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Clerk and commissioners ask for MOU, consultant briefing before releasing $4 million ARPA funds to Stark
Summary
County staff said a $4 million ARPA allocation to the City of Stark for water/wastewater expansion remains on hold pending an agreement and a consultant presentation outlining how the funds will be used and how the city will demonstrate progress.
Bradford County staff told commissioners they will hold the $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds earmarked for the City of Stark’s water and wastewater extension to the bypass until the county receives additional documentation and a formal agreement clarifying project scope and reporting requirements.
At the meeting county staff reported that the county has cut the check but not yet delivered it and that auditors advised putting an agreement or memorandum of understanding in place to document the county’s expectations for use and reporting. The clerk’s office representative said auditors “suggested that the board consider what type of…an agreement or an MOU that just puts in place, that the county is issuing this money and that the city is going to use it for the intended purpose of which we allocated it.”
Commissioner Roden and others pressed for more detail before funds are disbursed: they asked for a presentation by the city’s consultant, Woodard & Curran, showing planned pipeline and pump-station locations, existing wastewater-treatment-plant capacity, and whether the plant could accept additional flow from future growth. The commission agreed to invite the consultant to the next meeting or to attach the consultant’s plan as an exhibit to any MOU.
No new funds were committed or withheld at the meeting; commissioners signaled consensus to require a formal agreement and consultant briefing as part of the county’s accountability and audit trail before delivering the funds to the city.
Staff recommended including periodic expense or project reports as part of the MOU and said the city representative indicated a willingness to provide expense reports and project updates.
