Des Moines County Supervisors approve $1.14 million amendment to 2025 appropriations to expand ARPA and operating spending
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Summary
After a public hearing with no callers, the Board approved a fiscal‑year 2025 appropriation amendment that gives spending authority for additional ARPA funds and covers jail medical costs, conservation repairs, personnel payouts and other items totaling about $1,142,345, the county budget director said.
Des Moines County supervisors voted May 22 to amend the fiscal‑year 2025 appropriations to provide additional spending authority for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and several operating needs, the county budget director said.
Cheryl McVeigh, the county budget director, told the board the request was for “spending authority for the ARPA grant. That money is already sitting in the general fund. We just are spending more of it this fiscal year than we got.” She outlined the component requests: $72,000 for the sheriff’s jail housing and medical costs, $44,706 for conservation nature‑center repairs, $13,467 in treasury payouts for a retiring employee, $5,000 for auditor solid‑waste roll‑off expenses, and $1,431 to the recorder for rebinding books, among other items. McVeigh said the grand total was $1,142,345.
Des Moines County Sheriff Kevin Glendening told supervisors the jail medical expense increase reflects rising prescription and mental‑health drug costs and that the county becomes financially responsible for inmate medical costs when Medicaid is lost after incarceration. “Many times they come in with Medicaid. As we file, … they lose their Medicaid,” Glendening said. He said prescription costs for mental‑health medications have been especially costly and that state HHS plans to expand coverage after July 1 but asked for up to three months after that date to implement statewide coverage.
The board opened a public hearing and allowed two minutes for callers; the auditor reported no public comments by phone or email. Supervisor Tom Broker moved to approve the amendment; the motion was seconded and approved on roll call. Supervisors recorded affirmative votes in the meeting for the motion to amend appropriations.
The amendment will allow the county to expend the identified ARPA funds and to cover the operating increases described by department heads. County staff said they will continue to monitor the expected state actions on regional prescription coverage and out‑of‑county housing costs that affect the sheriff’s office.
The board also approved accounts‑payable claims in the amount of $1,095,401.82 during the same meeting.
