DuPage County committee approves $142,000 ARPA-funded senior drive‑through meal pilot; eligibility rules to be set

The DuPage County Judicial and Public Safety Committee voted May 20 to approve Resolution JPSR-6-25, authorizing $142,000 drawn from American Rescue Plan Act interest to fund a two‑year senior drive‑through meal pilot administered by the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.

The vote, announced by Chair Evans, came after committee members questioned program eligibility and asked staff to return with detailed, means‑testing criteria. Undersheriff Moore described the initial parameters as serving county residents aged 60 and older and said staff would use poverty‑level guidance from county human services staff.

The committee approved the resolution during its regularly scheduled meeting. Chair Evans called for the motion and, after discussion, the committee voted “All in favor? Motion carries,” to approve the funding.

Why it matters: The resolution uses ARPA interest funds for direct service to older adults and requires the sheriff’s office to administer distribution. Committee members said the program’s income eligibility level will determine how many people the pilot can serve and whether the county must adjust allocations.

Committee discussion and staff direction

Member Ozog asked whether the $142,000 would come from county funds or the sheriff’s existing budget; committee members and staff clarified the money will come from ARPA interest to be administered by the sheriff’s office. Member Garcia and others asked about eligibility rules and documentation.

Undersheriff Moore said: “We’re going to go with people 60, definitely living in DuPage County.” He added that staff had discussed a poverty threshold with county human services staff and that Director Mary Keating would provide the precise income figures.

Director Mary Keating (staff) was cited during the discussion as identifying a working poverty threshold of about $1,700 per month; Moore said staff would “adhere to those numbers” once Keating confirmed them. Several committee members said $1,700 per month would be “a very low” threshold for local costs of living.

Member Ozog said: “At least in DuPage County, 17 Hundred Dollars a month is, I think, a very low income,” and urged considering a higher cutoff. Member Ozog and others suggested raising the threshold to $2,000 or $2,500 per month to better reflect local rents and expenses.

Member Yu asked whether the $142,000 represented a two‑year total and whether unspent funds would return to the county. Yu said: “This money is coming from ARPA interest … is there a clawback provision because this is supposed to be $71,000 for each year. It's a 2 year program.” Committee staff and finance representatives said they would track expenditures and return unspent funds to the county, and that the committee would receive accounting and any necessary adjustments.

Members also discussed operational history and demand: Undersheriff Moore and others said a prior program run by the DuPage Senior Citizens Council provided meals twice a month to about 400 people without income screening. Moore and Corporal Mendez said the sheriff’s office and county board were acting to continue service after that program ended.

The committee directed staff to work with Finance and Director Mary Keating to draft specific eligibility criteria, documentation requirements and an implementation plan and to circulate those parameters to the committee for feedback before program launch. Undersheriff Moore said staff planned to begin operations under whatever criteria the committee adopts; the undersheriff also left the meeting early and staff said they would confirm start timing.

Other budget actions

Separately, the committee approved a transfer of $17,750 from contingencies to food and beverages to support the senior meals program for the remainder of the fiscal year. The meeting record also shows approval of several small transfers to cover copier expenses for probation and court services totaling approximately $8,481 (line items of $1,271, $6,900 and $310).

What’s next

Committee members asked staff to return within about a week with a proposed eligibility worksheet and the income documentation that staff would accept. The committee did not set a final income cutoff at the May 20 meeting; members said they prefer to prioritize serving the lowest‑income seniors but wanted numbers and demand estimates before finalizing eligibility.