Helping our Local Communities

Some of the smallest towns in our state can have some of the largest issues. This is something we see quite often in northwest Missouri. Over the course of the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken our lives to the core. Despite the pandemic, there is help on the horizon that has the possibility to assist all of our communities for decades to come. The help comes in the form of the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering water infrastructure grants for communities to pursue drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects, plus lead service line inventories. This is possible thanks to ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds. I highly recommend our local leaders to visit moarpa.mo.gov to either sign up or see if they have an infrastructure need that would qualify.

Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 14. DNR will rate applications based on financial need, engineering capability and the project’s necessity. DNR will let city or county officials know if they have qualified by mid-October.

Here are the entities that can take part: incorporated municipalities; public water or sewer districts; quasi-governmental agencies; and joint municipal utility commissions or privately owned utilities and nonprofit organizations whose sole purpose is to provide drinking water or wastewater service.

This could be the shot in the arm a lot of our communities need here in the great northwest part of our state. Again, this is a one-time boost aimed at getting smaller towns and areas the help they need to make infrastructure improvements they otherwise could not afford. I hope our local officials take advantage of this opportunity and are chosen to get the help they need for their communities.

As always, please feel free to call, email or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is 573-751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.