Lawton making pandemic relief funds ready to spend

LAWTON – Lawton officials are moving forward with plans to spend the city’s share of federal pandemic relief dollars.
With no discussion, the Lawton City Council voted Dec. 7 to amend the city’s budget for fiscal year 2021-22, earmarking about $9.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to the city’s grant fund or ARPA-related costs.
The item was part of the consent agenda, which typically consists of housekeeping items that can be approved on a single motion. The council does not usually discuss individual consent agenda items unless one of the council members requests it.
The appropriation to the grant fund allows the city to spend those funds now that they are available.
Lawton is set to receive $18.2 million altogether in ARPA funds, which are intended to help local governments recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city received the first $9.1 million installment earlier this year, but the rest of the money – also $9.1 million -- will not be available until sometime in 2022.
Staff will recommend using some of the money to provide premium pay for city employees who worked for the city during the pandemic from March 2020 through May 2021, communications and marketing manager Kaley Patterson Dorsey said in an email. She said that was the time frame for which Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency.
Staffers are not prepared to make any other recommendations concerning ARPA funds at this time, Dorsey said.
“City staff hopes to have various recommendations prepared that have been looked over by the city’s legal advisors and to have those recommendations presented to council by early 2022,” she said.