Starting in spring of 2020, the Federal government provided a series of stimulus packages aimed at mitigating impacts associated with the pandemic, injecting over $31 billion into the state of Utah for various purposes. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) carried the largest portion of discretionary funding under the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF). The SLFRF’s $1.38 billion in discretionary spending allows Utah policy makers to provide funding where they feel it’s needed within guidance (allowable uses) established by the U.S. Treasury. ARPA also provided a smaller discretionary pot of $137.9 million (about 10% of the SLFRF) to fund capital projects (called the Capital Projects Fund or CPF). Authorized uses of the SLFRF and CPF are discussed in this budget.utah.gov post from May 2022.
The Legislature has budgeted for (or appropriated) all SLFRF funds the state expects to receive, apart from a contingency reserve of $6.9 million. The totals according to budget category are listed below:
| Category | Budgeted |
| Covid Response | 223,799,040 |
| Economy | 184,454,638 |
| Education | 30,708,955 |
| General Fund | 332,773,900 |
| Infrastructure | 523,454,100 |
| Local Allocation | 75,735,262 |
| Reserve | 6,940,993 |
| Total | 1,377,866,888 |
ARPA discretionary funds carry the requirement to be obligated (contracted) by December 31st, 2024, and to be expended by December 31st, 2026. Unobligated funds are slated to be committed in FY 2024 as newly created programs come online. To date, the state has obligated $1.05 billion and expended $679.9 million of the SLFRF funds. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget updates the obligations and expenditures monthly.
LFA has summarized stimulus funds into the following categories:
- Budgeted: planned spending which describes an approved budget for a project, but has not necessarily been spent or contracted.
- Obligated: this category captures both expended funds and also orders placed for property, services, and awarded contracts /subawards.
- Expended: captures actual spending that has taken place.
| Budgeted | Obligated | Expended | |
| ARPA – SLFRF | 1,377,866,888 | 1,045,199,703 | 679,945,881 |
| ARPA – CPF | 137,895,435 | 9,838,937 | 315,621 |
| Coronavirus Relief Fund | 934,766,277 | 934,683,579 | 934,683,579 |
| FEMA | 278,683,983 | 278,683,983 | 278,683,983 |
| State Funds | 28,914,940 | 28,912,384 | 28,912,384 |
| Total | 2,758,127,523 | 2,297,318,586 | 1,922,541,448 |
An updated list of projects that Utah has submitted for Treasury consideration of the state’s $137.9 million ARPA Capital Projects Fund allocation is detailed below. The CPF is limited to broadband expansion or investment in facilities that enable work, education, and healthcare monitoring. Final approval of CPF projects must come from the U.S. Treasury. The Treasury has approved the first four projects in the table below. The Wasatch Canyons Behavior Health Hospital and the University of Utah’s West Valley Community Center have been submitted to Treasury and are currently under review. The Legislature has reserved $5 million of the Capital Projects Fund as a contingency, which will be applied to an approved project before the 2024 obligation deadline.
| Capital Projects Fund | Budgeted | |
| 1) | Box Elder Crisis Shelter and Transitional Housing | 7,000,000 |
| 2) | Education and Telehealth Infrastructure | 19,295,400 |
| 3) | Middle Mile Broadband Projects | 46,600,035 |
| 4) | Rural Broadband Approved Funding | 10,000,000 |
| 5) | U of U West Valley Ambulatory, Health, Education and Community Center* | 25,000,000 |
| 6) | Wasatch Canyons Behavioral Health Hospital* | 25,000,000 |
| Total | 132,895,435 | |
| Unallocated | 5,000,000 | |
| Grand Total | 137,895,435 |