Subject:
Title
Engaging Harrisonburg - Results of a six month public input process for allocating ARPA funds
Body
Presented By: Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue (ICAD): Dr. Kara Dillard, Co-Director, Dr. Lori Britt, Co-Director, Dr. Rob Alexander, Co-Director City of Harrisonburg: Luke Morgan, ARPA Coordinator
Recommendation and Review
Presenters will share the results from a six-month, multi-phase public input process designed to collect public input regarding the impacts of the pandemic on individuals, households, businesses, and community; the needs that emerged or were made more difficult in the pandemic; and, the public priorities for investing the City of Harrisonburg’s ARPA fund allocation to address the most important needs. Information shared will include best practices of public engagement for ARPA funding decision-making, the approach taken to secure feedback from a wide cross-section of the City, the demographics of who participated, the pandemic impacts reported, the needs identified, and the priorities indicated. Presenters will share the priorities from multiple angles including by Census district (area of City), by household income, by age, and by race and ethnicity. Finally, for the highest priorities, presenters will share a subset of project ideas for addressing these priorities identified during this process.