SOUTHERN CITY Quarter 4 2022 14 ARP CORNER The American Rescue Plan in Action ewisville’s citizen-minded, forward-looking approach had already proven itself successful. Through the American Rescue Plan, those accomplishments are now even more secured. KEY FACTS Lewisville, NC Population: 13,800 ARP Funds Received: $4,024,000 As an infusion of support and resources, the American Rescue Plan can stand as a magnifier of a community’s present circumstances. It speeds up the process for growing towns and expands projects for towns pursuing large investments and altogether amplifies cities’ unique situations. For Lewisville, the present circumstances are of a town firmly following a strategic long-term vision. This approach had served the town well since its incorporation in 1991, establishing it as a residential haven in North Carolina’s Triad region. Now, bolstered by the support of ARP funds, Lewisville’s method is marching forward with reassurance, seeming to create a near-guarantee of future success in Lewisville. To understand the town’s goals for its ARP allocation, it’s important to first understand the town as it stands today. Just west of Winston-Salem, the Town of Lewisville is an enviable residential community that has steadily earned its strong footing in the community since its incorporation. “Just through organic growth, Lewisville is an incredibly desirable community to live in,” said Mike Horn, Mayor of Lewisville. Horn has served on the Town Council since 1993, and credits Lewisville’s success to the vision set forth by the town from its outset: to recognize the town’s smalltown character and to maintain that character through intentional and closely managed planning. It’s been an effective strategy, Horn says, noting that the town’s upward trend has been fueled almost entirely by residential growth. Through its organic growth and financial discipline, the town has not raised property tax rates in 19 years. In fact, the most recent adjustment to the tax rate was a decrease. “We had a vision of what we wanted to do, and we had the ability to budget and fund those investments every year over through a rigorous planning process and a shared vision by successive councils,” said Horn. “What we’ve done as a town has been remarkable.” The town has used its American Rescue Plan funding as general fund revenue replacement to be able to fund specific projects, including: • Roadway, sidewalk and landscaping improvements to the town’s gateway • Enhancements to The Great Wagon Road throughfare construction • Construction of intersection roundabouts • Extension of sidewalks • Rewriting of the town’s Unified Development Ordinances • Matching funding for a recently awarded PARTF grant • Establishment of a capital reserve to fund a new public works facility • Installation of solar panels on the town’s new community center • Installation of EV charging stations in the town square Strategy • Spend in areas that further Lewisville’s already-established long-term strategic vision L The American Rescue Plan offers a generational opportunity for our municipalities, not just to recover from the pandemic, but to thrive well into the future. It is this forward-looking aspect of the ARP that is most consequential. How best can we utilize this money to create a lasting impact? All across North Carolina, cities and towns are developing plans and programs specifically geared towards this question, and history shows us that these projects will be successful. When our municipalities receive financial support, they achieve substantial successes. Cities get the job done. This ongoing series will showcase those projects, plans, and transformational investments, both to highlight the end-toend impressive work of our municipalities and to share best practices with other cities and towns. Mayor Horn holds the ‘Most Entrepreneurial Town’ honor, awarded to the Town of Lewisville at NCLM’s CityVision conference in 2022. Photo credit: Ben Brown.
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