The Pritzker administration is urging local governments who have not yet done so to take steps to apply for funding before the deadline of Sept. 30.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday, Aug. 13 that $40 million in payments are being made to 74 local governments, representing the first wave of more than $742 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) aid to 1,250 small cities, towns and villages across Illinois.

These federal relief dollars can be used to cover expenses incurred while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the first payments now made, the administration is urging local governments who have not yet done so to take steps to apply for funding before the deadline of Sept. 30. In accordance with federal guidelines, non entitlement units (NEUs) that do not take steps to apply for these funds in time will not be able to claim these dollars for their communities later on.

“My administration is committed to ensuring that relief made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act reaches all of our communities as quickly as possible,” said Pritzker. “ With the deadline for funding quickly approaching, I urge all eligible communities to apply for their share of funding as we work together to build a strong economic recovery across Illinois.”

Eligible local governments can claim their allotments and receive technical assistance at https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/CURENEU/Pages/default.aspx, a web portal created by the State of Illinois. Municipalities can register for a webinar providing guidance on federal reporting requirements scheduled for Monday, August 16, through the technical assistance page at the following link: https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/CURENEU/Pages/TechnicalAssistance.aspx.

To date, half of eligible municipalities have taken steps to claim federal funds by completing the portal submission. Those which have submitted, but have not yet received payment, are under review. Local government portal contacts should keep an eye on the email for correspondence from the state on the status of their submission.

Municipalities completing the portal submission, including all of the documentation required by the U.S. Treasury, can expect to receive half of their funding in approximately 30 days with the remaining half roughly a year later. With these payments, a total of $80 million of the funding has been claimed. The deadline for municipalities to apply for funding is September 30, 2021. There will be no other opportunity for municipalities to apply for later distributions.

Municipalities can view their payments here:

https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/CURENEU/Documents/NEU%20Payments_Master.pdf

“Ensuring that federal funding from the American Rescue Plan reaches into all of our communities is essential to our economic recovery from the pandemic,” said Sylvia Garcia, acting director of DCEO. “While hundreds of cities and towns have taken steps to claim their Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery funds, hundreds more still need to submit requests before the Sept. 30 deadline. DCEO’s NEU Support team stands ready to assist small cities, towns and villages with their applications to request these recovery dollars, which will help restore economic vitality for communities statewide.”

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