The City of Las Cruces Economic Development Department will present an overview and receive public comments for the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
A 10-day public comment period to solicit input on funding priorities begins Monday, July 19, 2021, and will continue through noon Friday, July 30, 2021.
Public comments can be submitted through any of the following methods:
By mail: Economic Development Department
Housing and Neighborhood Services Program
ATTN: ARPA Priorities
P.O. Box 20000
Las Cruces, NM 88004
By email: economicdevelopment@las-cruces.org..
By phone: 575/528-3022 (voice) or 575/528-3157 (TTY).
Additionally, two public input meetings to receive comments on the ARPA funding priorities will be conducted on:
Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Council Chambers at Las Cruces City Hall, 700 N. Main St.
Date: Thursday, July 29, 2021
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Council Chambers at Las Cruces City Hall, 700 N. Main St.
A Spanish interpreter will be available and, upon request, interpreters for other languages can also be made available during the two public meetings.
The City anticipates allocating $10.4 million to Community and Economic Development initiatives through a Request for Proposal process. These federal funds are to be used by the City for programs or services that address or mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for households, businesses, or residents who have been disproportionately impacted by the public health emergency.
Potential priorities include but are not limited to:
- Programs or services that facilitate access to health and social services.
- Programs or services that address housing insecurity, lack of affordable housing, or homelessness.
- Programs or services that address or mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency on education or that promote healthy childhood environments.
- Programs or services that support small businesses or non-profit organizations with loans, grants, in-kind assistance, or counseling programs to mitigate the negative economic impact of the pandemic such as declines in revenues or impacts of periods of business closure.
- Programs or services that support small businesses or non-profit organizations with technical assistance, counseling, or other services to assist with business planning needs.
- Programs or services that speed the recovery of impacted industries, such as tourism, travel, and hospitality that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and business closures.
- Programs or services that help households to address the negative economic impacts of COVID-19.
Guidance on potential uses can be found in the Interim Final Rule, Section II.2. by clicking here..
Council Chambers at City Hall meets the requirements for wheelchair accessibility. Anyone who needs an accommodation for a disability, to enable them to fully participate in this event, should call 575/528-3022 or 575/528-3157 (TTY) at least 72 hours before the event.
The City of Las Cruces does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, familial status, spousal affiliation, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services.