Policy & Governance committee hears ARPA status report showing majority of projects liquidated or expended

At the Feb. 10, 2025 meeting of the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners Policy and Governance Committee, county staff delivered an update on the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (SLFRF) program, reporting that most obligations are complete and that dozens of subrecipients are in contracting, execution or closeout phases.

The presentation, given by county ARPA staff, said the county authorized all of its SLFRF allocation and has moved from obligation-focused work to tracking liquidation (funds sent to projects) and expenditure (funds spent by subrecipients). The report showed 99 projects fully liquidated to date, 52 projects fully expended, and a mix of projects at various stages of expenditure and contracting.

The nut graf: the committee’s review confirms that funds authorized previously are now flowing into the community, but staff warned the board it will continue monitoring projects with little or no expenditure and will perform site visits and desk reviews to ensure compliance with procurement and reporting requirements.

Key figures and program details reported by staff: - 99 projects were reported as fully liquidated; 12 projects had more than 50% liquidation; 14 were under 50%; 18 had no liquidation yet. - 52 projects are fully expended; 14 have expended more than half their funds; 39 have expended less than half; 38 have not started expenditures. - Reported liquidations by eligible use categories included more than $500,000 in public health, roughly $448,000 in negative economic impacts, about $497,000 in public sector capacity, and $510,000 reported in revenue replacement categories. - Expenditure totals reported included $10,600,000 in public sector capacity, $5,450,000 in negative economic impacts and about $5,000,000 in public health expenditures across projects.

Staff also summarized subrecipient contracting and risk assessment: four subrecipient contracts had been signed and were expected to appear on the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) agenda the same week; additional contracts were drafted for organizations including Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park, YMCA of Oklahoma and Fostering Sweet Dreams. A schedule of site visits and desk reviews for February–March was presented; several organizations (First Americans Museum projects, Allied Arts of Oklahoma, Regional Food Bank) were identified as near closeout.

Committee members asked procedural questions about reporting timelines; staff confirmed the county had submitted the Q4 Project and Expenditure (PNER) report to the Treasury portal and that the annual report work would begin in April for a July submission to the county website. Members did not raise objections. A motion to receive the ARPA report was made and approved by voice vote.

Ending: Staff said they will continue compliance monitoring, pursue remaining subrecipient signatures, conduct scheduled site visits, and return with follow-up reporting at future Policy & Governance meetings.