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Finance provides ARPA closeouts, Evergreen water-well status, payroll RFP and SRS/PILT budget implications
Summary
The county finance director reported ARPA project closeouts for several projects, ongoing Evergreen water-well relocation work pending SRF closeout, Lakeside draws under review, an upcoming payroll software RFP to replace Eden and potential state SRS changes that could alter PILT payments to the county and local school funding calculations.
Amy Dexter, Flathead County finance director, briefed the commissioners on ARPA-funded projects, year-end fiscal activity, a payroll-software RFP and the fiscal implications of possible changes to state School Revenue Sharing (SRS) funding.
ARPA and project closeouts: Dexter said the county closed out the septage project and received closeout letters for the Meadow Lake and Meadow Hill ARPA projects. The Evergreen Water Well relocation project remains open; county staff said DNRC is withholding 10% of state SRF funds until the Evergreen closeout is completed. Dexter does not expect Evergreen to close out until about this time next year and said Lakeside has made several draws and the county is working with state groups on ongoing reviews.
Payroll RFP and operations: Dexter said she is finalizing a payroll RFP to replace Eden and expects to present it to the board soon; the county must move off Eden by 2027. She warned many vendors have moved to subscription pricing, so operational annual costs may rise.
Credit-card transactions and rebate: Finance reported roughly $6.9 million in credit-card transactions processed in the review period and a maximum potential rebate of about $65,000 based on current transaction levels; prior-year rebates were in the mid-$50,000 range.
SRS uncertainty and PILT: Commissioners asked about the state SRS payment; Dexter said if SRS is not approved at earlier levels the county could see a higher PILT payment because the PILT formula subtracts SRS in its calculation. Dexter said county PILT could be adjusted to partially offset any SRS shortfall for county budgeting purposes; school districts would not receive an automatic offset and could be more affected than the county. She also noted the county’s healthy cash reserves (about 32%) and suggested modest PILT adjustments as a potential response rather than immediate budget cuts.
Why it matters
ARPA closeouts free up administrative capacity and reduce ongoing monitoring workload, while Evergreen’s SRF closeout and Lakeside draws affect timing of state reimbursements. Payroll software replacement has medium-term operational-cost implications and SRS/PILT dynamics could change local school and county budgets depending on state action.
Ending
Dexter said fiscal-year 2024 reporting is complete and the county is preparing budgets for FY26. Commissioners asked Dexter to track state legislative activity and executive orders and report back on items that could affect county finances.
