City opens ARPA application portal and schedules webinar as residents press for transparency

Aaron Debony, the mayor's chief of staff, briefed the Everett City Council on the status of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and the process for distributing them to local organizations and small businesses.

Debony outlined the allocation buckets the prior council approved and the amounts the administration is preparing to accept applications against: approximately $430,000 for public health programs; $370,000 for housing assistance; $140,000 for education and childcare; $110,000 for food assistance; and $745,000 for small-business support. Additional allocations referenced include $1 million for the Everett Youth Initiative Council to recommend student-focused spending and $880,000 for parks improvements. Applications are available on the city website at cityofeverett.com/everettarpa; the technical assistance webinar is scheduled for March 5 at 2 p.m.; the administration will accept applications through June 7, 2024.

Debony said the city will provide materials in multiple languages, run broad community outreach, and expects to share the technical assistance email with councilors. He said the administration has had preliminary conversations with the Chamber of Commerce about outreach and noted advisory panel members have expressed willingness to provide input if demand exceeds available funds; any advisory panel members who apply would be precluded from opining on their own applications.

Councilors pressed for clarity about evaluators and potential conflicts of interest, outreach to smaller or minority-owned businesses, and the composition of any evaluation panel; Debony said the city will undertake robust outreach and ensure materials and webinars are accessible. The council referred the item back to the sponsor for continued coordination and distribution of application materials.

Next steps: Applications are open, the city will run the March 5 webinar and share a technical assistance contact for prospective applicants; councilors asked the administration to ensure equitable outreach to underserved businesses and community groups.