“Can ARPA pay for that?” has become a common refrain as county leaders debate how to best use $2.4 million federal COVID-19 relief funds.
On Tuesday, Allen County Commissioners got the answer: in most cases, yes. They can use ARPA for just about anything.
But with requests for the money more than double what the county has, commissioners now want to prioritize county projects over others.
“It is wise to spend this money on projects that don’t have many other sources of funding,” Lisse Regehr, CEO of Thrive Allen County, which administers the money for the county, told commissioners.
“It is also wise to spend these funds on long-term solutions to problems that will only grow worse without prompt attention.”
Regehr gave commissioners an update on final rules from the federal government on how the funds can be used, and offered a list of members of a steering committee to prioritize the requests.
The county has received about 25 requests for a total of $4.7 million. Requests come from numerous sources, including rural water districts, cities, school districts and other entities.
Commissioners instructed Regehr to put together a new list that prioritizes county projects, such as a communications tower, setting up a backup office for the 911 system, restrooms for three county barns, and a courtroom remodel and expansion among others.
They also want to use ARPA funds to pay for storm shelters, approved last month at a cost of about $256,000. Until Tuesday, they weren’t sure if that project would qualify. Regehr said the new rules indicate it would.
Commissioner David Lee said the county initially wanted to be able to help everyone, but with requests more than double the available funds, “it might be a good time to keep that money in house and take care of the projects we have.”
THE COUNTY has already allocated about $108,000 for administrative fees, architect design fees for the courtroom remodel, and a county labor study.
That leaves nearly $2.3 million still to be dispersed.
The county has until 2024 to allocate the money, and until 2026 to complete the projects.
Regehr said she planned to organize a meeting of the steering committee to come up with a smaller list of county projects, along with better estimates for projected costs.
The steering committee includes county and public safety representatives Sherrie Riebel, county clerk; Mitch Garner, director of public works; Chelsie Angleton, 911 director; and Jason Trego, emergency management director.
