HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021.10.25 Council Special Meeting Packet
AGENDA
City Council Special Meeting
7:00 PM - Monday, October 25, 2021
City Council Chambers & GoToWebinar
Page
1. MEETING INSTRUCTIONS for REMOTE ACCESS - Governor Inslee's
Heathy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery, made in response to the COVID-
19 emergency, currently prohibits members of the public from attending City
meetings in-person but requires agencies to provide options for the public to
participate in remotely. To best comply, the City asks all members of the public
that would like to comment regarding items on the agenda, where the public
is allowed to speak, to fill out a form via the City’s website (www.pasco-
wa.gov/publiccomment) to obtain access information to comment. Requests
to comment in meetings must be received by 4:00 p.m. on the day of each
meeting.
To listen to the meeting via phone, call (213) 929-4212 and use access code
398-399-253.
City Council meetings are broadcast live on PSC-TV Channel 191 on
Charter/Spectrum Cable in Pasco and Richland and streamed at www.pasco-
wa.gov/psctvlive and on the City’s Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/cityofPasco.
2. CALL TO ORDER
3. ROLL CALL
(a) Pledge of Allegiance
4. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS NOT RELATING TO HEARINGS
2 - 5 (a) Resolution - Funds for ARPA Utility Assistance Program
MOTION: I move to approve Resolution No. 4106, authorizing an
amount not to exceed fifty thousand dollars of Department of Treasury
funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
5. ADJOURNMENT
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AGENDA REPORT
FOR: City Council October 20, 2021
TO: Dave Zabell, City Manager City Council Special
Meeting: 10/25/21
FROM: Richa Sigdel, Director
Finance
SUBJECT: Resolution - Funds for ARPA Utility Assistance Program
I. REFERENCE(S):
Resolution
II. ACTION REQUESTED OF COUNCIL / STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
MOTION: I move to approve Resolution No. _____, authorizing an amount not
to exceed fifty thousand dollars of Department of Treasury funds from the
American Rescue Plan Act.
III. FISCAL IMPACT:
$50,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act funds.
IV. HISTORY AND FACTS BRIEF:
On July 12, 2021, Council approved Resolution No. 4076 to allow for the Utility
Assistance Program with American Rescue Plan Act Funds. The total amount of
the funding was $1,000,000 with the beneficiaries of the grants the utility
customers of the City of Pasco and the Franklin County PUD.
V. DISCUSSION:
Since the formation of the Utility Assistance Program on July 12, 2021, through
a partnership of effort between the Franklin County PUD and City of Pasco
Finance staff, 3,220 grant applications have been accepted and processed.
Ultimately, 3,058 of the applications were deemed eligible for assistance. The
reasons for denial of applications for this program included duplicate application,
the applicant was not the account holder, or the service address was not located
within the City of Pasco city limits.
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Currently, the City has a list of account holders that have entered into promise -
to-pay agreements. Staff desire is to extend ARPA funds to any promise -to-pay
agreements that apply to accounts that have received no previous ARPA funding
or other federal funding. This small increase will help capture those accounts
that may have previously failed to apply.
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Resolution – ARPA Utility Assistance Program - 1
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF PASCO INCREASING THE
FUNDS AVAILABLE FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT TO
SUPPORT COMPLETION OF THE CITY’S UTILITY ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM.
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (H.R. 1319), 4401,
(“ARPA”) was signed into law providing federal funding relief for American workers, families,
industries, and state and local governments; and
WHEREAS, on May 10, 2021, the United States Department of Treasury released the
interim final guide on allowed uses of funds and allocated $350 billon for state, local, territorial
and Tribal governments from the American Rescue Plan Act Fund; and
WHEREAS, the City received $8,732,156 of its $17,400,000 allocation on June 8,
2021; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to allocate portions of the ARPA funds to City of Pasco
residents experiencing severe financial hardship due to COVID-19 emergency that need utility
payment assistance to avoid utility disconnection and thereby endanger the health and well-being
of such impacted residents, with such allocation of funds to be consistent with grant
requirements; and
WHEREAS, all ARPA Utility Assistance Program funds have been granted, totaling
$500,000 for the City’s utility services; and
WHEREAS, a body of promise to pay agreements have been entered with City utility
customers that, where eligible, it is desirous to assisted with additional ARPA funds in an
amount not to exceed $50,000.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON:
Be It Further Resolved that the City Manager of the City of Pasco is hereby authorized,
empowered, and directed to augment the total funds allocated to the American Rescue Plan Act,
support for the Utility Assistance Program for City of Pasco utility promise to pay agreements.
Be It Further Resolved that this Resolution shall be in full force and effect upon
adoption.
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Resolution – ARPA Utility Assistance Program - 2
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Pasco, Washington, this ___ day of
___________, 2021.
Saul Martinez
Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________ ___________________________
Debra Barham, CMC Kerr Ferguson Law, PLLC
City Clerk City Attorney
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