ARPA funds available to communities, county

With the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and House Bill 632 in Montana, local governments are deciding how to proceed with applying for and utilizing potential funds.

According to the U.S. Treasury, counties in Montana will have access to more than $207 million in direct funding. Of that, more than $2.3 million has been set aside for Sanders County, as well as an additional $134,484 in possible grant funding.

The towns of Plains and Thompson Falls also are including in the ARPA fund disbursement, with Plains eligible for more than $213,000 in grant funding and Thompson Falls eligible for nearly $320,000. In a second announcement from Gov. Gianforte's office, Plains also will be eligible to receive an additional $145,472.69 based on criteria outlined by the U.S. Department of Treasury

“It is so brand new that they are still putting some of the rules together,” Plains Mayor Dan Rowan said. “We’re currently trying to get a better understanding of what the match requirements will be, whether the grants ore competitive, and how applications will be ranked.” Rowan said to his understanding, money must be earmarked for water, sewer or broadband projects and though it is identified as infrastructure related funds, it can’t be used to pave streets unless it is part of another project.

Plains is currently pursuing funding to move the wastewater treatment lagoons from the city.

Sanders County also has funds available through ARPA. The U.S. Treasury Department reported that the county will have more than $2.35 million in direct funding available. That is part of more than $207 million for the state in direct funding to counties.

Commissioner Glen Magera said that the county will have to apply to receive the funding. He mentioned possibly using the funding for wastewater projects in the county. The county had a study done in previous years on water systems in the west end and all showed need for updates, Magera stated, also adding that Paradise has a project to install a community sewer system.

In addition to the direct funding, grant funding has also been set aside for the county. Commissioners will review the guidelines of the ARPA funding to find out exactly what projects will be eligible for the funding.

Magera said that within the county, the sheriff's office has an immediate need for a storage building, and also is exploring options for a new dispatch center. Those projects also may be eligible for some possible ARPA funds.