St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page Signs Bill To Receive $193 Million In American Rescue Plan Act Funds

Press release from the St. Louis County Government:

July 15, 2021

Dr. Page’s proposal to Council includes committing nearly $60 million for North St. Louis County investments and setting aside a significant amount of the federal dollars to offset lost tax revenue

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO - County Executive Dr. Sam Page signed into law this afternoon legislation allowing St. Louis County to receive nearly $193 million in federal funds to help with the County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Page is calling on the County Council to continue with the same priorities his administration used in responding to the pandemic when St. Louis County received $173 million in CARES Act funds last year.

In a letter to the council last week, Dr. Page said the new funds can “provide an opportunity to make historic investments in building a future where everyone in St. Louis County has access to health, safety and opportunity.”

Dr. Page’s administration used the CARES Act funds to address the public health, humanitarian, and economic consequences of COVID-19, with special emphasis on addressing the impact the pandemic has had on vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly African American communities and people with chronic medical problems.

“I hope the Council will have a similar vision for these new funds from the Biden administration,” Dr. Page said. “My administration has identified several potential projects consistent with these priorities.”

They include:

• Spending an estimated $36 million to construct a new health center in North County that will increase health services and in-clinic lab capacity, and to build out a state-of-the-art Substance Abuse Support Center.
• Using an estimated $22 million to expand workforce development programs currently offered at the MET Center in Wellston. Dr. Page’s staff began planning for an investment of this magnitude in the spring.
• Setting aside a significant amount of the funds to replace lost tax revenue, to relieve historical budget pressure for future property tax increases.
• Providing pay raises of $2 per hour to Justice Services staff who provide critical services to residents of the jail and make less than their counterparts in other counties.

“There remain several unmet needs throughout our community, but I hope this summary helps in the Council’s continued deliberations on the ARPA funds, and I look forward to working with you moving forward,” Dr. Page wrote in his letter to the council.

After signing the legislation Thursday, Dr. Page said: “The Delta variant is providing us with new challenges, and we are laser focused on getting people vaccinated. We will use whatever resources we have to make our community safe.”

The County has three years to spend the ARPA funds and will receive the first half of those funds within the coming weeks.

This press release was produced by the St. Louis County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.