American Rescue Plan Act Advisory Committee — Charleston, WV
Date: 2021-05-26
Time: 17:00

CITY OF CHARLESTON
 West Virginia


 AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
 May 26, 2021 5:00 PM
 THIS MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE IN PERSON AND CAN BE VIWED LIVE VIA CIVICCLERK
 https://charlestonwv.civicclerk.com/web/home.aspx
 AV Room, 3rd Floor Room #308, City Hall
 Charleston, WV

 Agenda

WELCOME

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

 1. 4‐14‐2021

DISCUSSION

 1. Released Guidance from the U.S. Treasury

 2. Review of Community Meetings and Online Suggestion

 3. Presentation of Collected Community Input


Adjournment




 City Council | 501 Virginia Street, East | Post Office Box 2749 | Charleston, West Virginia 25330
 www.charlestonwv.gov | 304.348.8179 | 304.348.8038 fax
 Page 1 of 1

CITY OF CHARLESTON
 West Virginia


 AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
 May 26, 2021 5:00 PM
 THIS MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE IN PERSON AND CAN BE VIWED LIVE VIA CIVICCLERK
 https://charlestonwv.civicclerk.com/web/home.aspx
 AV Room, 3rd Floor Room #308, City Hall
 Charleston, WV

 Agenda

WELCOME

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

 1. 4‐14‐2021

DISCUSSION

 1. Released Guidance from the U.S. Treasury

 2. Review of Community Meetings and Online Suggestion

 3. Presentation of Collected Community Input


Adjournment




 City Council | 501 Virginia Street, East | Post Office Box 2749 | Charleston, West Virginia 25330
 www.charlestonwv.gov | 304.348.8179 | 304.348.8038 fax
 Page 1 of 1

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 MINUTES
 AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
 WEST HALL 1, CHARLESTON COLISEUM AND CONVENTION CENTER
 (THE VIDEO WAS ALSO MADE AVAILABLE AS A LIVE STREAM VIA ZOOM PER THE AGENDA)

 5:00 P. M., APRIL 14, 2021

Mayor Amy Goodwin, Chairperson, called the meeting of the Charleston City American
Rescue Plan Act Advisory Committee to order at 5:00p.m., April 14, 2021.

Committee Members Present:
Mayor Amy Goodwin, Chair
Becky Ceperley, Vice Chair
Ben Adams (arrived at 5:14)
John Kennedy Bailey
Brent Burton
Caitlin Cook
Mary Beth Hoover
Joe Jenkins
Will Laird (attended virtually over Zoom)
Bobby Reishman
Chad Robinson

Also Present:
Miles Cary II, City Clerk


A roll call was taken, and it was determined that a quorum was present.


 1. Overview of the American Rescue Plan Act –

Mayor Goodwin stated that the initial members of the Committee were chosen to
represent Committees that would most likely be involved (Finance, Environment and
Recycling and Parks and Recreation). The money from the act is an investment to
change communities. The Mayor added that this money has never been placed in the
City of Charleston to work on projects.

City Manager, Jonathan Storage, presented information about the Plan Act to the
Committee. Highlights include:
  The ARP is one of the largest pieces of spending legislation ever passed by
 Congress.
  It’s main focused is around economic recovery as well as infrastructure and
 social safety net projects.
  The City of Charleston’s allocation is estimated at approximately $38 million, and


 March 25, 2021

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 must be used by December 31, 2024.
  The 1st distribution will be approximately $19 million.
  The US Treasury is tasked with developing rules and guidance on how to spend
 the funds.
  The ARP will allow the City to spend fund in 2 areas designed to address the
 pandemic’s health and economic consequences: respond to the public health
 emergency and address COVID’s negative economic impacts.
  The City may offer “premium pay” to essential workers (which may include
 private employers who employ them) as well as reimburse itself for revenue
 losses.
  The City is permitted to reimburse itself for revenue losses suffered compared to
 the previous revenues received, however, depending on the guidance from the
 Treasury, this area of financial recovery may be limited.
  The Act allows for necessary investments in water, sewer or broadband
 infrastructure.

