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Clallam County designates ARPA funds to reimburse pandemic-era county costs amid public questions
Summary
Commissioners voted unanimously to use American Rescue Plan Act funds (sections 605 and 603) to reimburse county payroll and related costs, drawing public comments urging tribal coordination and transparency.
The Clallam County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously April 29 to designate portions of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allotment as the funding source for county payroll and related COVID-era costs, a move county officials said will protect restricted ARPA dollars from potential clawback.
The decision, taken as part of the meeting’s consent agenda, authorizes use of section 605 (local assistance and tribal consistency fund) and section 603 (state and local fiscal recovery funds) monies to reimburse county accounts previously covered by general fund reserves.
County officials and the board described the action as a bookkeeping change meant to preserve the county’s reserve position. “This is a general fund neutral exercise. We’re just changing the source of pay from our unrestricted reserves to restricted reserves,” a county official explained during the meeting. The official added that the county had set aside funds and used reserves to continue services during the pandemic and that designating ARPA as the paying source simply reimburses those prior expenditures.
Why it matters: The staff explanation responded directly to several members of the public who said ARPA money should go to visible projects such as roads rather than back to county coffers. “These are funds afforded to the county by the federal government for recovery. And I think this is an inappropriate use,” said Ed Bowen during public comment, who identified himself as a Sequim resident and criticized the reimbursement plan as diverting recovery funds away from road projects.
Public comment and board response: Multiple speakers urged transparency and tribal coordination. John Worthington and Pepe Whipple, both Sequim residents, asked the board to ensure tribal interests and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are considered; they also raised concerns about a separate charter review question about a proposed “water steward.” County officials responded that tribes and other entities received separate ARPA allocations and that the County’s action covers county government costs, not tribal distributions.
The board approved the consent agenda, including the two ARPA items, by voice vote. Commissioners indicated the choice protects the county’s unrestricted reserves while allowing restricted federal funds to be used for costs incurred during the pandemic.
Ending: Commissioners and staff said they will continue to monitor the state and federal rules governing ARPA funds. The consent agenda item passed unanimously.
