County launches economic recovery office

Agency will serve as guide to $161M in funding from American Rescue Plan Act

>> Montgomery County officials Thursday launched an agency to designate millions of dollars in federal funding for COVID-19 economic recovery programs.

“We’re very excited to begin this work and bring these resources to our residents and communities as quickly and thoughtfully as possible,” said Barbara O’Malley, Montgomery County’s deputy chief operating officer.

O’Malley addressed the trio of elected officials during Thursday morning’s Montgomery County

Board of Commissioners meeting to unveil the Montgomery County Recovery Office.

Need for the department stemmed from the roughly $161 million in financial relief the county received as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. The $1.9 trillion stimulus package was passed by Congress back in March. Of that, $350 billion was committed to state, local and tribal territories, O’Malley said.

She told the county commissioners that the federal legislation would “deliver immediate and direct relief to families and workers” as well as “build a bridge to an equitable economic recovery.”

Funding must be “obligated” by Dec. 31, 2024 and “spent” by Dec. 31, 2026, O’Malley said.

The $161,395,498 allocated for Montgomery County was divided into two installments, according to O’Malley, who added that the first $80,697,749 has already been distributed and the remaining payment is expected to be given in 2022.

The funding must be used for specific purposes:

• support public health expenditures,

• address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency,

• serve the hardest hit communities and families,

• replace lost public sector revenue,

• provide premium pay for essential workers, and

• invest in water, sewer and

broadband infrastructure.

“This is a great opportunity for Montgomery County to make some transformational change,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr.

Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Val Arkoosh agreed, calling the funding a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

She added that the monies would allow for the chance to “work on some issues that have been long standing, and were only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Officials stressed that municipalities and school districts received separate, direct funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

O’Malley said that Thomas Bonner, director of the Montgomery County Department of Assets and Infrastructure, would oversee the recovery office. Officials are also seeking public input.

The office will handle several duties, according to O’Malley, who said it will include complying with regulations, crafting “processes and documentation, coordinating with the county’s finance, solicitor and purchasing departments, and eventually, implementing programs and projects.”

“We are committed to our economic recovery, supporting our social safety net, and repairing and improving our county infrastructure,” read a statement in part on the office’s website. “The public will be able to follow our initiatives and expenditures through the OpenGov platform, to see how these programs are developed and how these investments will provide a positive impact to our county.”

The website offers additional information about past federal spending initiatives, including from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Montgomery County received $145 million from that last year.