Page 1 of 1

Direction for Item 2

Posted: Thu May 06, 2021 2:45 pm
by Alison Alter
Dear Colleagues,

Navigators will play a large and important role in assisting Austin businesses and individuals in accessing federal funding as a result of the American Rescue Plan Act. However, they are only one part of the effort required for the Austin community to receive the full benefit of the funding available. Therefore, I provide the following direction for Item 2:

• In addition to creating the navigator roles, the City Manager should endeavor to support efforts to maximize federal funding to entities in the Austin region such as CapMetro, AmeriCorps, local universities, school districts, arts venues, etc. as well as funds coming to city entities (e.g. the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Austin Water).

• The City Manager is directed to engage with our partners at the county level to identify what role Travis County should play in funding the COVID-19 public health response in our community.

• The City Manager is directed to identify and leverage opportunities at the federal level to maximize FEMA reimbursements for qualifying expenditures, working with our delegation as appropriate.

• The City Manager is directed to update Council in the event higher (or lower) than anticipated funding comes in from FEMA, Travis County, or other sources.

I also will have some related questions for staff before we vote.

Regards,
Alison Alter