiving State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) funds.
Metropolitan Cities
Cook County Metro Cities with populations of 50,000 or more will receive State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) directly from the Treasury. Allocations are determined by HUD-CDBG formula with adjustments to weighting of variables including population, poverty rates, and housing data. To request funding, please visit the Treasury’s website.
Non-Entitlement Units (NEU)
Cook County NEUs will receive SLFRF directly through the State of Illinois. The Treasury has identified 114 Cook County NEUs and has provided allocation guidance, but the State of Illinois is required to calculate the exact amount of funds to be distributed to each NEU. Award amounts are based on the population of the NEU and may not exceed the amount equal to 75% of the NEUs most recent budget as of January 27, 2020. To request SLFRF funds, NEUs must submit a request through the State’s portal by September 30 at 5 p.m. CST.
Please visit the State of Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity website for the latest information on receiving NEU funds:
Revenue Loss Calculator
Under the SLFRF, local governments may use payments to fund government services under the "Revenue Replacement" category. In order to determine the amount of revenue that may be used, local governments can calculate their revenue loss based on what could have been expected to happen in the absence of the pandemic by comparing their actual revenue to a calculated counterfactual revenue trend.
Cook County has prepared an excel template to assist municipalities in calculating their revenue loss. Download the excel calculator here as well as guidance on how to use the calculator.
Technical Assistance
The Cook County Bureau of Finance Project Management Office (PMO) will provide Technical Assistance and Support for Cook County Local Governments to administer ARPA funds. As part of the Technical Assistance, the County will have regular Webinars on various topics, hold Open Office Hours, release a biweekly Newsletter, which will include FAQs, tools, templates, and other relevant resources, and provide Individual Assistance and Eligibility Reviews.
Webinars & Office Hours
The County will conduct regular webinars and hold Office Hours to support municipalities on ARPA and SLFRF. Any officials or representatives from municipalities anticipating working on ARPA funded programs are encouraged to attend these sessions.
A schedule of Webinars and Office Hours is listed below. Please click on the date to sign up for the webinar. Copies of presentations will be available to the right in the "Downloads" section while copies of webinars are available in the "Related Links" section also on the right of this page.
Week of January 17:
- Tuesday, January 18, 10-11 a.m. CDT: Project & Expenditure Reporting Webinar – The webinar will cover general reporting requirements and will also go over the Project and Expenditure Report, which is due on January 31 for Metro cities receiving more than $10 million in SLFRF funding.
- Wednesday, January 19, 9:30-10:30 a.m. CDT: Final Rule Webinar – The webinar will cover changes and highlights from the Treasury’s Final Rule.
- Thursday, January 20, 10-11am CDT: Open Office Hours – Come with any ARPA related eligibility or reporting questions during the open office hour.
Week of January 24:
- Wednesday, January 26, 9:30-10:30 a.m. CDT: Final Rule Webinar – The webinar will cover changes and highlights from the Treasury’s Final Rule.
- Thursday, January 27, 10-11am CDT: Open Office Hours – Come with any ARPA related eligibility or reporting questions during the open office hour.
FAQs
Responses to Frequently Asked Questions will be available here as we receive them.
FAQs will be regularly updated based on questions submitted to the County. Please submit any additional FAQs here.
If you have any specific questions not addressed here, please email suburbancovidfundingquestions@cookcountyil.gov