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County staff to move $188,000 after ARPA line-item error; mobile command funds will be shifted to Tongue Mountain hardening and coroner project
Summary
Budget staff told commissioners that $329,639 was coded to the mobile-command capital line in error; they proposed a budget amendment to transfer $188,000 to the Tongue Mountain fire-hardening project and allocate the remainder to the Coroner’s Building, and flagged ARPA obligation and reporting deadlines.
County budget staff informed the Board that an accounting error placed $329,639 in the mobile-command capital expense line instead of the Tongue Mountain fire‑hardening capital project. Staff and commissioners discussed an immediate budget amendment to transfer $188,000 to complete Tongue Mountain project closeout and to move the remaining appropriated monies toward the Coroner’s Building or other eligible accounts.
County finance staff said invoices for work on Tongue Mountain had been routed against the wrong line item and that $53,000 had already been charged to ARPA for related work in 2025. Staff asked the auditor’s office to identify how much has already been expensed against the suspect line item, confirm whether the $329,639 shown as obligated is a remnant or duplicate, and — if necessary — amend the prior ARPA obligation resolution to re-designate funds from the mobile command line to the Tongue Mountain project.
Commissioners and staff discussed reporting restrictions and ARPA timelines. Staff said some ARPA funds were obligated by 12/31/2023 and have specific spending windows; moving funds among ARPA categories will require documenting obligations and, in at least one case, a formal resolution to obligate funds for a sheriff radio or mobile command-related purchase already previously designated. The board directed staff to draft a budget amendment resolution to move $188,000 from the mobile-command line to the Tongue Mountain hardening line and to propose disposition of the remaining balance, pending confirmation of existing obligations and whether bond funds can cover part of the coroner project.
Separately, the board discussed routine budget housekeeping: staff planned to move unspent wage dollars from vacant jail positions into the overtime line to improve monitoring of true overtime exposure. That change was described as a technical budget adjustment that does not alter the county’s overall bottom-line appropriation and would not require a public hearing where funds are already appropriated within line items.
Ending: Staff will prepare a detailed budget amendment resolution for a future meeting after auditors confirm which ARPA lines were actually obligated and how much remains available to transfer. The board instructed staff to prioritize payments that would avoid running project lines negative and to document any amendments to prior ARPA obligations.