Mayor Goodwin added that this should be about investment money, not simply filling
holes. They need to identify significant infrastructure projects. There is also an
opportunity to apply for additional money separately with the federal government for
“earmarked money” or different buckets that doesn’t necessarily have to come out of the
ARP money. The City could also partner with other authorities, such as non-profits,
public benefit corporations, etc.
  Possible buckets for economic recovery: reimburse/replenish revenues, b&o,
 hotel/motel, eliminate any deficit FY 2022 and funds to offset
 demolition/construction permits/ business permits/ fees
  Possible buckets for healthy and safe communities: food insecurity, health
 equity, youth programs, homelessness, substance abuse disorder, low barrier
 and temporary shelters, additional housing options, mobile outreach
  Possible buckets for investing for the future/infrastructure is probably the
 most important piece, and will be discussed further.



 2. Further Discussion –

Councilmember Jenkins suggested bringing broadband to everyone in the City. He also
raised the question if they should act on projects such as this if they could possibly get
some grant money for it in the future. Mayor Goodwin added that it will also be
important to coordinate projects with the County.

Councilmember Ceperley stated that the storm water system is outdated and causes a
lot of problems. Storage added that with the timelines involved, it would also be
advisable to have projects that have been researched and are essentially ready to go. It
would be important to start soon on completely new projects. Councilmember Bailey
added that when making their list of projects, it will be important to track which projects
could be potentially funded by other means (grants etc) as that becomes available.


 March 25, 2021

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Councilmember Adams stated that, in terms of community involvement, here-to-serve
type meetings would be invaluable. Mayor Goodwin added that the intention is to reach
every community. Councilmember Cook stated there should be a structure in which
community members could voice their opinions on the City’s website, such as an online
survey/drop-down box for public engagement. Councilmember Ceperley suggested they
should provide structure for the community engagement as there are many guidelines
and restrictions to the ARP money. Councilmember Reishman suggested projects that
will provide funding for future projects. The Mayor suggested keeping some sort of file
for all of the suggestions etc. that the Committee could access.

Councilmember Jenkins suggested that the economic recovery bucket be given first
priority (hotel/motel tax recovery, replace lost revenue, etc.), then they could look at how
to use the rest of the money. He added that the main goal would be to essentially
balance the books. Then, other aspects of economic recovery, such as small
businesses could be looked into.

Councilmember Cook asked what have they been able to learn from other cities. Mayor
Goodwin replied that the plans/responses from other cities have been extremely varied,
adding that some involved public input and some didn’t. Councilmember Reishman
stated that they should receive some sort of formal plan or application when looking at
specific programs/non-profits/etc. to fund. Mayor Goodwin suggested taking chunks of
the fund to dedicate to certain buckets (for example, $2 million for community projects).

Councilmember Ceperley suggested having a visual board at the listening sessions that
citizens can place suggestions on based on the buckets. Councilmember Burton
suggested getting the Youth Council involved. Councilmember Bailey added that he
would like to see the estimated costs of the projects that have already been discussed
or studied (turfing the fields, fixing bridges, etc.). Storage added that the ARP funds
could potentially free up money from the General Fund that would have otherwise been
used for those things. He added that the ARP funds can be used as matching money for
grants. Councilmember Hoover added that there are gaps in the kids/youth programs.
City Clerk, Miles Cary, added that he would like to see a program directed at felon re-
entry.

Councilmember Ceperley cautioned against focusing on specific projects at this time.
Councilmember Jenkins agreed, adding that useful public feedback wouldn’t be for
specific things, but rather what their preferred focus would be. He added that it would be
helpful for the Committee to determine if they want to do 1 or 3 large projects or spread
it over many smaller, etc. They could then determine the range of money spent over
each category to get public input.



 3. Next Steps –

Mayor Goodwin summarized that the number 1 focus of the ARP is the recovery of lost



 March 25, 2021

 Page | 4 of
funds to cities, so the Administration could present their findings on how to best achieve
that to the Committee. The Committee can then decide what other buckets on which to
focus. Councilmember Ceperley stated they should keep the buckets as they have been
presented, and to give general ideas as to what would fall under those categories (not
particular projects). Councilmember Jenkins suggested they reference the projects that
the City already has plans for (the bike and trail plan, for example). Councilmember
Bailey suggested having another Committee meeting before the community meetings.

