Sonoma County targets COVID response, rural broadband for federal funding

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has determined how to spend the $96 million in federal funds allocated to the county through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

In two rounds of decision making on Dec. 14, the board committed portions of the package to specific projects like ongoing COVID-19 response and monitoring, and the creation of a new Public Health Lab/Morgue and developing broadband for rural areas. It also allocated funds to be distributed later to initiatives that fall under certain categories such as addressing disparities in public health outcomes and negative economic impacts.

President Joe Biden signed ARPA into law in March 11, 2021 as an aid package intended to help local governments address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds can be used to address ongoing public health response to COVID-19, negative economic impacts of the pandemic, public sector revenue loss, provide premium pay for essential workers and invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, according to a July report from county staff.

The county received the first half of its $96 million in May and is due to receive the remaining half in spring 2022. Plans for the full $96 million package must be finalized by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2026.

Local agencies will be able to apply for APRA funding under the county’s established criteria.

Starting in January 2022, the county will host community workshops to review the application process and will open up applications in either January or February. Pending board approval in May or June, the county will disperse the funds to qualified applicants between July 2022 and June 2024. Recipients will have to submit quarterly performance reports, according to the county website.

The board’s decisions on Dec. 14 followed a lengthy multi-department staff presentation and a nearly daylong discussion among supervisors.

“This has been a beautiful process, it has been an engagement process and it’s been a learning process,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Lynda Hopkins. “And I think it will be a continuing learning process as communities and organizations work together, and to work within the framework and criteria we have created.”

Below is a breakdown of how the board allocated funding:

• $8 million in essential worker pay for current County employees who worked during the pandemic.

• $8 million for the construction of a new public health lab and morgue to replace the current facility, currently located on the county’s recently sold Chanate campus.

• About $1.2 million to improve the county’s cultural responsiveness. This allocation includes $310,000 to hire a consultant to evaluate existing language access provisions, assess needs, and recommend and implement a countywide Language Access Policy.

• $28.7 million to support ongoing COVID-19 response and monitoring efforts and fund implementation of the county’s ARPA plan.

• $4 million to address homelessness.

• $3 million to put toward a plan to develop a broadband system for rural areas.

• $9 million to fund a Rapid Economic Assistance program intended to address the impacts of the pandemic on low-income residents.

• The board also allocated $20.5 million for future initiatives that tackle negative economic impacts on individuals and households, and $13.6 million for future initiatives that address disparities in Public Health Outcomes.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.