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Henderson County reports ARPA funds fully obligated; broadband, senior center, generators and public safety tech underway
Summary
Henderson County officials told commissioners that the county’s ARPA funds have been fully obligated and that broadband, building construction, generator grants and public-safety technology projects are underway with a final spending deadline of Dec. 31, 2026.
Henderson County officials said the county has obligated its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation and is executing multiple projects including broadband expansion, a senior/Agrilife building, backup generators for water suppliers, new dash cameras for law enforcement and deployable cell towers for emergencies.
Wesley Traylor of Traylor and Associates told the court the county received roughly $16,000,000 in ARPA funds administered by the U.S. Treasury and that all funds were obligated by the Treasury’s obligation deadline at the end of 2024; the county must spend the money by Dec. 31, 2026. Traylor said the county’s obligation deadline was met and the remaining work focuses on completing projects already in procurement or construction.
Key projects and status - Broadband expansion: Traylor said the broadband project is about 25–26% complete, with work visible in Eustace, Payne Springs and Malakoff and crews active when weather permitted. - Senior and AgriLife building: Construction is underway after multiple bid rounds to align costs with available funding. - Annex HVAC: Completed. - Water-supply generator grant: The county issued a call for projects; eligible applicants received awards to fund backup generators. Contracts are in place, a construction contractor is ordering generators and the county will require maintenance contracts to ensure readiness. - Sheriff’s office equipment: A tactical vehicle (“Rook”) and upgraded patrol dash cameras were procured; the dash-cam project combined governor’s office funding with county funds to secure better pricing from the manufacturer and software provider. - Deployable cell towers: The county purchased temporary deployable cellular assets to restore or augment communications for first responders during severe events.
Commissioners and staff emphasized careful project design to avoid creating unsustainable ongoing county obligations. Traylor and county staff said they used multiple bidding rounds and committee review to keep capital projects within ARPA funding limits. The county’s deadline to complete and expend ARPA-funded projects is Dec. 31, 2026.
The court thanked Traylor and audit and county attorney staff for extensive work to meet shifting Treasury rules and to ensure compliant project execution. No formal action was required; the court received the update and will continue to track project completion timelines.
