Preliminary findings of ICMA’s September 2021 survey highlight shared and unique priorities of larger and smaller communities. ICMA surveyed local government chief administrative officers about their priorities for using the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. More than 530 town, city, and county managers responded. Go here to view the full ICMA article showing the results. 
Here are some highlights:
- Within the infrastructure category, most anticipated projects and priorities concern water and sewer infrastructure—prioritized by 74 percent of respondents. Broadband infrastructure is being considered by 45 percent of direct recipients and 25 percent of smaller communities/NEUs. Overall, half of the survey respondents anticipate replacing lost public sector revenue according to Treasury’s guidelines. Direct recipients are more frequently considering this option, as well as addressing negative economic impacts of the pandemic and supporting public health expenditures.
- Nearly half (47 percent) of overall respondents anticipate hiring or designating coordinators for overall planning and management of these funds. Local governments are more frequently looking at hiring or designating this role internally, but 23 percent overall (more frequently direct recipients) are considering engaging external consultants. Overall, one-third of respondents are considering regional collaboration on a project or investment. Fourteen percent of direct recipients anticipate transferring at least part of their allocation to another entity.
ICMA will continue to collect information about local government priorities, processes, project examples, and questions regarding ARPA’s Fiscal Recovery Funds, including at our upcoming conference. Findings and examples will be available on our dedicated ARPA resource page, and local government leaders can also share related questions with ICMA via this form.