LUBBOCK, Texas — In 2021, Lubbock County and the City of Lubbock were awarded a total of approximately $118 million in grants as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The federal funding was intended to support the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19.
Lubbock County received more than $60 million and the city of Lubbock received about $58 million for spending. EverythingLubock.com spoke with city and county officials Wednesday about what they decided to spend the money on.
“You always have to spend that money once, so start slow,” City Manager Jarrett Atkinson said.
City and county officials’ primary focus was on spending money correctly.
“What we were doing was looking at things that would not only help us now, but prepare us for the future,” Lubbock County Judge Parrish said.
Parrish and Atkinson said both the city and county have poured significant funds into small businesses and nonprofits that have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We wanted to use this money to replenish small businesses that suffered losses during the COVID-19 shutdown,” Parrish said.
Lubbock County also donated $10 million toward the construction of a new medical examiner’s office. Parrish said construction has already begun and he plans to complete the project within the next two years.
City officials have earmarked $10 million for public safety.
“That will ensure the safety of our public safety personnel,” Atkinson said. “They will do more and better work for all of us.”
Parrish said the county is fully determined on what the relief money will be used for. Atkinson said the city of Lubbock still has room to allocate $3.9 million.
Atkinson said there is a proposal to spend the remaining funds on equipment to improve water pressure in West Lubbock, called the West Lubbock Water Expansion Project.
The deadline for funding allocation is December 31, 2024.
Both city and county officials said they were proud of where they decided to spend federal money.
“We’ve received a lot of reports from small businesses saying, ‘Thank you.’ Thank you for helping us without donations. Without this money, we would have had to close our doors,” Parrish said. said.
Atkinson believes the results will be long-lasting.
“All that money is going to go here, it’s going to stay here, and the results are going to reach all of us here. I think that’s a good thing,” Atkinson said.
