Council Action Requested:
Review list of approved and proposed projects to be funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
Points to Consider:
The County has been allocated $19,037,682 in federal ARPA funds and all those funds have been received and are in a separate account being expended on approved projects or generating interest money.
To date, the County Council has approved 28 projects totaling $13,988,656
The remaining $5,049,026 must be obligated (on purchase orders or contracts) by December 31, 2024 and spent by December 31, 2026.
County Administration has presented recommendations for the remaining funding, including six projects, that will be reviewed as part of the agenda item presentation. Those projects include:
- Barnett Building Renovation
- New location for Elections and Voter Registration
- Non-profit community programs
- Park Land Purchase
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Emergency Management Storage Warehouse
The ARPA funding has parameters to primarily address COVID-related impacts that must be reported and approved by the federal government.
One of the parameters does outline that $10 million used in funds can be towards "general government" projects. The proposed projects will still keep us under that $10 million threshold, but there have been some instances where the federal government has asked the County and other local governments to reclassify the projects under different categories. If that happens with any of the recommended projects, we should still be within the stipulations outlined for each funding category.
Funding and Liability Factors:
Many of the approved ARPA projects are still underway, such as the Coroner's Office expansion, Sheriff's Evidence Storage Facility, EMS mass transport bus purchase, EMS HQ Ambulance bay addition and others.
Given the fluctuation in pricing on these projects we have to leave some funding to address cost increases, but will look to fully expend the entire $19.million allocated within the determined timeframe.
Recommendation:
Provide feedback on the proposed list of projects.