The American Rescue Plan provided $65.1 billion to municipal governments nationally — and more than $626 million to municipalities in South Carolina — to respond to emergencies coming from the COVID-19 pandemic, offset revenue losses that came out of it, improve economic recovery efforts and provide premium pay for essential workers. In 2022, The U.S. Department of the Treasury began requiring all local governments receiving ARP Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to submit a Project and Expenditure Report, with the next deadline coming April 30, 2023.
The Department of the Treasury developed a Self-Services Resources page to help ARP fund recipients with the reporting process, as well as questions about reporting, technical uses of funds and other items.
Beyond the reporting deadline, there are deadlines for using ARP allocations as well. By law, all ARP funds received by cities and towns must be obligated for specific projects by December 31, 2024, and must be spent by December 31, 2026.
Municipal Association of SC resources
- For reporting assistance, the Municipal Association’s field services managers, Charlie Barrineau and Ashley Kellahan, can help local officials as they submit their report.
- The Association also maintains a webpage connecting officials with extensive guidance on handling federal ARP reporting requirements, including user guides, recorded webinars and presentations.
- For general ARP questions, contact Municipal Association Legislative and Public Policy Advocate Erica Wright at ewright@masc.sc or 803.354.4793.