SWEETWATER COUNTY — According to estimates, Sweetwater County, Green River and Rock Springs will receive millions from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARA).
During the Rock Springs City Council meeting earlier this week, Representative Clark Stith, R-Rock Springs, gave a legislative update. While he was speaking to the Council, he handed out a document showing the proposed ARA allocations for all of the counties in the state. Included in this document was Sweetwater County’s proposed distributions.
“The county commissioners for Sweetwater County, they are going to get $8 million dropped in their bank account from the Federal government in the next fews weeks,” Stith said.
Rock Springs will receive around $3.5 million dollars in ARA funding, Stith said.
The proposed allocations are in the table below.
| Counties/Municipalities | Fiscal Year 22 Total distributions | American Rescue Plan Act Local Allocations | Difference (ARA Minus State) |
| Sweetwater County | $621,765 | $8,212,164 | $7,590,399 |
| Bairoil | $39,617 | $14,810 | ($24,807) |
| Granger | $42,963 | $19,542 | ($23,421) |
| Green River | $812,095 | $1,795,310 | $983,215 |
| Rock Springs | $1,353,926 | $3,458,555 | $2,104,629 |
| South Superior | $67,939 | $47,635 | ($20,304) |
| Wamsutter | $61,786 | $71,299 | $9,513 |
With Sweetwater County facing a budget crisis, this may help ease some of that for them. While the one-time funding will help with the fiscal year 2022 shortfalls, it will not help with future shortfalls.
Rock Springs Mayor Tim Kaumo said it doesn’t fix the problem because the city still must find other revenue sources and build more economic development.
To see the entire conversation on this topic, watch the video below.
