Trumbull County commissioners discuss extending ARPA spending deadlines for local projects

Trumbull County commissioners on Sept. 16 discussed extending deadlines on several county-administered ARPA awards so local recipients can finish projects that have grown in scope.

Commissioner Sharon Taylor said municipal and township recipients — including Liberty Township and the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership — have asked for more time to complete stormwater and other projects funded through ARPA, and she recommended county counsel prepare a resolution amending contracts to extend spending deadlines.

The county prosecutor’s office and county auditor staff said the county has used contract amendments before to move deadlines for locally encumbered awards. Phil Danzo of the prosecutor’s office said extending a contract deadline preserves the original scope of work and does not by itself change what the award pays for.

“Extending the deadline is different from expanding the scope,” Danzo said. “We need to be careful about what Treasury will allow as a reallocation versus what we can do by amending a county contract.”

County auditor Martha (last name not specified in the record) and other staff confirmed the county previously issued contract amendments to adjust local deadlines and that attorney Rogers had prepared similar resolutions in prior years. Taylor said she had also spoken with Julie Breen, who agreed the county could proceed with contract amendments.

The discussion also addressed one county project — a…