Cobb nets additional $73.8M in federal stimulus funds

Chart Riggall, Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
·2 min read

Jun. 29—In a split vote Tuesday night, Cobb commissioners voted to accept another $73.8 million in federal stimulus money, courtesy the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The 3-2 vote — Republican Commissioners Keli Gambrill and JoAnn Birrell were opposed — brings the county's total allocation up to some $147 million after receiving the first half of funds from the bill last summer.

Unlike past stimulus packages like 2020's CARES Act, which focused on immediate pandemic relief measures, local governments have a broad array of options for how to spend the ARPA money. Possibilities included everything from infrastructure improvements to covering payroll needs for frontline workers.

The bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021.

Cobb brought in consultant Deloitte, to the tune of $2.8 million, to draw up a plan for how to dole out the funds. A portion of the pot has already been allocated to "exigent" spending priorities.

In March, Deloitte recommended five broad categories for spending, with each receiving roughly equal amounts of funds: community health, support services, economic development, county infrastructure, and public safety.

The proposed $25.7 million for community health spending, for example, is subdivided into the following line items:

— Mental health — $12.1 million

— Public health disparities — $7.6 million

— Substance abuse — $3.6 million

— Healthcare capacity — $2.1 million

— COVID-19 mitigation — $310,000

Those categories are merely broad guidelines. Cobb is currently accepting applications from organizations seeking funding within those categories, with possible recipients including programs to provide food assistance, rental, mortgage, or utility aid, and job training, per the county's website.

Birrell indicated she didn't favor accepting the funds while the county had not spent the majority of its first allotment. Gambrill told the MDJ after the meeting she had voted against the first round of money, and voted against the second for the sake of consistency.