The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners met May 25 to discuss their federal priorities and to receive information from their federal lobbying team on the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Hamm Consulting Group, LLC also met earlier in the day with department heads about federal legislative issues, grants and other sources of funding to assist in developing the County’s federal action plan.

Prior to the 6 p.m. meeting with the full board, the consultants met with the Commissioners’ three-member American Rescue Plan committee to review the guidance from the U.S. Treasury and the roll-out of the program, which will provide Cumberland County with $65 million in funding. The funds should be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and projects have until Dec. 31, 2026 to be completed.

“The bottom line with all of this is you do not need to rush out and spend all the money today. You can take your time and plan, like this committee is doing, to ensure you get the greatest impact from these dollars,” consultant Ron Hamm said.

The following are eligible uses for the Local Fiscal Recovery Funds:

• Support public health expenditures, by funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff 
• Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector 
• Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic 
• Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have borne and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors 
• Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband internet.
  

The May 25 commissioners’ special meeting can be viewed on the county’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/CumberlandCountyNC. Cumberland County Board of Commissioners meetings air live and are replayed on CCNC-TV (Spectrum Cable Channel 5).