Flush with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners was inspired to fund transformational change that would improve the wealth and financial acumen of future generations. County boards of commissioners in Michigan have budget development and oversight responsibility, and board members and other county officials and leaders agreed that the $72 million in stimulus funds from ARPA could enable transformational change throughout all communities in Washtenaw County.

Beyond funding immediate assistance to county residents who had been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and performing deferred maintenance in environmentally sustainable ways to county infrastructure, the board’s overriding, long-range goal was to mitigate poverty throughout the county.

• Publication date: April 2023
• Author: Catherine McClary