Joplin could receive $14 million in federal recovery grants

Jan. 24—Joplin city government could receive nearly $13.8 million over the next two years from federal pandemic relief grant funding.

The money would be provided by the American Rescue Plan Act's State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program that was approved by Congress last March.

Though the funding was authorized in March, the final rules on how it could be spent were not released until this month and do not take effect until April 1, said Leslie Haase, Joplin's finance director. She talked about the status of the funding at a recent meeting of the Joplin City Council.

Joplin officials are learning the rules and then will assess what projects or uses might be most likely to obtain federal approval.

The recovery funds program is to provide $350 billion to state, local and tribal governments to spur recovery from the COVID-19 health emergency.

The final rule describes three uses for the money:

—Recovering from public health and economic impacts.

—Maintaining vital public services such as health and public safety in a time when tax revenue may have declined.

—Build recovery by supporting long-term growth and opportunities for the community.

The aid is separate from the first funding made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. That money was distributed to counties and passed through to those eligible to reimburse expenses incurred because of the pandemic in 2020.

Joplin city government spent $1,621,372 on pandemic equipment, supplies and personnel costs for COVID-19 relief work. The city received reimbursement of $1,557,135 from Jasper and Newton counties, Haase said.

In addition, the state and other government agencies have been allocated their own funds for pandemic recovery through the fiscal recovery funding. While metropolitan cities like Joplin will receive funding directly from the U.S. Treasury, smaller cities will apply for grants that will come through the state from federal allocations.

City staff will work with state and federal officials and a consultant on the latest federal aid program to identify the details of funding opportunities that might apply to Joplin. The consultant is Baker Tilly, based in Chicago.

The council, on Jan. 17, approved a resolution in support of an application for a grant of up to $2 million from the Economic Development Administration to build an extension to the Baker's Branch sewer system in northeast Joplin. That system would serve nearly 1,000 acres located in the area of Missouri Route 249. The funding is from a federal pandemic recovery allocation to the EDA.

City officials are reviewing potential projects with the consultant to determine what might be eligible and best fit federal regulations on the uses of the money.

Those include:

—Construction of a broadband backbone network, or parts of one, to establish faster and more reliable internet service.

—Construction of a central transfer station for the Sunshine Lamp Trolley system.

—Several projects at Joplin Regional Airport, including construction of a new building for larger fire trucks for the emergency fire response and reconstruction of Runway 13/31.

—Several projects to update or extend various parts of the city's wastewater treatment system and plants.

—Water main installations at industrial parks.

—A new bridge over Joplin Creek to replace the existing low-water bridge on Murphy Boulevard.

Other potential projects are initiatives for workforce development with the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, improvements to Empire Market, Tin Cup and Grand Falls trail extensions, Main Street beautification from Eighth Street to 15th Street.

There is some time to work on a spending program for grant funding. Haase said the fiscal recovery funds must be committed to projects or uses by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2026.