American Rescue Plan Act - Funding Priorities

About The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA )

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) included $350 billion in pandemic-related aid for state and local governments.

Vermont is receiving more than $1.25 billion of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding from ARPA. While the legislature and the Governor will determine how more than $1 billion of that funding will be spent, Congress directed nearly $200 million of that funding directly to Vermont’s cities, towns, and villages.

Jericho is directly receiving $1,493,000.

How May Jericho Spend the Funding?

ARPA funds have broad criteria outlining eligible uses. This is a non-exhaustive list

About The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA )

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) included $350 billion in pandemic-related aid for state and local governments.

Vermont is receiving more than $1.25 billion of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding from ARPA. While the legislature and the Governor will determine how more than $1 billion of that funding will be spent, Congress directed nearly $200 million of that funding directly to Vermont’s cities, towns, and villages.

Jericho is directly receiving $1,493,000.

How May Jericho Spend the Funding?

ARPA funds have broad criteria outlining eligible uses. This is a non-exhaustive list of potential uses:

  • To respond to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality.
  • To respond to workers performing essential work during the COVID-19 public health emergency by providing premium pay to eligible workers.
  • For the provision of government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue due to the COVID–19 public health emergency relative to revenues collected in the most recent full fiscal year prior to the emergency.
  • To make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
  • Affordable housing
  • Improvement to municipal business operations: Cybersecurity measures, hybrid meeting equipment, digitizing records, capital improvements, etc.
  • Community revitalization efforts: investments to support affordable housing, outdoor recreation, child care, etc.

We want to hear from YOU!

The Town received input on how this money should be spent to benefit Jericho residents. This was the first step in the decision-making process. We conducted a survey to start the conversation that closed On October 31, 2021. Below is a quick snapshot of the results.

Click on Table to Expand

For a more in depth analysis of your responses, Click on the image below.


There town conducted a second survey to help further refine Jericho resident's spending priorities.

We also have set up two discussion tools ("Post Your Ideas" and "Let's Discuss Affordable Housing"). We hope you will jump in on, have your say, listen to your neighbors, and together discuss Jericho's ARPA funding possibilities.

  • Property Purchase for affordable housing- 2 Railroad Circle

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    Excerpts from the Selectboard presentation on the topic at Town Meeting Day 2023

    In February 2023, the Town of Jericho purchased this 2.5 acre property with an existing 3 bedroom, 1 bath home and detached barn using a portion of the ARPA funds. In moving forward with this purchase, the Selectboard considered feedback from the community:

    • 2 public surveys indicated that creating more affordable housing in Jericho is a top priority.
    • The Planning Commission presented to the Selectboard their recommendations for the use of ARPA funds that included investing funds in options to increase affordable housing.
    • Residents provided input directly to Selectboard members that the lack of affordable housing is a top concern.

    The day the property was listed for sale, it was brought to the attention of the Jericho Community Development Corporation (JCDC). The seller set a deadline of 6 days to submit offers. The JCDC quickly conducted research and deemed the property attractive for its affordable housing potential for the following reasons:

    • ¼ acre zoning
    • Walking distance to Jericho Elementary School
    • Available utilities such as drinking water, gas, electricity, internet, and others.

    Upon receiving this information from the JCDC, the town partnered with a Realtor to explore whether a municipal purchase was feasible. Conversations between the Realtor and the town resulted in:

    • Determining that the listing price of $260,000 was likely intentionally set low to encourage a bidding war.
    • An assessment of the market value of the property using comparable sales which was higher than the list price and using that value as a basis for negotiating.

    The town’s offer was one of 13 bids. The town doesn’t believe that they were the highest bidder, however the Trustees of the estate communicated directly with the Selectboard that they supported the town’s interest in using this property to add affordable housing units, as that is what their parents would have desired. They noted that if their parents were starting out today, they could never have afforded to live in Jericho.

    The question “Why was there not a public to be heard about this property purchase?” is a challenging one with real estate transactions. Any information made public would also be made public to competing bidders as well as the listing agent and would put the town as a buyer at a disadvantage.

    The Selectboard, the Affordable Housing Committee, the Jericho Community Development Corporation (JCDC), and the Planning Commission are all excited about the opportunity this property gives the town to start working on the challenge of affordable housing facing Jericho as well as all of Vermont. The intent is to use the property to create multiple affordable housing units to benefit the community.

  • Town Meeting ARPA Update Report

    Click Here to View Presentation Slides

  • ARPA Update January 2023

    On January 5, 2023 the Planning Commission presented recommendations that the Selectboard consider allocating some ARPA funds toward investments to help expand housing options in Jericho and to catalyze mixed use development in the Riverside Village Center.

    Click here to read the PC Recommendations to the Selectboard regarding ARPA funding. PC Recommendation to Selectboard - ARPA

  • ARPA Update September 2022


    After the Selectboard conducted two surveys, the Planning Commission decided to weigh in on how funds could address our community’s goals and challenges. The PC is reviewing public input from the last few years, the town’s current projects, and recent studies to make recommendations to the Selectboard in late fall 2022.

    To learn more about ARPA discussions -

    American Rescue Plan Act info from VT League of Cities and Towns: https://www.vlct.org/arpa

Page last updated: 21 Mar 2023, 09:41 AM