Fill out Elgin's survey on rescue fund priorities

The City of Elgin is seeking community input on its use of American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

Community members are encouraged to share their priorities on how the city uses the funds by completing a survey, available in English at cityofelgin.org/arpa and in Spanish at cityofelgin.org/arpaes, by Tuesday, Aug. 31.

Elgin is receiving $19.5 million from the federal government over the course of two years through the American Rescue Plan Act.

The city is developing a plan for strategically using these one-time resources to support both immediate recovery needs and short-term transformative initiatives.

The American Rescue Plan Act allows investment in programs, services or projects in any of the following five funding categories:

• Public health expenses.

• Negative economic impacts caused by COVID-19.

• Premium pay for essential workers.

• Replacing lost public sector revenue.

• Investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.

"We have the opportunity to make an investment that will have a lasting impact in our community," said City Manager Rick Kozal. "With limited eligible uses, we want to learn the community's priorities to help inform decisions and maximize this resource."