Referred to: The American Rescue Plan Act Special Committee (Chairman Corcoran and Legislators Clinton, Levine, Lopez, and Sperry), The Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation Committee (Chair Nolan and Legislators Donaldson, Kovacs, Litts, and McCollough), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Collins, Hansut, Kovacs, Nolan, and Roberts)

Chairman of the Health, Human Services and Housing Committee, Abe Uchitelle, offers the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted at the request of the County Executive on behalf of the Department of Finance, Division of Recovery and Resilience; and

WHEREAS, Resolution number 96 of April 2022 amended and funded capital project Number 604, “ ARPA – Water and Sewer Infrastructure” as a grant program to Ulster County municipalities in the amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000.00); and 

WHEREAS, Resolution number 289 of August 16, 2022, established and funded Capital Project No. 635, ‘ARPA – Aid to Parks’ as a grant program to Ulster County municipalities in the amount of Two Million ($2,000,000.00) Dollars; and

WHEREAS, seventeen awards have been made to municipalities for the Parks Grant program and twelve of these municipalities have fully signed contracts with the County; and

WHEREAS, fourteen awards have been made to municipalities for the Sewer and Water grant program and eleven of these have fully signed contracts with the County; and

WHEREAS, the County wishes to set a clear deadline of October 1, 2024 (the ‘Deadline’) for municipalities to have a fully signed contract with the County; and

WHEREAS, a fully signed contract includes a valid authorizing resolution from the municipality, contract signatures by the authorized municipal head and Ulster County Legislative Chair, and contract approval from the Ulster County Purchasing Department; and

WHEREAS, the County will continue to provide support from the Division of Recovery and Resilience up to the Deadline to give awarded municipalities as much chance as possible to complete a contract for grant award with the County; and

WHEREAS, the deadline is a necessary precaution to ensure the County has a minimal amount of time to work to re-allocate American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding prior to the U.S. Treasury December 31, 2024 deadline to obligate ARPA funds; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, the County sets a policy where awarded municipalities for CP 604 and CP 635 who do not have a fully signed contract with the County by October 1, 2024 may have the award rescinded to allow the County to re-allocate funding prior to the County’s end of year U.S. Treasury deadline,    

and moves its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                    NOES:      

Passed Committee: American Rescue Plan Act on ________________.

Passed Committee: Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation on ________________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on ________________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE