Article

What Can Ohio Learn from ARPA input Processes in Other States?

Kyle Thompson
Policy Associate
Additional Contributors
No items found.
August 29, 2022
Read time:
Download Fact Sheets
Register now
Share this resource
Subscribe to our Newsletter
By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Download this as a PDF

What does civic input look like? For some, it means open dialogue between decision makers and the public. For others, it means access to platforms that can elevate the voices of citizens. One could also suggest that it means broadening the public sphere to increase voices that are traditionally excluded. In a large sense, the idea of civic input directly correlates to a functioning democracy, and the imperative of a governing body to facilitate dialogue amongst engaged residents.

 Transparency helps people understand where information or money is coming from, where it is going, and what it is used for.

A common thread amongst all these ideas is that the effectiveness of dialogue relies on transparency. Transparency helps people understand where information or money is coming from, where it is going, and what it is used for. This is not always an easy task. Addressing inequality never is. Policy advocates across Ohio recognize this, and they have been calling for more civic opportunities for organizations, individuals, and stakeholders to get involved with the decision-making process, specifically related to how the state will spend $5.37 Billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.[1][2][3] So far, there have not been meaningful opportunities for participation or public input in the state’s process. Considering this discrepancy, I would like to highlight engagement strategies of other states to incorporate civic input in the allocation of ARPA funds. In doing so, I shed light on engagement models that could be useful in the engagement process in Ohio.

 Civic input supports a robust exchange of ideas and beliefs around how to best serve communities

The Colorado Strategy

The state of Colorado is receiving $3.8 billion dollars in State Fiscal Recovery Funds from ARPA. Priority investments of the funds include strengthening the workforce, enhancing rural sustainability, and supporting post COVID-19 recovery. From these investments, Colorado’s Department of Health Care Policy, and Financing (HCPF) developed a stakeholder engagement plan outlining how ARPA projects will be communicated to stakeholder groups and the public.[5] Engagement strategies will range from newsletters, quarterly stakeholder webinars, surveys, and regular updates on the HCPF webpage. In addition to this, the webpage[6] also has a list of grant opportunities, a detailed spending plan across issue areas, webinars, newsletters, articles, blog posts, and job opportunities funded by ARPA. HCPF also has a monthly calendar filled with events by topic that extends to the end of the year.

What Ohio can Learn from Colorado: Centralization

The engagement strategies of Colorado’s HCPF provide specific information on the funds flowing into Colorado. This includes information on issues that are prioritized in the spending process and a general timeline for how ARPA funds will be used. Ohio decision makers should not just consider providing general information on what the money is spent on, but why the decision was made and how it will make an impact. Ohio departments could have information on potential grants on a centralized webpage. This could make the application process easier and more centralized for people to access. Recently, Advocates for Ohio’s Future and the Ohio Poverty Law Center released the AOF and Ohio Poverty Law Center ARPA Tracker. Tools like this are useful to gain insight into how Ohio is spending ARPA funds. The efficacy of similar resources would be enhanced if the state were also more proactive in their approach to sharing information with the public.

 The efficacy of similar resources would be enhanced if the state were also more proactive in their approach to sharing information with the public.

The Alaska Strategy

The state of Alaska is receiving $1 billion dollars in State Fiscal Recovery funds from ARPA. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) released a toolkit for Local Educational Agencies (LEA) and State Educational Agencies (SEA) to provide engagement strategies when interacting with students, families, school districts, and teachers. In addition to this information, there is also guidance on how to engage tribal institutions, civil rights organizations, and stakeholders representing children and youth in foster care, homelessness, and other marginalized student populations. DEED also recommends utilizing translation or interpretation services for parents with limited English proficiency. Through these considerations, the cultural needs of students can be accessed. In addition to this toolkit, DEED also provided an Effective Communications for Stakeholder Engagement Checklist[8] to provide an overview of procedures for stakeholder engagement in rural settings. This checklist encourages LEAs and SEAs to consider how critical engagement efforts should center around clear goals and intentionality.

 Cultural competency should be a focal point when decision makers engage with communities.

What Ohio can learn from Alaska: cultural competency

Cultural competency should be a focal point when decision makers engage with communities. Culturally informed practices are essential to addressing the diverse economic and socio-cultural landscapes of Ohio. This is observable in the vast health disparities that Ohioans experience. In terms of health and development, Black Americans have poorer outcomes compared to their white counterparts.[9] Ohioans of color also have extremely poor addiction outcomes due to a lack of treatment services and harm reduction initiatives.[10] In Cleveland, racially segregated communities are more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.[11][12]  Engagement should therefore be intersectional and centered in inclusion practices to prioritize differences in cultural values so that health disparities can be fully recognized and addressed in the engagement process. In essence, civic input can help address broad disparities in Ohio  