Mayor Goodwin stated that the easiest thing they could do would be to create the online
forum and host the community meetings. They will get the information from citizens that
want to be engaged in the process. Councilmember Adams felt they had an obligation
to at least review all suggestions submitted to the City. Mayor Goodwin stated that they
also needed to include representatives from groups (LGBTQ+, homeless outreach, the
Partnership for African American Churches, etc.) in the discussion so that they can act
with intention. Councilmember Hoover suggested having smaller round-table
discussions with those community/group leaders. Mayor Goodwin suggested that each
Member submit 2 names for that.

Councilmember Jenkins asked if it would be more effective to spread out the money
over many projects, or stick to a large impact project. He expressed concern that they
were going to get bogged down by hundreds of ideas. Councilmember Ceperley added
that she did not believe they should have organizations apply for the money, adding that
once the Committee has set its goals then can request further information from the
various groups. Mayor Goodwin agreed that there should be a return on investment.
Storage added that the purpose of the money is to create economic recovery in
whatever way is most impactful to the City. Councilmember Cook added that they also
need to know when they will start to spend the first round of funding. Councilmembers
Robinson and Jenkins agreed with Councilmember Ceperley, adding that they should
gather the interested issues as opposed to specific projects. Chief of Staff, Matt Sutton,
added that they could also help organizations identify where else (grants etc.) they can
obtain additional funding.




Councilmember Reishman motioned to adjourn the meeting. Councilmember Ceperley
seconded.

Meeting adjourned.



 March 25, 2021

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MINUTES
 AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
 AR ROOM #301, CITY HALL

 5:00 P. M., MAY 26, 2021

Mayor Amy Goodwin, Chairperson, called the meeting of the Charleston City American
Rescue Plan Act Advisory Committee to order at 5:00p.m., May 26, 2021.

Committee Members Present:
Mayor Amy Goodwin, Chair
Becky Ceperley, Vice Chair
Ben Adams
John Kennedy Bailey
Brent Burton (arrived after approval of the previous minutes)
Mary Beth Hoover
Joe Jenkins
Will Laird
Bobby Reishman
Chad Robinson

Members Absent:
Caitlin Cook

Also Present:
Chuck Overstreet


A roll call was taken, and it was determined that a quorum was present.




 1. Approval of Previous Minutes –

Councilmember Reishman motioned to approve the minutes for the previous meeting
held on 4-14-2021. Councilmember Hoover seconded. With no objections, the previous
minutes were approved.



 May 26, 2021
 2. Released Guidance from the US Treasury –

Mayor Goodwin stated that the City Manager, Jonathan Storage, had gone over all of
the guidelines released by the State to review with the Committee.

Highlights of Storage’s presentation:
  The Interim Final Rule implements the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal
 Recovery Funds that provides the foundation for multiple Treasury summary
 documents.
  Spending and Timelines – Funds must be contractually committed for a specific
 purpose by December 31, 2024 and by spent by December 31, 2026.
  Reporting Requirements – Reports are due in August and October of 2021, and
 quarterly thereafter. They must include contract details and projects being funded
 during a specific reporting cycle.
  Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards – The requirements are detailed and
 substantial, and all community partners who intend to collaborate with the City
 should be knowledgeable of the rules in advance. It is required that special funds
 be created to track all spending activity as well as the use of an internet-based
 reporting system.
  Document Retention – The City is required to maintain all spending documents
 for at least 5 years from the date all funding is used or returned.
  Allowable Uses – Include revenue loss, services and programs to mitigate the
 spread of Covid-19, services to address behavioral healthcare needs
 exacerbated by the pandemic, addressing the negative economic impacts
 caused by the public health emergency, serving the hardest-hit communities and
 families, premium pay to a broad range of essential workers, water and sewer
 infrastructure, broadband infrastructure and possible other infrastructure for
 bridges and roads.
  Ineligible Uses – Include paying for tax reductions, deposits to pension funds, to
 match certain federal grants, paying off or reducing municipal debt or interest
 obligations.

Councilmember Bailey asked if infrastructure projects needed to be run through the
normal budget process. Storage replied that would be part of the fund allocation that
had been set up, although it would still be approved by Council. Councilmember Jenkins
confirmed that it is not directly backfilling the budget. Storage added that there is no
need to transfer money from the General Fund.

