Gfoat News

The reporting deadline for American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) is April 30. Cities received their ARPA funds in several tranches in 2021 and 2022. Per statute, cities must report annually (or quarterly depending on the reporting tier) until 2027 or when Treasury initiates closeout for that specific city. Even if your city has spent all APRA funds, cities must continue to report until Treasury officially invites the city to close out the report. The National League of Cities (NLC) has provided answers to the most frequently asked questions. In addition, NLC has information on how cities should prepare to close out the APRA SLFRF awards. The U.S. Department of Treasury also has provided updated guidance and other helpful resources here. Learn more >>

This week, Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a press release stating his office has requested financial documents and information from over 1,000 Texas cities related to the two most recent annual financial audits for the city and the corresponding financial statements. With the passage of S.B. 1851 during the 2025 legislative session, the attorney general now has the ability to determine that a city has not complied with the annual audit requirement or the requirement to file a financial statement on the audit with the city secretary within 180 days after the last day of the city’s fiscal year. Should the attorney general’s office determine that a city failed to comply with these requirements, the city would be unable to adopt a property tax rate exceeding the no-new-revenue tax rate for the tax year that begins on or after the date of the attorney general’s determination. More on S.B. 1851 can be read here and here. The request asks the city official recipient to either provide information on the audit to the attorney general through a DocuSign data entry link or respond to a request under the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) with the relevant information. Some of these emails have come from a DocuSign system email address. According to the emailed requests, city officials receiving the emails are to direct all correspondence relating to the request to OAGMunicipalAuditReview@oag.texas.gov. Learn more >>

The League submitted written testimony to the House State Affairs Committee on its hearing on an interim charge relating to the development of data centers. The League urged the committee to include cities in any future advisory groups or working efforts related to the development of future data center policy. The committee heard invited testimony from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the Public Commission of Texas, data center companies, energy companies, and other stakeholders on the following interim charge: Data Centers: Study the development of data centers in Texas, including its importance to global competitiveness and national security. Evaluate the direct and indirect economic growth potential fostered by in-state data center development, including growth multiplier effects and economic diversification. Identify existing secondary and post-secondary education and training opportunities and recommend pathways to satisfy increasing labor demands. Review the existing regulatory framework governing data center development and recommend proposals to streamline regulations while enabling communities to plan and manage growth responsibly. Study the implementation of S.B. 6 and the Large Load Batch Study Process proposed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, as it relates to data centers, and identify how grid-connected data center facilities and co-located resources can support grid resilience and reliability. Learn more >>

The reporting deadline for American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) is April 30. The U.S. Department of Treasury will be offering a series of free webinars next week to provide key resources, guidance, and support to help with timely and accurate submissions. Each webinar will cover the following topics: General program information and SLFRF program background; Common reporting errors and questions; Demonstration of reporting in the Treasury portal; and Brief update on closeout. Webinars are open to SLFRF recipients and require registration. Details are below. Learn more >>