Welcome to the County of Berks
American Rescue Plan
​American Rescue Plan Act header
 
 
 
 
 
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Berks ARP Funding​​

The County has until December 31, 2024 to commit these funds and until December 31, 2026 to expend the funds.

Total Funding Expected:
$81,806,170

Funding Received:
$81,806,170

Funding Expended (See Dashboard​):
$19,286,588

In addition to the County of Berks' allocation:
  • Berks County municipalities will be receiving about $96.7 million
  • Berks County school districts will be receiving about $160.3 million.

President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law in March 2021, designating $350 billion nationwide to support immediate pandemic response, address economic fallout and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable recovery.

The County of Berks received more than $81 million through the American Rescue Plan.

The County completed a thorough process of information gathering to prioritize the most effective and intentional uses of these funds, which included a community survey and a grant program.  Funds are now starting to be distributed  and can be tracked in our ARP Expenditure Dashboard.

The County is focusing on leveraging our available resources and collaborating with community partners to ensure that these funds will create a positive, lasting impact in our community for all residents. 
 
What's the plan?

​​The County Commissioners established committees dedicated to specific focus areas to help address the needs of our residents and strengthen our local economy. Each Commissioner served as the Chair of a committee that helped to identify objectives, long-term benefits, possible collaborations and deserving initiatives.

 
  • Community Support Committee
    • Community Support Logo in the shape of a heart with a heartbeat line inside​Chair: Commissioner Kevin S. Barnhardt
      This committee reviewed food insecurity, homelessness, affordable housing, mental health, health inequities and unmet social service needs. 
       
  • Business Response Committee
    • ​​Business Logo in the shape of a navy chevronChair: Commissioner Michael S. Rivera
      This committee reviewed programs that supported businesses  to determine if there were still unmet needs. This included small businesses, Main Streets, Tourism, Hospitality, workforce development and manufacturing.
       
  • Special Projects and Infrastructure Committee
    • Special Projects and Infrastructure Logo in the shape of a navy star
      ​Chair: Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach
      This Committee reviewed transportation, broadband, water and sewer and special projects.
  • County Operations - Assessment and Needs Committee
    • County Operations-Assessment and Needs Committee Logo in the shape of the County of BerksSenior County Leadership
      This Committee continues to assess and document the negative financial impact on the County of Berks budget and operations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
       

 

Community Survey

The County of Berks is committed to utilizing our ARP funding to create a positive, lasting impact in our community.  To help us do that, we collected input and data from residents through a community survey. Please keep in mind that this is one-time funding and not designed to support ongoing commitments to fund operations into the future. Results from the survey can be seen below. 
 
Click the above image to see a larger version of the graphic.
 
ARP Survey of Location graphic  
 
Click the above image to see a larger version of the graphic.
 

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Expenditure Dashboard

The County created a dashboard that will allow the community to track how funds are distributed  As the County Leadership team makes decisions and allocates funds, the dashboard will be updated to reflect those expenditures.


 Berks County American Rescue Program Expenditure Dashboard button
 
 

The dashboard will outline disbursements using the following categories:
  • County Community Health Efforts

    • Funding for projects such as COVID-19 mitigation and vaccination efforts and initiatives focused on improving and expanding public health.  
  • Lasting Impact Projects

    • ​Funding to support projects that will create sustainable, long-term positive outcomes within key community sectors, including housing, education, small businesses, food insecurity, agriculture and tourism
  • ​Infrastructure Projects

    • Funding for projects related to improving water and sewer, access to broadband internet service, transportation and other types of infrastructure.
  • Grant Administration and Governmental Services

    • Funds utilized to cover administrative expenses related to the grant process and to support County of Berks government services that experienced loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

Reporting and compliance

​As required by the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund grant program, Berks County must publish an annual Performance Report outlining how funds are being utilized. 


SLFRF Recovery Plan Performance Report 2022

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