Guide to Local Recovery Update: April 27

The deadline for non-entitlement cities to submit their State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds reports is April 30. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the National League of Cities have released several resources to help cities navigate the reporting process — including possible solutions to common reporting portal problems. Additionally, multiple state and federal organizations have released new resources about upcoming infrastructure grants and projects.

Non-entitlement city ARPA reports due April 30

Non-entitlement units of local government — generally municipalities with less than 50,000 residents — must submit their American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds reports by April 30. This report will cover the period from the award date up to March 31, 2022.

The National League of Cities (NLC) has outlined several helpful resources for cities, and consolidated links to U.S. Department of the Treasury resources. According to NLC, the Treasury Department will not be granting extensions.

Additionally, the Treasury Department is encouraging non-entitlement cities with a grant of less than $10 million to use the “standard allowance” option when filing their reports, which NLC noted will allow for streamlined reporting and compliance.  

Common reporting problems and related resources

NLC is offering support to cities experiencing issues with the Treasury Department’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds reporting portal. In addition to sending an email to the Treasury Department, city officials can send an email to NLC, which will work with the department to quickly resolve any issues.

Both organizations are experiencing a high volume of messages about the reporting process and portal, so delays should be expected. To avoid further delays, city officials should avoid sending multiple emails with the same question, as this will further delay responses. Help desk staff must respond to all messages in the order they were received, including duplicate inquiries.

City officials can also refer to the Treasury Department’s homepage for extensive information about the reporting process, including a user guide with step-by-step instructions, how-to videos, and other resources for commonly asked questions. The department also issued guidance regarding two common technical issues.

Question: I can fill out the report but when I go to submit it says I am not the Authorized Representative and cannot submit.

Answer: The Treasury Department has updated roles for all non-entitlement cities and recipients with this issue should try to submit their report again. (The department has also released a video detailing how officials can change roles themselves.) If you continue to experience problems, please contact the Treasury Department.

Question: After logging in, an error message appears that says "No matching contact record was found. Please contact your Account Administrator to create a Contact Record for you in the system."

Answer: This means the Treasury Department does not have your email address listed as a contact person for a particular recipient. You should email the department at SLFRF@treasury.gov or call 844-529-9527.

State broadband roundtable

On April 28, the California Department of Technology and other state agencies will host a virtual roundtable on the state's Broadband for All Action Plan, Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, the California Public Utilities Commission last-mile and adoption programs, and other digital equity initiatives. Specifically, officials will discuss:

• The $2 billion available for local governments through the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF).
• Updates on the 18 middle-mile projects announced in November 2021.
• Information on how to secure loan guarantees and grants for broadband.

Last year, the League of California Cities worked closely with lawmakers to secure a $6 billion, multi-year broadband infrastructure package and to make important tweaks to CASF, which supports broadband deployment. More information about the state's plans to expand broadband access through those bills, including upcoming roundtables, webinars, and program recordings, is available online.

U.S. Department of Transportation to hold intergovernmental calls

The U.S. Department of Transportation will hold its monthly intergovernmental affairs update call on April 29. These calls include updates about the department’s initiatives, including the federal infrastructure bill, as well as deeper dives with key leadership. The department hopes these calls will foster additional input and consultation with state and local leaders. City officials must register in advance to join.

City officials looking for additional information about the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, or additional recovery tools can visit the Cal Cities Guide to Local Recovery portal.