INSURANCE

January 20, 2010

Federal Recovery Spotlight

Guidance for N.C. Municipalities
An in-depth look at the recovery programs important to N.C. cities and towns

The N.C. League of Municipalities has compiled a guidance package aimed at helping municipalities in their pursuit of federal recovery funding. This guidance will be updated regularly, so be sure to check back often or subscribe for email updates (below).

Important: We have identified those programs still "in play" as of July 1, 2009. Click here to view the list.

UPDATE: The following sections of the NCLM Guidance document has been updated with new information, as of July 28, 2009.
-Broadband Technology Opportunities Program
-Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Distance Learning, Telemedicine and Broadband Program

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Departments of Commerce and Agriculture announce 2nd round of ARRA Broadband funds and public workshops

1/15/2010 - The agencies plan to accept applications from February 16, 2010, to March 15, 2010, and announce all awards by September 30, 2010. Workshops begin January 26th.

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press/2010/BTOP_BIP_NOFAII_100115.html

The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and USDA's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) today announced availability of $4.8 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants and loans to expand broadband access and adoption in America. This is the second funding round for the agencies' broadband programs. The investment will help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, and create jobs.

NTIA and RUS also announced the rules for applying in this funding round, which have been modified to make the application process easier for applicants and better target program resources.

"Based on the feedback we received from stakeholders and our own experience in the first funding round, we are making the application process more user-friendly, sharpening our funding focus to make the biggest impact with this investment, and streamlining our review process to increase efficiency," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator of NTIA.

"In response to lessons learned from the first funding round, RUS is making important changes that will make the process easier for applicants and target our resources toward'‘last-mile' broadband connections to homes and businesses," said Jonathan Adelstein, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, United States Department of Agriculture.  "This draws on our long experience in improving rural networks to the most difficult-to-reach areas of our country that need it most.  We've streamlined the application process, added support for satellite service for rural residents left unserved after other funds are awarded, and provided ourselves more flexibility to target areas of greatest need.  We are going to stretch every last dime to maximize economic development in rural areas that currently lack adequate broadband service."       

The agencies announced the rules for this funding round in two separate but complementary Notices of Funds Availability (NOFAs) that promote each agency's distinct objectives.

NTIA's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)

NTIA's NOFA allocates approximately $2.6 billion in this funding round of which approximately $2.35 billion will be made available for infrastructure projects. In this round, NTIA is adopting a “comprehensive communities” approach as its top priority in awarding infrastructure grants, focusing on middle mile broadband projects that connect key community anchor institutions – such as libraries, hospitals, community colleges, universities, and public safety institutions. Comprehensive Community Infrastructure projects maximize the benefits of BTOP by leveraging resources, promoting sustainable community growth, and ultimately laying the foundation for reasonably priced broadband service to consumers and businesses.

In addition, NTIA plans to award at least $150 million of the funding for Public Computer Center projects, which will expand access to broadband service and enhance broadband capacity at public libraries, community colleges, and other institutions that service the general public. NTIA also plans to award at least $100 million for Sustainable Broadband Adoption projects, which include projects to provide broadband education, training, and equipment, particularly to vulnerable population groups where broadband technology has traditionally been underutilized.

RUS's Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

RUS's NOFA allocates approximately $2.2 billion in this funding round for broadband infrastructure projects.  A second funding window will open later which will provide grants for satellite service for premises that remain unserved after all other Recovery Act broadband funding is awarded, make Technical Assistance grants for developing plans using broadband for regional economic development, and grants to provide broadband service to rural libraries funded by USDA under the Recovery Act.

RUS will focus this round on last mile projects, which are anticipated to receive the vast majority of funding.   RUS will also fund middle mile projects involving current RUS program participants.  The first NOFA had two funding options – grants up to 100 percent in remote rural areas, and 50/50 loan/grant combinations in non-remote rural areas.  In the second NOFA, RUS has eliminated this distinction and adopted a base 75/25 grant/loan combination for all projects.  The new approach provides RUS with flexibility to seek a waiver if additional grant resources are needed for areas that are difficult to serve, and priority for those who seek lower grant levels. RUS believes this simplified and flexible funding strategy will promote rural economic development. 

