The Chester County commissioners are looking for volunteers to help direct the county's nearly $102 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The county government is finalizing its structure for prioritizing, requesting, and reviewing proposals as it determines effective strategies for rebuilding communites affected by the pandemic.
According to the commissioner's office, a key part of the process of directing funds is the inclusion of members of the public as part of the county's ARPA evaluation teams, which will also help to ensure full transparency in spending the funds.
Use of the ARPA funds will include support for Chester County's public health response, including behavioral health; areas of negative economic impact; premium pay for essential workers; and water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. The underlying theme in all of these areas will be to address services to disproportionately impacted communities.
Seven evaluation teams will be established by Chester County to address each priority area for ARPA funding. Each team will include representatives from Chester County government's finance department, solicitor's office, and strategic planning team, who will facilitate the priority groups. Three county employee volunteers and four volunteers from the community will complete each team.
Specifically, the county is seeking its volunteers from a cross-section of people of all ages, genders, socioeconomic categories, and geographic areas. The volunteer commitment is expected to be average five to 10 hours per month for six months. Team members will be trained on the criteria for ARPA fund use and how to score proposals, ask additional questions, and develop recommendations for project funding.
Anyone age 18 or over who lives or works in Chester County may express interest in being part of Chester County's ARPA evaluation teams at http://www.chesco.org/arpa. Application forms should be submitted by Friday, Aug. 20.
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