Elgin residents have until end August to weigh in on spending federal relief money

Elgin residents have until the end of the month to share their thoughts on how the city should spend $19.5 million in federal money.

The city is asking Elginites to fill out an online survey about possible uses for American Rescue Plan Act funds. Elgin will receive the one-time resources over two years and is developing a plan to use the money for immediate recovery needs and short-term transformative initiatives.

The survey is available in English at cityofelgin.org/arpa and Spanish at cityofelgin.org/arpaes.

"It's yet another avenue that we're looking at to garner as much feedback as we can from the community to better inform the decision," City Manager Rick Kozal said.

ARPA allows investment in programs, services or projects in five funding categories, including public health expenses, negative economic impacts caused by COVID-19, premium pay for essential workers, replacing lost public sector revenue and investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.

About 800 people have taken the survey so far.

The survey, which also serves to inform residents on the limited ways the money can be used, allows participants to prioritize three choices from a list of 14 options, including community health, housing and public safety.

The survey closes Aug. 31.