Separate NOFAs will allow applicants to apply directly to either program.  RUS also eliminates the two-step process for BIP applicants to improve program efficiency.  These changes will also add valuable time for applicants to focus on one specific program in preparing a more solid application.

Incorporated into the RUS NOFA is an opportunity for the reconsideration of BIP requests to provide viable applications with every chance for funding.  There is also a second application review process during which RUS would allow an applicant to adjust its application to better meet program objectives and for the Administrator to provide discretionary points or to increase a grant component to meet rural economic objectives. 

Public Workshops

Also today, NTIA and RUS announced a series of public workshops to review the application process and answer questions from prospective applicants. The workshops will be held in Portland, Ore.; Reno, Nev.; Denver, Colo.; San Antonio, Tex.; Eureka, Mo.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Detroit, Mich.; Blacksburg, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; and Atlanta, Ga. Interested parties can register for the workshops at www.broadbandusa.gov .

The agencies plan to accept applications from February 16, 2010, to March 15, 2010, and announce all awards by September 30, 2010.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided a total of $7.2 billion to NTIA and RUS to fund projects that will expand access to and adoption of broadband services. Of that funding, NTIA will utilize $4.7 billion for grants to deploy broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas in the United States, expand public computer center capacity, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service. RUS will use $2.5 billion in budget authority to support grants and loans to facilitate broadband deployment in primarily rural communities.

http://www.broadbandusa.gov/workshop.htm

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Recovery Act reporting period extended until January 22, 2010

WASHINGTON—The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, acting to provide the public with as complete a picture as possible of Recovery Act spending, has decided to allow recipients to submit reports until midnight, PST, January 22.

The change gives an additional week to recipients to get their reports filed at FederalReporting.gov. This is the second reporting period under the Recovery program, and recipient data will be posted on Recovery.gov on January 30.

In a statement, the Recovery Board, consisting of Chairman Earl E. Devaney and 12 Inspectors General, said:

“An overarching goal of the Recovery Act is to make data available to the American public that is as complete and accurate as possible. Several significant changes have been made to the reporting process that appear to have impacted recipients' ability to submit timely reports. These changes include the release of revised reporting guidance by the Office of Management and Budget and implementation of edit checks designed to increase the accuracy of the data being reported.

“These changes, coupled with the reporting period coinciding with a national holiday period, led to the decision to extend reporting until January 22. Recipient reports submitted after January 15, the previous deadline, will be identified on Recovery.gov as late.''

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DOE Guidance on ARRA Buy American Provisions
1/7/2010 - Below is a link to guidance that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued late last month on Buy American provisions for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects funded by the Recovery Act. Please pass this information along to your members, as it may prove very informative to those cities and towns receiving related funding from DOE.

For further information on Buy American provisions, such as frequently asked questions and instructions for waiver requests, visit here.

State Energy Program (SEP) Funds-related guidance may be found online here.

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OMB ARRA Jobs Counting and Data Quality Guidance (from the National League of Cities)

Recently, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released updated ARRA guidance concerning jobs counting and data quality.  The guidance can be accessed at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_2010/m10-08.pdf

The guidance makes two very important changes concerning jobs calculation:


1.       Simplification of jobs calculation:  Total hours worked in jobs funded by ARRA for the quarter divided by total hours in a full-time schedule (520 hours for a 40 hour work week) for the quarter.

2.       Quarterly not cumulative - Jobs are to be reported on a quarterly basis not cumulative.  (Keep in mind other Section 1512 reporting such as for expenditure data will still be done on a cumulative basis.)

Additionally, the guidance provides more detailed information for federal agencies in the area of data quality reviews.  While this information is directed at federal agencies, you may wish to carefully review this information and incorporate some of the recommendations/requirements into your own data quality review plans.

Please note that the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RATB) is allowing an additional 5 days for reporting due to the shortened reporting period as a result of the holidays and weekend.  So.... while the hard deadline for reporting is still January 10, recipients will be allowed to report until January 15 without having their reports flagged as late.  Reports made after the 15th will be considered late and flagged as late.  The federalreporting.gov website reflects the new schedule.

Finally, RATB has announced several enhancements to federalreporting.gov.  They  include:

 1.  COPY FORWARD
    *   Returning Reporters have the option to copy a draft or submitted report from the previous quarter using the "Copy Forward" button. Copy report from the previous quarter to the current quarter or copy report within current quarter.



    *   Recipients have the option to copy an existing draft or submitted report within the current quarter using the "Copy" button.
 2.  FRPIN - The FederalReporting PIN will be emailed to the recipient's inbox as well as the recipient's email address.
 3.  EDIT CHECKS
    *   Certain fields will generate an Error Message when incorrect information is input and unless corrected the recipient will not be able to continue reporting.
For Example: The recipient's Congressional District must match the zip code + 4.
The Project Status cannot be noted as fully completed if the total Recovery funds received/invoiced equals Zero.
    *   Certain fields will generate an Alert Message if questionable information is input.

For Example: The amount of award and total Recovery funds received/invoiced is $500,000 or more, but the number of jobs created is less than 1.

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RFPs for Energy Efficiency for County and Municipal buildings, and for Community Colleges and K-12 Public School Buildings

-Click here for the municipal/county RFP (PDF)

-Click here for the community college/K-12 RFP (PDF)

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N.C. Energy Office announces classes to help agencies seeking federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (PDF)

12/1/2009 – The North Carolina Energy Office will offer a series of one-day classes to help potential applications for Federal Recovery Act funds under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. The classes will assist a variety of agencies, including state and local government agencies, UNC system institutions, community colleges and public schools. Learn about the plans, forms, reporting and other requirements for those who participate in the federal grant program.

There is no fee or advance registration required for participation in the classes. While the training is not mandatory, it is strongly encouraged. The following is the schedule of classes to be held and their locations. Classes will start at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m.

Click here to view the locations.

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Recovery Zone Bonds 'Notice of Intent' deadline is Dec. 15 (Word)

On June 12, 2009, the U.S. Treasury Department released allocations to states for Recovery Zone Bonds which are new types of debt created by the ARRA to encourage economic development in distressed areas. At this announcement, Treasury also made the allocations to local governments. For North Carolina , the allocations are to 94 counties and 7 cities.

As a reminder, it is necessary that these 94 counties and 7 cities submit their notice of intent to use their bond allocations and provide information about the projects to be financed to the N.C. Department of Commerce no later than December 15, 2009 , or the allocation will be deemed waived to the State for reallocation

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N.C. Energy Office designates firms for technical assistance to help agencies develop energy plans to access U.S. Recovery Funds (Word document)

11/20/2009 – The North Carolina Energy Office has designated 37 firms to provide technical assistance to state agencies, UNC system institutions, community colleges, public schools and local governments. These government entities can apply to the N.C. Energy Office to have one of the designated firms provide assistance with creating a strategic energy plan, responding to the project request for proposals (RFP), performing preliminary and detailed energy surveys and project measurement and verification. The fee for this Technical Service will be paid by the SEO through ARRA funding. Governmental entities are free to select any other firm not on the list, however they will be responsible for any expense associated with their selection.

Government entities must submit a strategic energy plan with their RFP response to be considered for an award. Attached is the application that must be completed to access the technical assistance. A list of the firms designated to provide technical assistance, and the areas they have been approved to provide service, is also attached. (More)

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ARRA website from Treasurer's Office to help local governments comply

The N.C. Treasurer's office now has a dedicated ARRA website with links to all the memos detailing how local governments must comply with the state's reporting requirements.  

One thing to note: the information on this website is applicable only to those units which receive money from the state (they will be sub-recipients in this case) and who have not otherwise been instructed by the granting state agency to report directly to the federal government.  A local government will need to go to www.federalreporting.gov for information if they received funds directly from a federal agency or if the granting state agency instructed them to report directly to the federal government instead.

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Forums to address opportunities for HUBS, minority business enterprises and disadvantaged business enterprises to participate in ARRA-funded projects

10/29/2009 - The N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development (the Institute) in partnership with the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has launched an advocacy and outreach intitiative to provide access and opportunity for North Carolina's historically underutilized businesses (HUBS), minority business enterprises (MBEs) and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) to participate in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-funded projects.

Partner agencies are encouraged to contact their membership to promote and participate in this outreach initiative. MBDA's 90-day outreach effort will end December 31, 2009; therefore, your support is paramount to the success of this project.

The MBDA's Advocacy and Outreach initiative will target cities and towns in at least 30 counties by hosting business forums throughout the state. These forums will match cities, counties, state agencies, school districts and other ARRA recipients with qualified HUBs, MBEs and DBEs who are capable of doing the work, who are ready to do the work and who are ready to sign the contracts. The forums will take place:

  Thursday, November 12 - Fayetteville, 3-6 p.m., Advanced Internet Technologies Inc.

  Thursday, November 19 - Raleigh, 3-6 p.m., Site TBA

  Thursday, December 3 - Kinston, 3-6 p.m., Kinston Business Center

To participate in this initiative as a strategic partner, contact Kaye Gantt at kgantt@ncimed.com . For more information go to www.ncmberecovery.com .

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DOE Webinar on EECBG competitive grants - register now!
10/28/2009 - The Department of Energy released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on October 19 for up to $454 million for state, local, and tribal governments to increase energy efficiency in the building and other sectors.  The grants will be competitively selected under the Recovery Act's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program in two topic areas: (1) the Retrofit Ramp-up Program and (2) the General Innovation Fund. Applications are due December 14, 2009.

Please join the Department of Energy for a webinar on this competitive grant program on Wednesday, November 4 from 4-5 ET.  You must register here to attend: https://eecbg.webex.com/eecbg/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=998007802 .  Please click the "register" link next to "event status" on the left hand side of the screen.

The first topic area, the "Retrofit Ramp-Up" program, will award up to $390 million for innovative programs that are structured to provide whole-neighborhood building energy retrofits. These will be projects that demonstrate a sustainable business model for providing cost-effective energy upgrades for a large percentage of the residential, commercial, industrial and public buildings in a specific community. Possible approaches could include innovative partnerships between the public and private sector, utility retrofit and audit programs, alternative financing, retail partnerships, and others.  DOE expects to make 8 to 20 awards under this topic area, with award size ranging from $5-75 million.

The second topic area, the "General Innovation Fund," will award up to $64 million to cities, counties and State-recognized Indian Tribes that were not eligible to receive population-based formula grant allocations from DOE under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. These funds are intended to help expand local energy efficiency efforts and reduce energy use in the commercial, residential, transportation, manufacturing, or industrial sectors. DOE expects to make 15 to 60 awards, with award size ranging from $1-5 million.

In this FOA, DOE is seeking applications which:

*       Leverage the participation and support of multiple local jurisdictions, regional planning agencies, and state energy offices;
*       Prioritize energy efficiency and/or energy conservation as first in the loading order before investments are made in new generation; however, DOE is interested in applications that integrate cost-effective renewables with efficiency;
*       Move beyond the planning stage and ready for implementation;
*       Clearly articulate and demonstrate the ability to achieve measurable stretch goals and that have the potential to make an impact at the regional or national level; and
*       Maximize the creation and/or retention of jobs in the United States.

For more information on the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program including accessing the Funding Opportunity Announcement, visit http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/about/competitive_grants.html .  See also the FAQ page at http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/about/competitive_grant_faq.html .

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Report: N.C. reports 24,442 jobs created or saved by stimulus money

10/16/2009 (Greensboro News & Record) -

Federal stimulus dollars are keeping thousands of people employed, information that North Carolina submitted to an oversight agency indicates.

