County says ARPA obligations completed by Dec. 31, 2024; two-year reporting period remains

County officials told the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 30 that the county met the deadline of Dec. 31, 2024 to obligate ARPA funds for projects and that recipients now have two years to complete implementation and reporting.

Anna (branch management) said the county worked with purchasing, the auditor’s office and the prosecutor’s office to allocate ARPA funds across municipalities, townships and nonprofit organizations, and that the commissioners selected projects throughout the county. She said reporting and implementation by awardees continues through Dec. 31, 2026.

Why it matters: ARPA awards were used across the county for external grants, nonprofit assistance and internal technology purchases, officials said. Speakers noted ARPA dollars supported new and existing businesses, first-responder equipment and internal county technology upgrades including systems in the courthouse and the jail.

Details from the meeting: Speakers described the ARPA process as county-driven, with funds distributed to townships, municipalities and nonprofit organizations. The presentation credited multiple county staff for managing grants, contracts and audits. A speaker referenced a dollar figure in the record but the transcript’s numeric detail was unclear; the meeting record did not provide a single unambiguous total in the spoken remarks.

Officials said the county immediately distributed funds after receipt and did not hold funds to accrue interest before allocation. County staff thanked audit, purchasing and program staff for the reconciliation and contracting work required to meet the obligation deadline.