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Kansas Office of Recovery





December 30, 2022






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This week’s edition of the Office of Recovery Newsletter features an update on the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) process. The State Finance Council has approved $374 million in programs recommended by the SPARK Executive Committee for the distribution of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) dollars. More information on approved programs and the timeline for funding is below.

Also included is information about the second round of the Capital Projects Fund (CPF) Grant Program awards that are helping lay the foundation for high-speed broadband in rural communities in Kansas. Six broadband companies received a total of $23.1 million in funding through the program’s second round.

For the latest Treasury updates and information about resources available to Kansans, see the “Updates to Services and Support” section of this newsletter. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Office of Recovery website at: COVID.ks.gov [ [link removed] ]  

 

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SPARK Update
SPARK
 

*$374 million in ARPA Relief Funds Approved for Programmatic Distribution*

On December 21, 2022, the State Finance Council approved a total of $374 million in COVID-19 relief funds for broadband infrastructure and adoption, the modernization and improvement of government services, economic development, and health and education initiatives recommended by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Executive Committee. 

The SPARK Executive Committee met on December 20 to consider program design proposals for COVID-19 relief funding recommended by the committee in September [ [link removed] ]. The Executive Committee reviewed the proposals and recommended programming to distribute $374 million in federal coronavirus relief funds allocated to Kansas through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of March 2021. 

The portfolio of approved funding includes competitive grant programs in the four SPARK Advisory Panel areas: Connectivity, Efficiency and Modernization, Health and Education, and Economic Revitalization. 

An overview of approved programs is available on the Office of Recovery’s website [ [link removed] ]. 

Additional details on these competitive funding opportunities, including information on the timeline and process to apply for funding through these programs, will be forthcoming from administering agencies by the end of February.  

Those that previously submitted a proposal to the SPARK process will be notified of funding opportunities relevant to their proposal once that information is available. In the meantime, please keep an eye out for program updates from the Office of Recovery and administering State Agencies.

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Broadband Development in Kansas

Broadband

 

*Second Round of Capital Project Fund Grant Program Awards Announced
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The Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) has announced $23.1 million will be awarded to six service providers that will bring high-speed broadband service to nearly 4,200 homes, businesses, schools, health care facilities, and other institutions in unserved and rural areas of the state. This is the second of three rounds of awards from the Kansas Capital Project Fund (CPF) Grant Program. 

The goal of this funding is to solve the “last mile” of broadband need in critical areas. The targeted counties have as few as five locations per square mile, which until now has prevented companies from investing the resources to deliver a quality broadband option. The CPF Grant Program provides the funding needed to implement high-speed broadband in these areas of the state.  

The grant program results from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s approval of Kansas’ Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) broadband infrastructure plan. The federal CPF program is a $10 billion initiative available to states, territories, and tribal governments under the American Rescue Plan Act to fund capital projects. Kansas was one of the first eight states in the country approved for funding under this program and was allocated $83.5 million. The CPF program opportunity resulted in 141 applications from providers requesting $693 million in funding support to build out broadband infrastructure across Kansas.    

Once matching funds from the service providers are included, the total broadband investment in Phase 2 surpasses $30 million. 

Grant awardees and communities that will benefit from the second phase of the Kansas CPF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program include: 


* *IdeaTek *(Finney, Haskell, Scott, Seward counties) - $7,943,385 to connect 1,121 premises 
* *KwiKom *(Franklin, Lyon, Osage counties) - $1,810,941 to connect 1,333 premises 
* *Mokan Dial *(Franklin County) - $6,948,173 to connect 663 premises 
* *PGB Fiber, LLC *(Finney County) - $1,811,463 to connect 137 premises 
* *S&T Communications *(Wallace County) - $997,844 to connect 118 premises
* *WTC *(Geary, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee counties) - $3,599,749 to connect 814 premises

 

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Updates to Services and Support
Services and Support
Federal Funding Remains Available to Certain Kansas Counties

On September 29, the U.S. Department of the Treasury began releasing the first round of Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF) payments, providing $1.5 billion to 2,086 “eligible revenue sharing counties” under the American Rescue Plan Act. Approximately 50 Kansas counties are eligible for these payments.  

Treasury has already determined the amount of funding each eligible county will receive. The distribution formula reflects the original intent of the LATCF to support counties with federal lands within their jurisdiction. A total of 2,086 local governments, which includes the approximately 50 counties in Kansas, are considered eligible revenue sharing counties under the LATCF formula. Click here [ [link removed] ] to see the full list of eligible recipients.

Each eligible county must apply to claim the funding allocated to them. Treasury’s online portal [ [link removed] ] provides application instructions and information on specific funding levels [ [link removed] ] for each eligible county. 

*The deadline for counties to apply for its LATCF payments through the Treasury’s online portal is January 31, 2023.  Should a county miss the application deadline, it will not be eligible for any LATCF payments.*

For more information on eligibility of counties, eligible uses of funds and reporting requirements please visit this treasury webpage: Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund. [ [link removed] ]

 

*COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Funding Is Still Available*

In June 2022, bipartisan House Bill 2136 was signed into law, investing $50 million to help small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program is still available to provide financial assistance to certain businesses impacted by COVID-19 related shutdowns and restrictions during tax years 2020 and 2021.   

The COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program is funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which requires a federal Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to be completed for a business to be eligible to receive assistance. 

The UEI is issued at no cost through the federal System for Award Management website, SAM.gov.  

Due to recent increases in the number of entities registering with SAM.gov [ [link removed] ], it may take up to 25 business days for new registrations to be processed. 

For any issues related to registering with SAM.gov or obtaining a UEI, applicants can contact the Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220.  

Once registration is complete and confirmed, business owners can apply for the COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program through an online application [ [link removed] ] created by KDOR. The application provides definitions, explains the assistance process in detail, and specifies exactly what information must be provided and/or submitted in support of the application. 

Applicants with questions regarding the COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program can contact the Kansas Department of Revenue at 785-368-8660.   

Small business owners have until April 15, 2023, to apply for this financial assistance.






Contact the RO

The Office of Recovery is here to offer support and coordination.  Questions and inquiries may be submitted via the Contact Us [ [link removed] ] form. Please visit covid.ks.gov [ [link removed] ] for up-to-date information and resources on recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for Kansas residents, businesses, and communities.

*Question/Request Form* [ [link removed] ]


*DeAngela Burns-Wallace, Ed.D.*

Secretary, Kansas Department of Administration

On behalf of the Office of Recovery,

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly

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