Swetz

Swetz

A formal application for entities interested in Luzerne County’s American Rescue Plan funding should be publicly posted early this week, the administration said.

County administrators are finalizing details and said they will issue an announcement when the formal application portal is activated at luzernecounty.org.

The county was in the process of removing an American Rescue pre-application link on the site’s main page that had been posted earlier this year to gauge preliminary outside interest in the funding. In response, the county received more than $186.8 million in funding requests — $171.58 million from more than 100 outside entities and $15.26 million from county government departments, the administration has said.

After deducting earmarks already made, the county still has approximately $96.3 million in American Rescue funding not yet allocated for projects or programs.

Formal applications are needed to determine whether requests meet federal eligibility requirements, officials said. More details and documentation must be submitted by applicants at the formal stage.

Council members also are requiring applicants to provide a match of at least 5% toward their requests, with several saying that matches show applicant effort and commitment and free up funding for more projects.

A project/program timeline also is needed because all American Rescue funding must be spent by the end of 2026, officials said.

Columbia, Maryland-based Booth Management Consulting is assisting the county to ensure complicated regulations are followed and that funding awards withstand future federal auditing. Council unanimously approved the consultant hiring in June.

Robin Booth, a certified public account and principal of the consulting company, told council last week the application will be user-friendly with links available to obtain supporting explanations and requirements.

The county site will allow applicants to upload documents and electronically sign them online, she said.

Three virtual informational sessions also will be held to walk applicants through the process if they are interested, she said.

While more specifics will be released in the upcoming announcement, the county administration said the informational sessions will be held at 10 a.m. on Aug. 17, 1 p.m. on Aug. 19 and 2 p.m. on Aug. 31. The county will be providing details for applicants to register for and connect to the sessions.

Once the formal application is activated online, entities will have 30 days to submit their request, officials said.

The county stressed that all interested parties must submit a formal application to be considered for funding, including those who submitted pre-applications.

County Budget/Finance Division Head Brian Swetz also has emphasized entities will be free to submit formal applications if they did not submit pre-applications.

The online application will be designed for completion using mobile phones, tablets and computers, Booth said. Booth Management also will provide applicants with technical assistance on uploading documents and signatures through a dedicated email address and hotline number, according to a presentation made to council.

Applicants will have the option to immediately submit or save partially completed applications for finalization and submission at a later date, Booth said.

Council members and the administration must still figure out how applications will be ranked and the amount of funding it will award in various project categories.

In the pre-application process, council received a thick binder of requests from nonprofits, community organizations and local government entities. The list included projects aimed at helping youth, small businesses, the homeless, public health, animals and historic structures. There also were requests to help fund public safety needs, land preservation and critical water and sewer infrastructure.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.