Washington Co. Got $51M From American Rescue Plan: How That Compares

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — The American Rescue Plan Act sent $2.8 billion in coronavirus-relief funding to Minnesota, with half of that going directly to counties throughout the state.

Washington County was awarded just under $51 million from the coronavirus-relief program, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

ARPA funding to local, state and tribal governments across the country totaled $350 billion, which was meant to help officials respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and “address disparities in communities hardest hit by the pandemic,” the Treasury Department said.

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The American Rescue Plan Act’s $2.8 billion in coronavirus-relief funding for Minnesota included $1.11 billion in direct payments to Minnesota counties, $644 million for 21 large cities and $377 million for non-entitlement units of government.

State and local governments can use the funding to replace lost public sector revenue; respond to pandemic-related public health and economic impacts; provide extra pay for essential workers; and invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.

Washington County’s ARPA allocation of $50,975,893 was the sixth-largest among Minnesota’s 87 counties.

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County officials said they plan to spend more than $19 million, or about 38 percent of Washington County's ARPA funding, on public health initiatives.

The county has earmarked $8 million to upgrade heating, cooling and ventilation at its campus in Stillwater, with $5.1 million to be spent to increase security and reconfigure workspaces in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

More than $2.6 million in ARPA funding will go toward payroll and benefits for workers who responded directly to the pandemic, while the county’s COVID-19 testing and vaccination programs will each receive $500,000, officials said.

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Washington County officials are also planning to spend up to $6.8 million to convert a hotel with 50-75 beds into a shelter with 30 beds to “serve the hardest-hit communities and families, and address health disparities and the social determinants of health, investments in housing, and neighborhoods,” officials said.

The shelter, which officials hope to open next spring, would be the first permanent shelter in Washington County for single adults.

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The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a measure in January to spend $800,000 of the county’s ARPA funds to secure about 20 rooms at WoodSpring Suites in Woodbury and Stillwater Inn & Suites, which will serve as emergency shelters through January 2023.

American Rescue Plan Act Funding For Minnesota Counties (Top 20)

1. Hennepin County: $245,875,163
2. Ramsey County: $106,893,403
3. Dakota County: $83,332,300
4. Anoka County: $69,327,720
5. St. Louis County: $54,536,596
6. Washington County: $50,975,893
7. Stearns County: $31,286,930
8. Olmsted County: $30,746,560
9. Scott County: $28,944,028
10. Wright County: $26,878,110
11. Carver County: $20,412,306
12. Sherburne County: $18,887,342
13. Blue Earth County: $13,140,802
14. Rice County: $13,008,526
15. Crow Wing County: $12,636,171
16. Clay County: $12,474,371
17. Otter Tail County: $11,410,722
18. Chisago County: $10,989,807
19. Winona County: $9,805,925
20. Beltrami County: $9,165,716