La Plata County wants public input about how it should spend $10.9 million in federal COVID-19 recovery money.
The American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic relief bill, sent $1,400 to most Americans, expanded tax breaks and extended emergency unemployment benefits. The relief package also dropped about $15.8 million to governments in La Plata County with a 2026 spending deadline.
La Plata County wants to hear ideas from the community before settling on projects for its $10.9 million portion.
“We’ve already started to receive input from the general public and specific organizations, so we think there’s going to be a great deal of interest – and it’s a significant amount of money so that’s understandable,” said Ted Holteen, county spokesman, in an email to The Durango Herald.
Community members can provide input through an online form on the county’s website. Organizations are invited to attend a meeting Sept. 14, and members of the public can join an input meeting Sept. 15, Holteen said.
The federal relief package, signed into law in March, designated $65.1 billion in direct federal aid to counties.
Counties have broad flexibility in how they use the money, as long as they can demonstrate that projects support the public health response or focus on recipients who have experienced economic harm from the pandemic, according to the National Association of Counties.
Projects must meet certain criteria to be eligible. For example, they could fund the public health response or address negative economic impacts, such as harms to workers, families, small businesses and impacted industries.
The county could use the money to replace public sector revenue loss or offer premium pay for essential workers, up to $13 extra/per hour with low- and middle-income workers getting priority.
It could also invest in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure projects. The money must be allocated by December 2024 and projects completed by December 2026.
Starting this week, community members and groups can submit project ideas online through the county website. People will be asked to flesh out their ideas by including a possible timeline for completing the project, estimated costs or the amount of federal funding needed.
“The form was created to make the process as easy to analyze as possible and the key element is the ‘Category for Investment’ field – that will make managing what would otherwise be a very disparate group of data and opinions into something quantifiable,” Holteen said.
The county proposal form also asks if the proposal will solve a problem for the community or accomplish a “generational legacy project.”
County commissioners say the federal money represents a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to accomplish big projects that will benefit the community for generations to come, said Chuck Stevens, La Plata County manager, in a previous interview.
County staff members will hold a community forum at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 14 to gather input from municipalities, nonprofits, chambers of commerce, Fort Lewis College, the Downtown Business Improvement District and other local agencies, Holteen said.
The public is invited to attend a second meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 15, he said.
The input will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners during a work session to help inform its funding decisions. The presentation will likely take place in late September or early October, Holteen said.
“There’s no ticking clock on the use of these funds, at least for a couple of years,” he said. “But the consensus seems to be the sooner the better.”
La Plata County received the largest amount out of the five-county region that makes up Southwest Colorado. Montezuma County will receive about $5.1 million; Archuleta, $2.7 million; Dolores, $399,200; and San Juan, $141,400, according to the National Association of Counties.
In La Plata County, Durango received about $4.8 million. Bayfield was allocated about $675,900, which will likely be used for broadband and housing. Ignacio received about $228,200, according to the National League of Cities.
smullane@durangoherald.com
