On Tuesday, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission will debate whether to reclaim roughly $5 million in awards from the COVID era that have already been given to groups.
In 2021, the federal government distributed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to municipal governments across. Nearly $60 million was given to Athens-Clarke County, which was then entrusted with distributing it to nearby nonprofits and other groups. The agencies have until the final day of 2026 to spend the funds or return them to the federal government.
The mayor and commission will debate whether to return over $5 million in unspent funds that could have to be returned to Washington at the end of the year during an agenda-setting meeting on Tuesday.
Only roughly half a million of the $5 million will be redistributed, primarily to affordable housing projects, according to county documents. The initial purpose of that half-million dollar amount was worker development initiatives.
Thanks to a news collaboration with WUGA, this article is available on Now Habersham.
