Luzerne County accepting preliminary applications for American Rescue funding

Starting today, Luzerne County is seeking preliminary applications for its federal American Rescue Plan funding so county council can assess community needs and weigh all options.

Council has approved several earmarks to date and has $99.6 million of its $112.89 million American Rescue allocation remaining.

The funding requests approved so far were for the county Flood Protection Authority that oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee system, the blight-reducing North East Pennsylvania Land Bank Authority, county public transportation matches and county prison and information technology projects.

Council has time to decide because the county does not have to commit to an American Rescue allocation plan until the end of 2024 and has until the end of 2026 to spend the money.

American Rescue funding was intended to “lay the foundation for a strong and equitable economic recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic, the county said. Possible uses include water and sewer infrastructure and broadband services.

Pre-applications will be posted on the main page at luzernecounty.org starting today.

Requests will be accepted until April 29, although county officials strongly urge applicants to submit them as soon as they are completed because the administration will start logging and categorizing them as they are received.

The submission is the initial step in the county’s American Rescue planning process, and there is no guarantee pre-applicants will be asked to submit a subsequent formal application for funding, the county said.

A release issued by County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo stressed American Rescue funds cannot be used to cover debt service, replenish rainy day funds or pay off legal settlements or judgements.

Those with questions or concerns about the pre-applications should email arpa@luzernecounty.org, which is the same email used for submissions.

Applicants must be organizations because the county is not accepting submissions from individuals or specific businesses. For example, a chamber of commerce or economic development organization may seek funding to provide an assistance program for small businesses. Nonprofits, municipalities and municipal authorities are other examples of potential applicants, the county said.

The form requires a brief summary of the proposed project, the total project cost, the dollar amount requested from the county’s American Rescue allotment and a listing of other funds that will be used for the project.

Applicants must specify which American Rescue category best describes their project: supporting public health response, water/sewer infrastructure or addressing negative economic impacts of the pandemic.

Another question asks organizations to explain if they have suffered any negative impacts from the pandemic and whether they have previously received government funding assistance.

In line with American Rescue regulation priorities, the application asks if the project will support communities impacted and/or “disproportionately impacted” by the pandemic.

There’s no handy reference map to guide applicants in answering this question, and the regulations are voluminous.

For guidance, county officials refer to a U.S. Department of the Treasury summary that provides this explanation:

”While the pandemic impacted millions of American households and businesses, some of its most severe impacts fell on low-income and underserved communities, where pre-existing disparities amplified the impact of the pandemic and where the most work remains to reach a full recovery.”