Councilmember Ceperley inquired about violence intervention/prevention. Storage
replied that at least 1 program had been considered, such as installing cameras to help
track reported violence. Mayor Goodwin added that they are also looking into gun
violence/gun suicide, etc.

Councilmember Laird asked if the involvement of the State Auditor was a curtesy or a
requirement. Storage replied that they do not have pre-approval authority, they are
simply recording the transactions for transparency. Councilmember Reishman asked if


 May 26, 2021
the money could used for auditing services. Storage replied that the City will likely need
outside auditing services.

Councilmember Laird asked how the City would account for money received under the
CARES Act regarding accounting for lost revenue. Storage replied that the formula the
City will use uses an assumption of 4% growth year over year, which is the national
average.



 3. Presentation of Collected Community Input –

Mayor Goodwin stated that Mackenzie Spencer would be doing a review of the
community meetings and online suggestions. The Mayor added that there were many
good suggestions and projects that may not qualify, but were worthy of finding separate
funding for them.

Highlights of Spencer’s presentation include:
  The City held 4 Listening Sessions and made the form available online.
  They have received close to 300 submissions; some do not qualify for Act
 funding.
  Top 10 Categories are (note: examples are not comprehensive nor are in any
 particular order): Parks & Recreation (pocket parks and bike trails), Housing
 (home repair grants/loans and low-income housing), Infrastructure (sewer system
 repairs and bridge infrastructure), Business (low-interest loans for small
 businesses and ppp grants), Aquatic Center, Tourist Attractions & Entertainment
 (small zoo and return of the regatta), Food/Water (community gardens and
 greenhouses), Mental Health/SUD/Healthcare (comprehensive treatment facility
 and mobile crisis intervention team), Broadband (free wi-fi and fiber optic), Youth
 Activities (athletic leagues and art/textile studio)

Councilmember Reishman asked if that regulations required businesses that received
funds to follow any particular guidelines. Storage replied that it depended. For example,
if the City gave money to a business to do something specific, then they would probably
have to follow some guidelines. Business incentives, grants or premium pay would not
require that.




 May 26, 2021
 4. Presentation of Collected Community Input –

Mayor Goodwin asked the Committee to think about what ideas could be funded
through other sources, and to whittle down the projects that can be funded through the
ARP money in to the 3 buckets that have been identified: Economic Recovery, Healthy
and Safe Communities and Infrastructure/Investing in the Future.

Councilmember Laird asked what the best process would be for citizens who would still
like to submit their ideas. Mayor Goodwin replied that there really wasn’t a preferred
method, whether it be via email, letter or other means. There does need to be
documentation.

Councilmember Ceperley stated that she did not know how much money it would take
to correct the storm water/sewage problems or if it could be corrected piece by piece.
She added that having that information would more inform their decision.
Councilmember Jenkins agreed.

A member of the public asked if there was a timeline for the distribution of the funds into
various projects. Storage added that the rules will not be binding until July 16, 2021.
During that time, the Committee will try to come up with a plan. Mayor Goodwin added
that she wanted to ensure that the money was not misspent, and that the funds be used
to have the greatest impact on as many people as possible in considered investments.
Mayor Goodwin added that it will be essential to partner with the County and State in
order to accomplish some of these projects.

A member of the public asked if there was a strategy on how the internet will be spread
around the City, and if it will be privatized. Mayor Goodwin replied that the State and
County are just beginning to plan, so those conversations will happen. Councilmember
Jenkins added that he wasn’t sure if most areas in Charleston would be eligible for this
based on how the rules are written. Councilmember Robinson added that South Park
Road would probably qualify. Storage added that the infrastructure capacity in the core
areas would also need to be improved in order to reach the underserved areas.

A member of the public added that they would like to be able to schedule a time to be
able to speak to the Committee about a proposal for an aquatic center, and to outline
possibly the greatest return on investment and economic impact for the funds.

A member of the public asked if the members chosen for the Committee were diverse
and inclusive. Mayor Goodwin replied that the community that gave their input was
diverse and inclusive. Councilmember Ceperley added that the Council body will be
making the final decisions.


Councilmember Ceperley motioned to adjourn the meeting. Councilmember Reishman
seconded.
Meeting adjourned.



 May 26, 2021