ASHEVILLE, NC (WLOS) — Buncombe County Commissioners on Tuesday, June 18, approved the reallocation of nearly $2 million in COVID-19 recovery funds.
Buncombe County originally received approximately $51 million through the United States Treasury from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to invest in the community to offset the negative economic impacts of the pandemic.
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“If there’s a need for the program, and there’s clearly a need for this program in the community, our job is to see how it can best be enhanced and what the best source is to meet the needs of the program,” said Tyler Henry, Strategic Partnerships Grants Manager.
More than half of this money has already been spent on initiatives such as affordable housing, early education and community violence intervention.
Now, nearly $2 million will be reallocated, with more than half of that amount being removed from broadband infrastructure expansion. This is after staff determined that the $3 million previously allocated was sufficient to complete this cycle.
More than $500,000 will be provided to fund four community paramedic positions by June 2026. New equipment such as stretcher systems, heart monitors and ventilators will also be provided.
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The remaining approximately $1.4 million will be spent on a new project aimed at easing financial pressure on fiscal year 2025.