But lawmakers, economists and other observers are cautious in evaluating what amounts to the first round of detailed information about how the stimulus is working in North Carolina, where the unemployment rate has hovered near 11 percent the past few months.

North Carolina reported late last week that federal stimulus spending flowing through state agencies has created or saved 24,442 jobs. ...

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ARRA Reporting Update

10/14/2009 - (From the National League of Cities) Congratulations to all of our member cities and towns on successfully filing first quarter ARRA reports this weekend. We celebrate your hard work on and dedication to such an unprecedented task!   

In further reviewing FederalReporting.gov this week, the National League of Cities noticed some guidance for "Late Reporting." 

In part, the guidance states, "since this is the first time that recipients are submitting data reports and some states are encountering technical challenges in filing bulk reports for their recipients, FederalReporting.gov will remain open for reporting until Oct. 20. During this 10-day grace period, late filers may submit their required quarterly report. However, they must explain their reasons for delayed reporting, and they will be later identified on Recovery.gov as late filers." 

We encourage you to pass the following information along to all of your members and other interested parties. For complete information, visit www.federalreporting.gov .

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Office of Economic Recovery and Investment announces $2 million awarded for high-speed broadband internet service mapping

10/12/2009 - The N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment (OERI) today announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded the first broadband mapping grants in the country through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. North Carolina's total award is $2,023,874.

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Local Water Projects Receive Reallocated Economic Recovery Funds

9/24/2009 - State officials today announced the reallocation of about $7.7 million in economic recovery funding to 12 communities for "green" drinking water projects and two communities for wastewater infrastructure projects as a part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act awards.

First ARRA highway project completed in Winston-Salem

9/17/2009 - Motorists traveling along Intestate 40 in Winston-Salem are not the only ones benefitting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) first completed project in North Carolina. The project provided work for 84 employees of APAC-Atlantic Inc., Thompson-Arthur Division of Greensboro and its subcontractors, including 12 who were previously laid off.

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New Memo on Reporting Requirements for ARRA (PDF)

9/11/2009 - The first reporting deadline for recipients of funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is fast approaching. Units that have received funds up through September 30, 2009, must report on those funds by October 10, 2009 at the latest. Many agencies are setting earlier deadlines, some as early as October 5, 2009.

It is imperative that local governments understand what is required of them for this reporting deadline. Reporting requirements differ across State agencies. If you received funds through a State agency, you may be required to report as a sub-recipient to that State agency or as a sub-recipient directly to the Federal government. If you received
funds directly from the Federal government (i.e. through the competitive grant process) you will be reporting to the Federal government as a recipient.

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COPS program hiring announcement (PDF)

July 28, 2009 summary for North Carolina showing the names of grantees and grant amounts.

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VC3, NCLM assisting on how to apply for Broadband recovery funds

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriated $7.2 billion to expand broadband access across the U.S., increase jobs, spur investments in technology and infrastructure, and provide long-term economic benefits. Applications for Round 2 of funding should be coming out in the January/February timeframe based on testimony provided Sept. 10th to the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet by NTIA and FCC representatives. Based on the experience of Round 1 applicants, the process is a very time-consuming endeavor that requires a significant amount of due diligence.

The Strategic Technology Partner for NCLM, VC3, has prepared some information regarding how to increase your chances of obtaining a grant.  You can access this information by clicking on the following link:  http://www.vc3.com/grants/

Note that it is important for each municipality and county as part of the grant application process to do their own research  in terms of the unserved and underserved areas in their jurisdiction. Do not accept as fact  the research that has been done by others.

Update: 7/28/09: Newly released FAQ now available online - click here

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Gov. Perdue announces second round of drinking water and wastewater recovery projects

7/20/2009 - Gov. Bev Perdue today announced a total of $45.2 million in drinking water, stormwater and wastewater projects in a second round of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) awards.  In total, 40 communities in 31 counties received second round funding.  More than half of the second-round projects were identified as "green" projects.

