Snohomish County Government: Executive Somers Announces Countywide Engagement Plan For Federal Recovery Investments

Edmonds WA

21 May, 2022

3:37 AM

Description

Press release from the Snohomish County Government: May 17, 2022 Snohomish County, Wash., May 17, 2022 – Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers today announced that the Office of Recovery & Resilience (ORR) and partners are launching a countywide engagement effort to guide investment strategies for the county's $160 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation. The effort will include one in-person recovery event in each County Council district and is informed by key partners across major recovery issue areas – like human services and economic development – as well as local elected officials. "Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Snohomish County communities have come together to do what's best for all of us: We've gotten vaccinated, tested, and rallied around our front-line workers and small businesses. Our collective recovery should be no different – we have to do it together," said Executive Somers. "That's why the county and partners are embarking on this extensive outreach and engagement effort. We want to hear directly from our residents and businesses on what recovery means to them. Our goal is to ensure we make smart and sustainable investments that are responsive to community needs, with a focus on people most impacted by the pandemic." "Hearing directly from people in our community about ways that the pandemic has impacted them, and then centering their stories and perspectives into our county's recovery will put the county's best foot forward as we recover from a tumultuous past two years," said Councilmember Megan Dunn, Chair of the County Council (District 2). "The County has one chance to spend our ARPA dollars and I'm proud of the work being done to allocate funding as equitably as possible." "Given the significant amount of federal funding being allocated through the county, it is critical that these taxpayer funds are spent wisely," said Councilmember Nate Nehring (District 1). "My top priority is ensuring that we take time to listen to our constituents so that we can hear the existing needs directly from those who have been most impacted by the pandemic and associated economic restrictions." "As a community, we have come a long way towards recovering from the impacts of COVID, but there is still so much to be done," said Councilmember Stephanie Wright (District 3). "Hearing directly from the people is a crucial step in addressing the needs of our families, neighbors, and businesses. Learning from their stories and ideas will help us target these resources in a way that makes us stronger as a county for years to come." "The residents of Snohomish County have been affected tremendously by the events of the past two years. Given that, it is important that the community have ample opportunity to voice their thoughts on how these dollars should be invested," said Councilmember Sam Low (District 5). As part of this countywide engagement effort, ORR and Executive Somers convened the following groups: Economic Recovery Advisory Group, which includes economic and workforce development leaders from across the county, co-chaired by Economic Alliance Snohomish County (EASC) President & CEO Garry Clark and Port of Everett CEO & Executive Director Lisa Lefeber;Community Services Advisory Council, which advises the county on all matters relating to the causes of poverty and to a reduction in the effects of poverty; Human Services Executives Board, a coalition of human services leaders from across the county; A cohort of community-based organizations that serve county communities furthest from opportunity, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and immigrants and refugees; A diverse group of faith leaders from across the county; Board members from the Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County; andA cohort of arts and culture organizations convened by the Snohomish County Arts Commission. ORR and county partners led facilitated discussions with these groups to solicit their feedback on priorities and strategies for the county's federal recovery funds. In addition, ORR and partners are meeting with local mayors, city administrators, and community organizations in at least 18 cities across the county. To further involve Snohomish County residents and businesses in recovery planning, ORR will host five in-person recovery events. These events will take place throughout May and June in each County Council district. Recovery events will have three parts: Resource tables where attendees can connect directly with Snohomish County and community-based services and resources. Participating organizations include – but are not limited to – the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Planning and Development Services, and Volunteers of America Western Washington. Voting session where attendees can vote for their top three recovery investment priorities to help guide county decision-making. A deep-dive recovery discussion on the top-voted issues. Residents can provide feedback on how they have been impacted by the pandemic and work alongside county staff to start to develop solutions and programs. Child care or kids activities as well as dinner will be provided on-site at no cost to attendees. These events are free and open to the public, and they will include an opportunity to connect directly with local elected officials and county staff on important pandemic recovery issues. Attendees do not need to stay for the entire event to participate. Details on each event are included below. District Four Recovery Event Location: Mountlake Terrace City Hall, 23204 58th Ave W, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 More information & RSVP: www.snohomishcountywa.gov/recovery District Three Recovery Meeting Location: Lynnwood Library – Sno-Isle Libraries; 19200 44th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036 More information & RSVP: www.snohomishcountywa.gov/recovery District Five Recovery Event Location: 4H Building #501, Evergreen State Fair Park, 14405 179th Ave SE, Monroe WA 98272 More information & RSVP: www.snohomishcountywa.gov/recovery District Two Recovery Event Location: Public Meeting Room 1 & Plaza, Snohomish County Campus, 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett, WA 98201 More information & RSVP: www.snohomishcountywa.gov/recovery District One Recovery Event Location: Byrnes Performing Arts Center; 8821 Crown Ridge Blvd, Arlington, WA 98223 More information & RSVP: www.snohomishcountywa.gov/recovery After the five recovery events, resident and business feedback will be collected into a report and released publicly, and this report will help inform the spending plan for the county's remaining ARPA funds. County programs using the recovery funds will be directly responsive to community priorities. Snohomish County residents and business can find more information on these events, as well as additional relief and recovery resources, at www.snohomishcountywa.gov/recovery. Press Release... This press release was produced by the Snohomish County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.