Denver has spent less than half of the COVID relief funds it has received so far through the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

As of Wednesday, $67.92 million of Denver’s ARPA funds have been committed, obligated or spent, Department of Finance spokesperson Josh Rosenblum said. Denver’s ARPA funding dashboard is updated weekly to reflect where the money is going.

Denver has received $154 million in ARPA funds and is expected to receive an additional $154 million in relief funds sometime this year, for a total of $308 million, Rosenblum said.

The federal government has allocated $9 billion in ARPA funds to Colorado.

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Denver will be required to allocate where the funds will go by the end of 2024, and all ARPA funds must be spent by the end of 2026.

The largest source of ARPA spending from Denver has been for revenue loss, a category that includes restoration of mission-critical positions, goods and supplies previously eliminated through budget reductions, and the elimination of furlough days required of city employees in 2021. Of the $67.92 million already committed, $40.61 million has gone to this category.

While Denver has relied on ARPA funds to bring back certain staff positions as part of this category, Rosenblum said city officials have already begun to gradually reallocate positions to the city’s general fund so that Denver isn’t hit with a bunch of jobs that don’t have a funding source come 2027.

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The next highest budget line is $28 million for the city’s Affordable Housing Fund, but none of this money has been committed, obligated or spent yet. Premium pay is the next highest allocation, and $8.23 million of the $8.8 million budgeted has been committed or spent.

Rosenblum said the city intends to spend its recovery funding in an “inclusive, sustainable manner” and is continuing its outreach efforts with Denver residents to determine where the rest of the funding should go.

“We utilized the community outreach data to inform our decisions in consultation with Denver’s Stimulus Advisory Investment Committee, City Council, and city departments,” Rosenblum said in an email. “Programs focus on health and safety, directing resources to public health, food assistance, economic recovery, and serving vulnerable residents through shelter, housing and individual support.”

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