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N.C. Energy Office submits plans to create jobs and renew communities with Energy Efficiency & Conservation Grants

6/26/2009 - The North Carolina State Energy Office, along with the state Office of Economic Recovery and Investment, has sent the U.S. Energy Department a proposal to invest $20.9 million in federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants.  The grants will help create jobs, provide money for greater energy efficiency in North Carolina communities and encourage energy-saving innovations.  The grants are funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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31 contracts totaling more than $73 million awarded for highway projects across N.C.

6/24/2009 - Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that 31 contracts totaling $73 million have been awarded for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina, including 11 projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The contracts were awarded by Transportation Secretary Gene Conti to the lowest respective bidder, as required by state law. A list of the projects is attached.

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Carolina Economic Recovery Corps to help towns seek ARRA funds

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Office of Economic Development and Business Development, in an effort to help smaller cities, towns and counties to research, apply for and possibly acquire American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, has announced the creation of the Carolina Economic Recovery Corps (CERC). The corps is made up of eight graduate students from UNC who will spend 10 weeks this summer working full time as interns with Councils of Governments (COGs), specifically focused on recovery funds.

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Draft proposal to create jobs and renew N.C. communities through Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds in now available for public comment (PDF)

The North Carolina State Energy Office and the state Office of Economic Recovery and Investment have posted on the Internet, for public comment, an outline of a proposal to use $20.9 million in federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grants will help create jobs, provide money for greater energy efficiency in our communities and encourage energy-saving innovations.

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Contracts awarded for 17 additional highway projects funded through ARRA

5/29/2009 - Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that contracts have been awarded for 17 additional highway projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

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Gov. Perdue announces $62 million in crime grants

5/29/2009 - Gov. Bev Perdue today announced the awarding of $62 million in grants to state and local agencies to improve community safety and assist crime victims.

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Dollars and Cents: For Gang Programs that Make Sense

5/28/2009 - The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP) is pleased to announce the Community-Based Youth Gang Violence Prevention grants initiative.

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Memo from the N.C. State Treasurer on ARRA Debt Management Issues (PDF)

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Neighorhood Stabilization Program update

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has formulated its policy for stimulus funding of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP2). This nationally competitive program seeks to address the impact of home foreclosures on communities. One important detail to keep in mind is that HUD has set the minimum dollar amount for NSP2 applications at $5 million. Please visit the League's information page for further information.

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Gov. Perdue announces JobsNOW public water supply projects
5/8/2009 - Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that nearly $40.5 million will be awarded to 35 communities in 28 counties for public water supply projects from the first-round distribution of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Recovery funds awarded for wastewater and stormwater projects

4/24/2009 - Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that nearly $46 million will be awarded to 36 communities in 30 counties for wastewater and stormwater projects from the first-round distribution of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

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Local Government memo from the State Treasurer on Auditing Requirements involved with the ARRA (PDF)

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Local Government memo from the State Treasurer on Fiscal Management Issues involved with the ARRA (PDF)

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New, expanded memo on OMB guidance for federal stimulus implementation

On Feb. 18, the White House released a memo on guidance with regards to the federal recovery. On April 3, the White House published a newer, expanded memo (to be read as a complementary piece to the first memo). This 175-page memo can be found here.

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White House memo: Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds (PDF)

This memo stresses the importance of accountability and prudence with regards to the recover funding.

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New listserv on federal stimulus
A new listserv entitled "fedstimulusnclg" has been established. This stands for "Federal Stimulus for North Carolina Local Government." The list is a place for local government officials to learn about and discuss recovery issues.

You can subscribe from this School of Government web page: http://www.sog.unc.edu/listservs.html. Just go down the list until you find this listserv, then subscribe. Subscribers are approved before participation is permitted.

As a subscriber, you will receive email from the listserv. Instead of subscribing, you may also visit the list from this page in the future. Posted messages can be viewed here. One message, about an ICMA audioconference, has been posted.

