City Council Agenda Report
October 20, 2026
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: Jesus M. Gomez, City Manager
BY: Jana Stuard, Director of Finance/City Treasurer
Jennifer Hernandez, Administrative Services Supervisor
SUBJECT: AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT PROJECTS STATUS UPDATE Background:
On March 10, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”), which established the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (“SLFRF”) program to provide financial assistance to state and local governments in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Under U.S. Department of the Treasury requirements, ARPA funds were required to be obligated by December 31, 2024, and must be expended by December 31, 2026. Any funds remaining unspent after the expenditure deadline must be returned to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The City of Norwalk received $28,046,746 in ARPA funding based on the applicable federal allocation formula. The U.S. Department of the Treasury established requirements governing the eligible uses and administration of these funds.
On August 17, 2021, the City Council approved the City's ARPA spending plan, allocating funding to eligible projects addressing community needs and operational priorities. Table 1 summarizes key City Council actions related to ARPA funding.
Table 1: ARPA Actions
Date Action Result
July 26, 2021
Presentation of the ARPA spending
plan to the Fiscal Ad Hoc
Committee.
The plan was refined to prioritize
infrastructure and capital
investments.
August 3, 2021 Presentation of the draft ARPA
spending plan to the City Council.
The City Council directed staff to
remove potential redundancies
with other community programs
City Council October 20, 2026
ARPA Status Update Page No. 2
Date Action Result
August 17, 2021
Consideration of the ARPA
spending plan incorporating City
Council recommendations.
Approval of ARPA Spending
plan
November 16,
2021
Consideration of Resolution No. 21-
69 authorizing premium pay for
eligible essential workers.
The resolution and
corresponding premium
payments were approved.
May 3, 2022
Consideration of Resolution No. 22-
23 approving electronic bid
management software.
The resolution and
implementation of the software
were approved.
October 4, 2022
Consideration of Resolution No. 22-
54 approving web-based timecard
software.
The resolution and
implementation of the software
were approved.
December 3, 2024
Consideration of Resolution No. 24-
60 approving interagency
Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) templates to obligate
remaining ARPA funds.
The resolution was approved,
authorizing the execution of
three interagency MOUs to
obligate the remaining funds
within the required timeframe.
December 17,
2024
Consideration of an agreement for
The Walk to commit ARPA funding
for development.
ARPA funding was approved for
the project.
June 16, 2026
Consideration of Resolution No. 26-
37 to re-obligate ARPA funding to
existing projects.
The resolution was approved,
reallocating funding to existing
ARPA projects to facilitate timely
expenditures.
October 6, 2026
Consideration of Resolution 26-59
to re-obligate ARPA funding to
existing projects.
The City Council directed staff to
continue the item and provide an
ARPA status report.
Annually
Consideration of the annual budget,
including ARPA project listings and
status.
Approval of annual budget.
Staff continue to implement the approved projects and monitor expenditures for compliance with federal requirements. Of the City's 24 ARPA projects, 15 are complete and nine remain active.
As shown in Table 2 on the following page, total expenditures across completed and active projects are $26.4 million, representing approximately 94% of the City's total ARPA allocation.
Two completed projects have remaining balances totaling $489,634. These funds may be considered for re-obligation and reallocated to other eligible ARPA projects, subject to applicable federal requirements and City Council approval.
City Council October 20, 2026
ARPA Status Update Page No. 3
Table 2: ARPA Projects as of October 2026
ARPA
Project # Project Name Project Budget Project Expenditures Project
Balance
Completed ARPA Projects
1 1.21219 COVID Testing 23,519 23,519 -
2 1.45219 Modernize Ventilation Citywide 16,625 16,625 - 3 2.361219 Aid to Impacted Industries Signage 182,600 32,966 149,634 4 2.366219 Heart of Norwalk Revitalization 583,893 583,893 - 5 3.1219 HOPE Team 1,326,053 1,326,053 -
6 3.3219 HOPE Team Operations 150,644 150,644 -
7 4.1219 ARPA - Premium Pay 459,719 459,719 -
8 6.1219 Revenue Replacement 10,000,000 10,000,000 -
9 1.7C1219 Public Communication Efforts 280,000 280,000 - 10 1.7C3219 Enhanced Communication Staffing 177,840 177,840 - 11 1.7C4219 Website Enhancements 50,000 50,000 -
12 7.1T1219 Scan & Digitize Plans 470,000 130,000 340,000 13 7.1T2219 Agenda Management 71,224 71,224 -
14 7.1T3219 Electronic Bid Management 64,416 64,416 -
15 7.1T4219 Digital Timecard System 309,267 309,267 -
Subtotal Completed ARPA Projects $14,165,800 $13,676,166 *$489,634 *Project savings available for re-obligation
Active ARPA Projects
16 1.7C8219
Security & Safety Improvement
Project (Dispatch/Security Upgrades, and
Front Reception upgrade project @ City Hall)
742,000 366,739 375,261
17 7.1T5219 Software Upgrades 1,061,219 1,061,218 1
18 7.1T6219 Technology Upgrades 1,116,181 1,061,304 54,877 Subtotal Active ARPA Projects 2,919,400 2,489,261 430,139 Active ARPA Projects (With no Additional Funding Need)
19 1.46219 Energy Project (Syserco Project) 1,895,682 1,876,822 18,860 20 1.7C2219 Security Technology Equipment 1,661,957 1,208,291 453,666 21 1.7C5219 Cable Program Equipment Upgrade 382,632 370,403 12,229 22 1.7C6219 Emergency Operations Center
Upgrade 466,200 461,280 4,920
23 2.15219 Affordable Housing Project 3,884,155 3,872,075 12,080 24 7.1A219 Administrative Staff & Other
Expenditures 2,670,920 2,486,261 184,659
Subtotal Active ARPA Projects
(With no Additional Funding Need) $13,880,946 $12,764,393 $1,116,553 TOTAL ARPA $28,046,746 $26,440,559 $1,606,187
Active projects are anticipated for completion by the expenditure deadline of December 31, 2026 Nine ARPA projects remain active and are anticipated for completion by the December 31, 2026 expenditure deadline. These projects support energy improvements, security technology, cable City Council October 20, 2026
ARPA Status Update Page No. 4
program equipment, emergency operations center upgrades, City Hall security improvements, affordable housing, administrative expenditures, software upgrades, and technology upgrades.
Of the nine active projects, the following three are eligible to receive reallocated funding:
• Project No. 1.7C8219 – Security & Safety Improvement Project • Project No. 7.1T5219 – Software Upgrades
• Project No. 7.1T6219 – Technology Hardware Upgrades
At its October 6, 2026, meeting, City Council considered a staff recommendation to re-obligate remaining funds from completed ARPA projects to selected active projects. The City Council continued the item and requested an updated report detailing project status and available balances to support its consideration of funding allocations.
This report provides the requested update on completed and active ARPA projects, including their budgets, expenditures, and remaining balances. Included in Attachment 1 is a comprehensive list of ARPA projects including their scope. With the December 31, 2026, federal expenditure deadline approaching, the City must evaluate eligible expenditures that can be completed and paid by the deadline.
Fiscal Impact:
There is $489,634 available in ARPA project savings for re-obligation to other active and eligible ARPA projects.
Citizens Advised:
N/A
Strategic Plan 2023 Implementation:
The recommended action will further the City’s Strategic Plan Goal 3: Partner with our stakeholders to create and sustain a resilient and economically prosperous City with opportunity for everyone.
Recommended Action:
Receive and File.
Attachments:
ARPA Project Listing