City Financial Recovery and Support
March 29, 2022
City of Lowell, Massachusetts
March 29, 2022In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a major disaster throughout the United States. As part of the response, the state and the county were allocated funds through CARES Act, Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF), and American Rescue Plan Act(ARPA). The County received a total of $18 million to aid in recovery for the people and businesses in Finney County.
SITUATION
Covering over 1,300 square miles and with a population of almost 37,000 residents, the County is located in the southwest part of Kansas. The major disaster declaration opened reimbursement possibilities for all eligible Public Assistance applicants, including cities and counties across the country.
TASK
The recovery process is complex and often overwhelming, so we work with our clients to guide them through the FEMA requirements and ensure they receive the maximum eligible recovery of costs. iParametrics was retained by the County to support grant management and writing for pandemic and disaster-related reimbursements to increase resiliency by improving the systems that support housing, access to government, and infrastructure.
ACTION
The iParametrics team is providing the County with comprehensive grant management and cost recovery services, including strategic planning, FEMA PA cost recovery, program implementation support, and technical assistance and training. The strategic planning aspect covers how to utilize SPARK grant and other sources of available funding, including FEMA PA. The cost recovery includes training County staff on FEMA cost recovery tactics and assisting with project applications.
RESULT
We managed a grant program of over $20 million in funding from all federal funding streams, grants, and additional FEMA PA funds. We wrote the grant funding request for $1.8 million in new state grants and launched four grant programs. We have assisted over 100 households, 29 businesses, and 20 community organizations.
"Their assistance in managing the County’s approximate $11 million in CARES Act CRF funding has allowed us to excel and become a recognized leader in the State of Kansas. With their assistance, we were able to successfully access more than $2 million of additional funding, allowing us to maximize the assistance to our residents, improve the County’s response capabilities, and ensure our long-term economic viability.”Robert Reece, County Administrator