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Tompkins County posts detailed ARPA spending page, officials outline reporting and one-time uses
Summary
County Administrator Norma Jane reviewed a new American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) report page showing obligated and dispersed funds and said the county will update it quarterly; legislators pressed for performance indicators and clarification on one-time versus recurring uses.
Tompkins County Administrator Norma Jane told the Budget, Capital and Personnel Committee on March 13 that the county has published a new online report summarizing how it has spent and obligated American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The report, posted on the county administration budget and finance page, groups ARPA spending into capital programs, government services, nonprofits, health and human services, and an "agency" category for outside nonprofit partners, Jane said. She told the committee that, as required by the ARPA rules, funds shown on the site are obligated and that the page will be updated as the county reports to the federal government.
Committee members said the public-facing page improves transparency and asked for additional program-level performance data. Legislator Randy Moose and others pressed whether positions funded by ARPA will return in regular county budgets; Jane said most of those positions were one-time uses but acknowledged a few have been continued with other funding or fund balance in past years. Finance staff confirmed the county collects quarterly reports from ARPA recipients and said performance indicators could be added to the public pages.
Norma Jane explained that the "agency" category covers outside organizations funded through the county's Community Recovery Fund, including human services coalitions and cooperative extension, and is intentionally distinct from county department entries. The committee asked for clearer labeling so the public can read whether a line item is a county department expense, a subcontract to a nonprofit, or an ARPA-funded project.
Legislators also asked whether any ARPA allocations remain at risk of federal clawback; Jane said the county has followed federal guidance and does not expect funds to be subject to recapture.
The presentation prompted detailed budget-process questions from legislators about how one-time federal dollars have been used, whether funded positions will return as recurring costs, and whether the site can display project-level outcomes. Jane and staff committed to adding quarterly performance indicators where practicable and to follow up promptly when departments request continued funding after ARPA expiration.
The county's ARPA page is intended to show dispersed versus obligated amounts, and staff said it will be maintained as reporting continues.
