At its March 21 meeting, the Zionsville Town Council passed an amended ordinance to establish a plan for how to spend the town’s initial allotment of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Zionsville was allocated $6,402,231 in ARPA funds and has received $3,201,115 as of March 7.
Of that $3,201,115, the council unanimously voted in favor of an amendment to spend up to $700,000 to provide premium pay stipends to the town’s public safety employees in the town. The council had originally voted on a figure of $623,162.
The rest of the funds will go into a Lost Income Recovery fund. The fund will have spending flexibility and will allow the council to work with members of the public and the mayor’s administration to prioritize programs and projects, such as modernization of cybersecurity and addressing critical infrastructure, according to Zionsville Town Council Attorney Heather Harris.
“This is the first use of ARPA funds for the Town of Zionsville,” Town Council President Jason Plunkett said. “During the early onset of the global pandemic, our first responders endured unparalleled challenges. The town council agreed that it was important to thank them and show our support. We also know that this is only the first step for using the ARPA funds. The council has always believed that all town employees are essential to the operations and functions of our town government in serving the citizens of Zionsville. As we have stated on numerous occasions, we intend to provide a similar stipend to other employees who are eligible.
“Beyond this first step, we have a great opportunity to work with the administration on how we can best use the remaining funds to serve our community. We look forward to that open and transparent dialogue.”
The ordinance included three amendments:
- Raised premium pay stipends for public safety employees from $623,162 to $700,000.
- Raised the maximum premium payment from $1,500 to up to $3,000 for part-time firefighters.
- Added Zionsville Fire Dept. public educators and EMS managers as eligible employees for stipends, with payments allowed up to $5,000.
“With the American Rescue Plan Act dollars provided by President Biden and Congress, the town council and administration staff agreed on using the funds for compensation for public safety,” Zionsville Mayor Emily Styron stated in an email. “We have a lot of other employees who meet the guidelines set forth by the federal government. Our administration wants to recognize their work and contributions throughout the pandemic. I am advocating for another round of ARPA funding for these team members and hope to have continued discussions on these allocations.”
Plunkett said the eligible employees should receive stipends April 22.
