Recovery Plan Performance Report

State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

(SLFRF)

2021
County of Chester, Pennsylvania

2021 Recovery Plan

Table of Contents

General Overview ....................................................................... 1

Executive Summary .................................................................. 1

Uses of Funds ......................................................................... 3

Promoting Equitable Outcomes ..................................................... 3

Community Engagement ............................................................ 3

Labor Practices ........................................................................ 3

Use of Evidence ...................................................................... 3

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category ....................................... 4

Project Inventory ........................................................................ 6

Performance Report...................................................................6

Required Performance Indicators and Programmatic Data ....................... 6
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County of Chester, Pennsylvania

American Rescue Plan Act

Recovery Plan Performance Report

As of July 31, 2021

1. Executive Summary

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, the Chester County 

Commissioners, along with key county departments such as Public Health, Emergency 

Services, Community Development and various Human Services departments, have deployed 

millions of dollars in federal, state and local assistance to address the impact of the pandemic 

on citizens and organizations throughout the county.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding in the amount of $91.6 

million was used to support healthcare response to COVID, Public Schools, Provider Services, 

Emergency Responders, Child Care Providers, Small Businesses, Rental Assistance, Homeless 

Outreach and more. Separately, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provided 

additional support to Pocopson Home, the county-owned nursing home. These funds were 

designated for infection control within in the facility. 
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The County also received funding from numerous state agencies including the Pennsylvania 

Department of Aging, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services – Office of Long-Term 

Living, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of State, and 

Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Funding from these agencies 

supported pandemic efforts specifically related to Aging Services, Adult Probation, Pocopson 

Home, Public Health and Voter Services. 

Most recently, Chester County was awarded $102 million in funding as a part of the American 

Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) disbursed to the county in two tranches. The first tranche in the 

amount of $51 million was received in June 2021. The remaining $51 million is expected in 

June 2022. These funds support continued pandemic-related efforts subject to the U.S. 

Treasury Department’s guidance. Chester County has not expended ARPA funds during the 

initial reporting period of the award date through July 31, 2021. This initial report outlines the 

County’s preliminary action plan, but is subject to modification, as necessary, based on

Treasury guidance updates. The ARPA funding provides Chester County with an opportunity

to make strategic investments to ensure all of our industries and communities impacted by 

COVID-19 can be restored, even strengthened. To ensure full transparency in allocating the 

funds, the County has appealed to those who live and work here to join senior administrative 

staff as part of the Chester County ARPA evaluation teams. 

Chester County will use a similar process to its Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO)/Priority Based 

Budgeting (PBB), to determine the intended and actual uses of American Rescue Plan Act 

(ARPA) funding. BFO/PBB evaluates the relative importance of individual programs by

assessing priorities in order to make sound decisions that result in good fiscal health and goal 

achievement. As a part of this process, the County intends to use evaluation teams to review 

proposed projects and determine eligibility and priority, which, as noted above, will include 

members of the community along with County personnel. The plan will promote a response 

to the pandemic and economic recovery, as well as address key outcome goals. Once projects 

are determined and work has begun, future reports will include progress-to-date on related 

outcomes and any noteworthy challenges or opportunities identified during the reporting 

period.

 (2020 CARES Program)
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2. Uses of Funds

The use of ARPA funds may potentially relate to the following areas:

a. Public Health including Behavioral Health

b. Negative Economic Impacts

c. Services to Disproportionately Impacted Communities

d. Premium Pay

e. Water, sewer and broadband infrastructure

f. Revenue Replacement

The County is currently in the preliminary stages of evaluating potential projects. A process 

similar to Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO)/Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) will be used to 

determine the intended and actual uses of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. 

Susquehanna Accounting and Consulting Services, Inc. will assist the County with compliance.

3. Promoting equitable outcomes

The County is in the process of establishing goals with the underserved in mind. Evaluation 

teams made up of members of the community and County personnel will review proposed 

projects for suitability and make recommendations for the best use of funds to ensure 

equitable outcomes. Once goals are established, the County will establish how Awareness, 

Access and Distribution and Outcomes will be determined and measured.

4. Community Engagement

The use of BFO/PBB includes evaluation teams with members of the community along with 

County personnel. Community members will be from diverse geographical locations within

the county. All team members will be trained on the criteria as set forth in the Department of 

the Treasury guidance to ensure appropriate use of funds and the promotion of equitable 

outcomes. There is an area dedicated to ARPA on the County’s website. On this ARPA web 

page, all proposals received – regardless of whether they are funded or not – will be posted as 

will all evaluations of proposals. 

5. Labor Practices

To the extent that we have projects in this category, standards will be established to promote 

effective and efficient delivery of high-quality infrastructure projects while also supporting the 

economic recovery through strong employment opportunities for workers. Such standards 

will be established prior to commencement of any such projects.

6. Use of Evidence

The County will consider evidence-based criteria in the design and selection of programs to 

be funded with American Rescue Plan. If evidence-based criteria is used, the evaluation 

criteria will be posted to the County’s website, as will the evaluation results of each proposal 

received – regardless of funding status.
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7. Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category

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 addressing services to disproportionately impacted communities.

