An update on the American Rescue Plan Funds

Did you know that the City of Irvine is slated to receive $56M from the Federal Government to support economic and social recovery from Covid-19? 

The funds are intended to provide financial aid to cities in recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic over the next two to three years. In April, Councilmember Agran and his team prepared their recommendations for City Council with the help of 186 residents. You can read their funding recommendations here. 

Last month, the Treasury Department of the Federal Government released proposed guidelines on what the money can and cannot be used for. Cities have 60 days to provide comments on these guidelines and once they are finalized, staff is expected to prepare recommendations for how to use the funds. In all likelihood, these recommendations will be made public mid-summer when they are presented to the Finance Commission for approval. Once approved, the plans will be presented to Council. 

If you have opinions on how these funds should be spent and invested, Councilmember Agran encourages you to email the City Council at irvinecitycouncil@cityofirvine.org. You can also submit eComments or make a live comment via Zoom under the general “Public Comments” section of any City Council meeting between now and when the American Rescue Plan comes before the Council.