Lakewood Survey Will Help As City Allocates Pandemic Relief Funds

LAKEWOOD, WA — The City of Lakewood is asking for public input before it allocates millions of dollars in coronavirus pandemic relief funding.

To gather public input, city leaders have prepared a quick survey asking residents if the pandemic has personally impacted them or their family members, and how the pandemic has affected Lakewood as a community.

>> Take the survey here.

The City of Lakewood says the results of that survey will help City Council as it crafts a plan to use its remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Through ARPA, the City of Lakewood has been allocated $13.77 million to mitigate the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lakewood is one of just 34 Washington cities to receive funds directly through ARPA. The only other Pierce County city identified for significant funding is Tacoma, which will receive nearly $61 million.

Under the stipulations in the American Rescue Plan Act, Lakewood can only use the money to:

• Support the public health response, by funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral health care, mental health and substance misuse treatment, and certain public health and safety personnel.
• Address the economic fallout caused by the public health emergency, including by rehiring public workers, providing aid to those in need of food, housing or other financial aid, offering small business assistance, and extending support for industries hardest hit by the crisis.
• Invest in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure, improving access to clean drinking water, supporting vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and expanding access to broadband internet.

Despite the challenges the pandemic posed, city leaders have said Lakewood is in a strong financial position currently and is not in a rush to spend the ARPA funding. As a result, they say they have time to hear what the public has to say before breaking out the checkbook.