01-10-2022 Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 1 of 4 BILL NO. 01-22 ORDINANCE NO. __________________ AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, APPROPRIATING TWO MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($2,500,000) FROM SOUTH BEND’S AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN (ARP) FUND (#263) FOR PREMIUM PAY FOR ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES PERFORMING ESSENTIAL WORK, PURSUANT TO FEDERAL GUIDELINES UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT _____________________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND INTENT _____________________________________________________________________________ The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARP Act”) was established on March 11, 2021, to provide financial assistance to entities and industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (42 U.S.C. §§ 602 and 603). The U.S. Department of Treasury issued an Interim Final Rule (31 C.F.R. Part 35, Subpart A) effective May 21, 2021, governing use of such funds by local governments. Pursuant to Section 9901 of the ARP Act, funds were to be distributed to state and local governments to compensate for the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the Interim Final Rule, an approved use of the ARP Act funds by local government is the payment of premium pay to eligible employees of the local government who performed essential work in mitigating or responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Under the Interim Final Rule, “[e]ssential work means work that: (1) [i]s not performed while teleworking from a residence; and (2) [i]nvolves: (i) [r]egular in-person interactions with patients, the public, or coworkers of the individual that is performing the work; or (ii) [r]egular physical handling of items that were handled by, or are to be handled by patients, the public, or coworkers of the individual that is performing the work.” (31 C.F.R. § 35.3) The Mayor of South Bend has identified the following City employees as eligible for premium pay under the ARP Act: 1) all members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 36; 2) all members of the South Bend Firefighters Association Local No. 362 of the International Association of Firefighters AFL-CIO; 3) all members of Teamsters Local Union No. 364 Affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters of America; and 4) certain non-bargaining officers and employees of the City of South Bend who qualify for premium pay under the rules and regulations of the ARP Act.