Table below:

Cumulative 

expenditures to 

date ($)

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan

1 Expenditure Category: Public Health

1.1 COVID-19 Vaccination $ - $ -

1.2 COVID-19 Testing $ - $ -

1.3 COVID-19 Contact Tracing $ - $ -

1.4 Prevention in Congregate Settings (Nursing Homes, 

Prisons/Jails, Dense Work Sites, Schools, etc.) $ - $ -

1.5 Personal Protective Equipment $ - $ -

1.6 Medical Expenses (including Alternative Care Facilities) $ - $ -

1.7

Capital Investments or Physical Plant Changes to Public 

Facilities that respond to the COVID-19 public health 

emergency

$ - $ -

1.8 Other COVID-19 Public Health Expenses (including 

Communications, Enforcement, Isolation/Quarantine) $ - $ -

1.9 Payroll Costs for Public Health, Safety, and Other Public Sector 

Staff Responding to COVID-19 $ - $ -

1.1 Mental Health Services $ - $ -

1.11 Substance Use Services $ - $ -

1.12 Other Public Health Services $ - $ -

2 Expenditure Category: Negative Economic Impacts

2.1 Household Assistance: Food Programs $ - $ -

2.2 Household Assistance: Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Aid $ - $ -

2.3 Household Assistance: Cash Transfers $ - $ -

2.4 Household Assistance: Internet Access Programs $ - $ -

2.5 Household Assistance: Eviction Prevention $ - $ -

2.6 Unemployment Benefits or Cash Assistance to Unemployed 

Workers $ - $ -

2.7 Job Training Assistance (e.g., Sectoral job-training, Subsidized 

Employment, Employment Supports or Incentives) $ - $ -

2.8 Contributions to UI Trust Funds* $ - $ -

2.9 Small Business Economic Assistance (General) $ - $ -

2.1 Aid to nonprofit organizations $ - $ -

2.11 Aid to Tourism, Travel, or Hospitality $ - $ -

2.12 Aid to Other Impacted Industries $ - $ -

2.13 Other Economic Support $ - $ -

2.14 Rehiring Public Sector Staff $ - $ -

Category
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Table of Expenses by Expenditure (continued)

Cumulative 

expenditures to 

date ($)

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan

3 Expenditure Category: Services to Disproportionately Impacted 

Communities

3.1 Education Assistance: Early Learning $ - $ -

3.2 Education Assistance: Aid to High-Poverty Districts $ - $ -

3.3 Education Assistance: Academic Services $ - $ -

3.4 Education Assistance: Social, Emotional, and Mental Health 

Services $ - $ -

3.5 Education Assistance: Other $ - $ -

3.6 Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care $ - $ -

3.7 Healthy Childhood Environments: Home Visiting $ - $ -

3.8 Healthy Childhood Environments: Services to Foster Youth or 

Families Involved in Child Welfare System $ - $ -

3.9. Healthy Childhood Environments: Other $ - $ -

3.1 Housing Support: Affordable Housing $ - $ -

3.11 Housing Support: Services for Unhoused persons $ - $ -

3.12 Housing Support: Other Housing Assistance $ - $ -

3.13 Social Determinants of Health: Other $ - $ -

3.14 Social Determinants of Health: Community Health Workers or 

Benefits Navigators $ - $ -

3.15 Social Determinants of Health: Lead Remediation $ - $ -

3.16 Social Determinants of Health: Community Violence 

Interventions $ - $ -

4 Expenditure Category: Premium Pay

4.1 Public Sector Employees $ - $ -

4.2 Private Sector: Grants to other employers $ - $ -

5 Expenditure Category: Infrastructure

5.1 Clean Water: Centralized wastewater treatment $ - $ -

5.2 Clean Water: Centralized wastewater collection and conveyance $ - $ -

5.3 Clean Water: Decentralized wastewater $ - $ -

5.4 Clean Water: Combined sewer overflows $ - $ -

5.5 Clean Water: Other sewer infrastructure $ - $ -

5.6 Clean Water: Stormwater $ - $ -

5.7 Clean Water: Energy conservation $ - $ -

5.8 Clean Water: Water conservation $ - $ -

5.9 Clean Water: Nonpoint source $ - $ -

5.1 Drinking water: Treatment $ - $ -

5.11 Drinking water: Transmission & distribution $ - $ -

5.12 Drinking water: Transmission & distribution: lead remediation $ - $ -

5.13 Drinking water: Source $ - $ -

5.14 Drinking water: Storage $ - $ -

5.15 Drinking water: Other water infrastructure $ - $ -

5.16 Broadband: “Last Mile” projects $ - $ -

5.17 Broadband: Other projects $ - $ -

Category
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Table of Expenses by Expenditure (continued)

8. Project Inventory

The County does not have active projects for the report period. Therefore, there are no 

expenditures through July 31, 2021 to report. The County has been spending this time 

establishing a robust framework to ensure an equitable, transparent, participatory process can 

be used to allocate funding.

9. Performance Report

The County does not have active projects for the report period. Therefore, there are no output 

and outcome measures through July 31, 2021 to report. The County has been spending this

time establishing a robust framework to ensure an equitable, transparent, participatory process 

can be used to allocate funding.

10. Required Performance Indicators and Programmatic Data

The County does not have active projects for the report period. Therefore, there are no 

required performance indicators and programmatic data through July 31, 2021 to report. The 

County has been spending this time establishing a robust framework to ensure an equitable, 

transparent, participatory process can be used to allocate funding.

Cumulative 

expenditures to 

date ($)

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan

6 Expenditure Category: Revenue Replacement

6.1 Provision of Government Services $ - $ -

7 Administrative and Other

7.1 Administrative Expenses $ - $ -

7.2 Evaluation and data analysis $ - $ -

7.3 Transfers to Other Units of Government $ - $ -

Transfers to Nonentitlement Units 

(States and Territories only)

7.4 N/A N/A

Category