Jones Administration Moves Ahead with Reappropriating Remaining ARPA Funds, All Funds Set to be Obligated Before Deadline

This week, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones' office worked with Alderwoman Shameem Clark-Hubbard to file BB 126, which will appropriate the remaining $8,488,215.06 in funding from the Biden-Harris Administration's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Local and Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) for construction of a new 911 Dispatch Center, which the City broke ground on last week.

"With this bill, every ARPA dollar that the City has received is on pace to be obligated before the Dec. 31 deadline," said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones at the dispatch center groundbreaking. "The administration of these massive investments is a huge undertaking, and I am proud of how my team, our department leaders, and members of the Board of Aldermen have worked together to ensure we spend this money wisely and in ways that will be felt for generations."

The United States Treasury Department set a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline for all ARPA funds to be obligated. Obligated funds must be appropriated and have contracts approved by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (E&A) or Board of Public Service, signed by the comptroller, and assigned a purchase order number. The administration remains completely confident that the entirety of the $498,076,020 in ARPA funds will be obligated before this deadline.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to work with my colleagues at the Board of Aldermen and in the Mayor's Office to appropriate all of these funds for the benefit of our entire city," said Alderwoman Shameem Clark-Hubbard.

The $8,488,215.06 of remaining ARPA SLFRF to be reappropriated through this bill for the 911 Dispatch Center would bring the total funding for the Center to $36,688,215.06, or 81 percent of the estimated total cost. The City has a number of avenues to secure the remaining $8,311,784.94 in estimated remaining costs, including through its Capital Budget and General Obligation bonds.

Residents interested in learning more about where ARPA funding is being spent in the City of St. Louis are encouraged to visit the Stronger STL website at arpa.stlouis-mo.gov, which includes a transparency portal, which can lag behind actual obligations based on information and data processing procedures.