Civic input supports a robust exchange of ideas and beliefs around how to best serve communities. It is important that stakeholders have access to spaces that can amplify their voices to produce change in collaboration with decision makers. $5.37 billion dollars flowing into Ohio should also be allocated toward issues that are informed by directly impacted communities. This process should introduce solutions that are designed to address broader disparities present in our state while also improving the livelihood of all people within its borders.[13][14][15]  

[1] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dc5b0da70fe636e7866b171/t/61689e3616ef3b30ecd3ff0c/1634246198250/AOF+ARP+Spending+Memo+10.15.21+2.pdf  

[2] https://www.cleveland.com/open/2021/10/advocates-nonprofits-urge-ohio-to-prioritize-stimulus-spending-on-health-and-human-services.html  

[3] https://www.policymattersohio.org/press-room/2021/12/07/use-arp-funds-to-build-healthy-and-safe-communities-from-the-ground-up  

[4] https://hcpf.colorado.gov/sites/hcpf/files/CO%20State%20Spending%20Plan%20for%20Implementing%20Section%209817%20of%20ARPA%2C%20June%202021%5FAcc.pdf  

[5] https://hcpf.colorado.gov/arpa/arpa-stakeholder-engagement/plan#:~:text=Introduction%20The%20Stakeholder%20Engagement%20Plan%20is%20a%20resource,Services%20%28HCPF%29%20American%20Rescue%20Plan%20Act%20%28ARPA%29%20projects  

[6] https://hcpf.colorado.gov/arpa  

[7] https://education.alaska.gov/safeschools/infectiousdisease/Stakeholder%20Engagement%20toolkit.pdf  

[8] https://oese.ed.gov/files/2020/10/effectcommsstakeengag-508.pdf  

[9] https://comsolutionst.wpengine.com/juneteenth-slavery-origins-health-disparities/  

[10] https://2ub9uy20anky3zjffr2svyxq-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/AEP%5FTakingActionBrief%5FRaceFactSheet%5F09.24.2021-2.pdf  

[11] UH researchers find near century-old redlining discriminatory housing policies leave lasting legacy on modern day heart health - cleveland.com  

[12] Racial Disparities - The Center for Community Solutions  

[13] https://comsolutionst.wpengine.com/poverty-speaks-racial-disparities/  

[14] https://comsolutionst.wpengine.com/racism-public-health-crisis-cannot-not-ignored/  

[15] https://comsolutionst.wpengine.com/white-house-releases-blueprint-to-address-the-maternal-health-crisis/

Download Fact Sheets

District 10

Download

All Council Districts 2024

Download

District 4

Download

District 2

Download

District 11

Download

District 9

Download

District 8

Download

District 5

Download

District 7

Download

District 1

Download

District 3

Download

District 6

Download

West Boulevard

Download

University

Download

Union-Miles

Download

Tremont

Download

Stockyards

Download

St.Clair-Superior

Download

Old Brooklyn

Download

Ohio City

Download

North Shore Collinwood

Download

Mount Pleasant

Download

Lee-Seville

Download

Lee-Harvard

Download

Kinsman

Download

Kamm's Corners

Download

Jefferson

Download

Goodrich-Kirtland Park

Download

Glenville

Download

Fairfax

Download

Euclid-Green

Download

Edgewater

Download

Downtown

Download

Detroit Shoreway

Download

Cudell

Download

Collinwood-Nottingham

Download

Clark-Fulton

Download

Central

Download

Buckeye-Woodhill

Download

Buckeye-Shaker Square

Download

Brooklyn Centre

Download

Broadway-Slavic Village

Download

Bellaire-Puritas

Download

All Neighborhoods 2024

Download

West Boulevard Factsheet

Download

University Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Union-Miles Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Tremont Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Stockyards Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

St. Clair-Superior Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Old Brooklyn Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Ohio City Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

North Shore Collinwood Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Lee-Seville Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Lee-Harvard Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Kinsman Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Kamm's Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Jefferson Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Hough Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Hopkins Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Goodrich-Kirtland Park Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Glenville Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Fairfax Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Euclid-Green Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Edgewater Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Downtown Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Cuyahoga Valley Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Cudell Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Collinwood-Nottingham Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Clark-Fulton Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Central Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Buckeye-Shaker Square Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Brooklyn Centre Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Broadway-Slavic Village Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Bellaire-Puritas Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

All Neighborhoods 2016

Download

District 2

Download

District 1

Download

Ohio Women Statewide

Download

All Women Fact Sheets

Download

Wyandot Women

Download

Wood Women

Download

Williams Women

Download

Wayne Women

Download

Washington Women

Download

Warren Women

Download

Vinton Women

Download

Van Wert Women

Download

Union Women

Download

Tuscarawas Women

Download

Trumbell Women

Download

Summit Women

Download

Stark Women

Download

Shelby Women

Download

Seneca Women

Download

Scioto Women

Download

Sandusky Women

Download
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Download report

Subscribe to our newsletter

5 Things you need to know arrives on Mondays with the latest articles, events, and advocacy developments in Ohio

Explore the fact sheets

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique.

No Related Fact Sheets

Explore Topics

Browse articles, research, and testimony.