We’re two years in and COVID continues to be woven into our daily lives. Our communities continue to suffer hardships due to the loss of jobs, loss of employees, family needs, and overburdened health systems. With so many contributing factors, support from the government was vital. So far we have seen that support with stimulus checks, child care credits, and more. And another form of support to come out of this is the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 or ARPA.

ARPA, also referred to as the COVID -19 Stimulus Package, is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill that was passed by the United States Congress and was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021. This bill sends relief to states and local governments affected by the impact of the Covid pandemic, allowing them to respond with better efficiency to the resulting public health needs and many of the economic hardships that have arisen in the community, and that we continue to experience nationwide.
Mesa County and the city of Grand Junction are both receiving funds. Mesa County has received $29.9 million from ARPA and Grand Junction will receive approximately 10.4 million according to the city treasury. The funds are meant to be used in certain ways. For example, as determined by the legislation and guidance from the U.S. Treasury, the use of the funds include:

• Replacement of Public Sector Revenue Loss
• Support for the Public Health Response
• Address Negative Economic Impacts
• Premium Pay for Essential Workers
• Water, Sewer, and Broadband Infrastructure

As of right now, Mesa County and the City of Grand Junction are tackling the allocation of this funding in very different ways. The City of Grand Junction has put together a committee to deliberate on where this money will be allocated. The committee is formed by 11 Grand Junction business leaders, non-profit organizations, and economic officials, like Homeward Bound Director Bill Wade, who was assigned as the committee’s chair.

So while the county and the city have financial transparency after the fact in terms of filing interim reports, their processes to determine where to spend the money varies. To view the allocation of the funds that have already been allocated you can access their respective websites here and here.

Our Alliance’s members in Mesa County have begun a campaign in an effort to help connect community voices to the allocation of these funds. While our committee is currently in the research phase of our campaign, the community — you — will come in next. Our next steps are to send out and collect surveys to identify where residents in Mesa County feel these funds are needed the most. And the good news is we are not doing this alone! The surveys will be distributed with the support of United today Stronger Tomorrow (UTST), an organization that has developed due to the ongoing pandemic.

UTST has already done work in La Plata county in Durango. As a result of this work, what started as a seemingly closed-door process turned into an open meeting where the community had a say on where the money should be spent. Our goal is to see similar outcomes, if not better here in Mesa County, that can allow us to decide where we see the most need. Using UTST’s services we hope to reach way more residents and derive the answers from the community to give our voice to the process.

Western Colorado Alliance of Mesa County would like to ask you to join our efforts to help spread the word, and invite those who are interested in seeing positive change in their community!

If you are interested in joining, please contact me, María Luiza Peréz Chavéz, by email at maria@westerncoloradoalliance.org or give me a call at 970-256-7650 Ext. 109.