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County board approves $3.5M ARPA authorization for Housing Authority rehabilitation; $122,000 reimbursement debated
Summary
The Barron County Board approved a resolution authorizing up to $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the Barron County Housing Authority's apartment rehabilitations. A separate $122,000 reimbursement request for work already paid by the housing authority prompted debate but ultimately passed the board's vote.
The Barron County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 approved a resolution authorizing expenditure authority of ARPA dollars for the Barron County Housing Authority's apartment rehabilitation project, not to exceed $3,500,000.
The resolution also included a request to reimburse the Housing Authority $122,000 for expenses it had already incurred on the project. Supervisor Mullin moved the resolution; Supervisor McCready seconded. Some supervisors raised concerns about the total project cost and changing grant totals during debate.
Supervisor Cook asked whether the Housing Authority still needed the county allocation after receiving additional state grant support; Supervisor Nelson (speaking for the Housing Authority) said the agency expects to sign documents with WIDA (referenced in the meeting) that will reduce their long-term debt and that the state funding will lower but not eliminate the county's planned support for the renovation program. "We are about ready to sign the documents that will take us through the program," Nelson said, adding that the state grant will reduce long-term debt obligations.
Supervisor Vaughn and other board members questioned why project estimates rose from earlier figures the board had seen, and whether some design choices could be scaled back. Vaughn said he could not support the $122,000 reimbursement without clearer assurance the overall project had been reduced from higher estimates that had circulated. Despite the objections, the motion passed after clarifying the required supermajority threshold; the clerk recorded 21 yes, 5 no and 3 absent in the roll.
Why it matters: the item commits county ARPA resources for housing rehabilitation projects that have been planned for this cycle; board members asked for clearer breakdowns of how state grant awards will change the county's long-term exposure.
Next steps: the Housing Authority's executive director is scheduled to appear at a future meeting to present more details about grant awards and the updated project budget. The administration and housing authority staff will provide further documentation showing how the state grant affects the county's $3.5M authorization.
