Upcoming SLFRF Reporting Deadline: NLC's Five Tips for Small Governments

Reprinted from CitiesSpeak.org, the offi  cial blog of the National League of Cities.

Last month we reached the second  anniversary of the passage of the  American Rescue Plan Act, which  funded the State and Local Fiscal Relief  Fund and provided a historic direct  federal Investment to every one of the  nation’s local governments.

In addition to considering how to use  any unallocated funds and celebrating  the investments of these dollars, local  governments should start preparations  to comply with the reporting  requirements tied to these funds.

At the end of April, all local governments  will have to fi le a Project & Expenditure  report to comply with the receipt of their  ARPA funds. Of these government  units, more than 26,000 reports  are expected to be made by NonEntitlement Units of Local Government  (NEUs), which are what the U.S.  Department of the Treasury considers  smaller governments.

This deadline may seem daunting  for smaller government operations or  new staff not familiar with the reporting  process. Here are the top fi ve tips from  NLC to help you navigate the process.

Check Whether Your City Or Town Took The Standard Allowance In April 2022

The standard allowance option allows  a city to take up to $10 million, not to  exceed the total size of the grant, in  lost revenue and use those funds for  government services. It provides the  most streamlined reporting and is the  most fl exible expenditure category.

In 2022, the guidance said that cities  had to make a one-time, irrevocable  decision to take the standard allowance. However, subsequent  guidance modifi ed this by saying a city  could choose the standard allowance  on their next fi ling—which for most cities  is April 2023.

As this is the most fl exible expenditure  category, it is recommended that  your city consider electing to take the  standard allowance in 2023 if you did  not in 2022.

Log In Early

Thousands of cities waited  until the last minute to fi le their  Project & Expenditure reports before  the last April reporting deadline,  which caused a significant delay in  troubleshooting any filing questions  and access to the portal. The Treasury  help centers were fl ooded with calls and  emails from city offi  cials and staff trying  to get into the portal. For any number  of reasons, many cities had trouble  accessing the portal.

One of the challenges cities might face  this year is if the people designated in the  system as having access to Treasury’s  portal are no longer be employed with  your city. Ensure you have a designated  staff to complete the report and they  have proper access to the system, well  in advance of the deadline.

USE TREASURY’S RESOURCES

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has resources that can assist  local governments learning how to  fi le their Project & Expenditure report.  From compliance manuals to YouTube  videos, Treasury has tried to make it as  easy as possible for cities to comply.

The fi rst resource smaller governments  can go to learn more about fi ling their report is one of the U.S. Treasury’s  YouTube videos which has been  specifi cally tailored for NEUs (search  for WEBINAR: State & Local Fiscal  Recovery Fund: Compliance &  Reporting Guidance).

The video is 42 minutes long, but if you  start early, this will be 42 minutes well  spent to save you time later.

USE LOGIN.GOV

If you are new to the filing  process or only did it last year, you might forget where to start.

Login.gov is the website where cities  can go to access Treasury’s reporting  portal. They offer a helpful step-by-step  guide to help elected offi  cials and city  staff create credentials for Login.gov.

Use The Help Desks If You Get Stuck

In October, Treasury ran out of  funding to staff the help desks for the  SLFRF program, leaving cities to fi gure  it out on their own. NLC fought hard to  get money for the help desks added to  the end of the year spending package,  which successfully passed Congress  and was signed by President Biden.

Now, the help desks are once again  operational and ready to help city  staff and elected offi  cials fi le their April  reports. If you need to reach a person at  the Treasury help desk, you can email  SLFRF@treasury.gov or call (844) 5299527. ■

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