Our listservs can be viewed by the public through the visitor feature.

UNC Chapel Hill provides the listserv technology that makes this and the other listservs possible. We are grateful for their support.

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NOTE: Registration Information for Federal Government Grants

The federal government uses a central website for all discretionary grant applications, known as FedConnect. While this website does not always have all the details on every grant, municipalities will be required to register on this website for funding. Municipalities can pre-register with FedConnect now. For more information, go to "Things Municipalities Should Know" in the League's guidance package. Please allow 21 days to complete the registration process.

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White House memo on guidance for recovery requirements for bidding out, record keeping and other aspects of implementing recovery programs.

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This stimulus page is under development. As we have additonal information we will update and add to this page.

For federal information and explanations
go to www.recovery.gov
Recovery.gov is a website that lets you, the taxpayer, figure out where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. There are going to be a few different ways to search for information. The money is being distributed by Federal agencies, and soon you'll be able to see where it's going -- to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which federal contractors.

NCRecovery.gov is now live!

On Feb. 27, 2009, Gov. Bev Perdue launched www.NCRecovery.gov, a guide to services of the newly created Office of Economic Recovery & Investment. NCRecovery.gov will let visitors track federal recovery funds in North Carolina, as well as learn about local contract and grant opportunities.

"I am committed to providing the people of North Carolina with a simple-to-navigate guide that is efficient, transparent and accountable," Perdue said. "I want the people of North Carolina to understand exactly how the money will be used to put North Carolina back to work."

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Since the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, League staff has identified and is tracking 30 program areas as potential revenue for municipal governments, met with North Carolina and federal officials to advocate for funding opportunities, and developed a website tool allowing frequent updates on federal stimulus-related activities.

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What the League website will do for you:
•  Provide timely, accurate information regarding funding sources, deadlines, training, and public hearings;

•  Alert you to special conditions related to funding;

•  Give you contact information for each funding area;

•  Allow you to sign up (above right) for an email service telling you of new stimulus-related information as it's posted online

What League staff will do for you:

•  Work to streamline the funding process & information;

•  Assist you in finding the information you need;

•  Continue close discussions with Governor Perdue's staff, state and federal agency staff, and legislators.

What you should be doing now

Until state and federal agencies formulate their policies regarding distribution of stimulus funds, please continue development of projects as before. Each program will have different rules, deadlines, and opportunities for application. Some programs will be administered by federal agencies and others by state agencies.

Please note, if a municipality hires a firm/independent contractor lobbyist to lobby exclusively on federal issues, the municipality is not subject to the state ethics and lobbying acts.  However, if the firm provides lobbying assistance at the state level in lobbying either the legislative branch or executive branch officials, then the provisions of the ethics and lobbying acts are triggered, and the municipality will need to register with the Secretary of State's Office as principals, and the municipality and the lobbyist will become subject to all requirements and prohibitions under NCGS Chapters 138A and 120C, like the gift ban.  

As League staff receives more information, we will post it to the NCLM website. Sign up (above right) for email updates.

To see related story on WRAL.com click on headline below.
Obama tells mayors to spend stimulus money wisely
From WRAL.com and the Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Where is Your Money Going?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act targets investments towards key areas that will save or create good jobs immediately, while also laying the groundwork for long-term economic growth. The charts and numbers below give you an idea of where the money is going.

Over the upcoming months, we will provide more information on the distribution of funding by Federal agencies. In order to give small businesses and Americans across the country a chance to apply for recovery dollars to create and save jobs, some funding may not be distributed until this summer. New information on the allocation of funds will be posted on Recovery.gov as it becomes available.

* Tax Relief - includes $15 B for Infrastructure and Science, $61 B for Protecting the Vulnerable, $25 B for Education and Training and $22 B for Energy, so total funds are $126 B for Infrastructure and Science, $142 B for Protecting the Vulnerable, $78 B for Education and Training, and $65 B for Energy.

This information is from www.recovery.com

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