Commissioners free $915,900 from annex contract to reallocate ARPA funds, approve several annex change orders

Rockwall County Commissioners on April 22 approved several construction change orders for the county annex project and voted to free $915,900 in project savings so the county can reallocate those American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to another ARPA-qualified project, the sheriff's office remodel.

The court voted 5-0 to approve proposed change orders 34, 36, 37 and 39, which include additional concrete and guardrail work, door and frame revisions, an IT allowance for infrastructure and wiring adjustments related to the generator and low-voltage systems. Commissioners also approved a separate proposed change order (No. 40) that would extract $915,900 of project savings from the annex contract and make those dollars available for reallocation to another ARPA-eligible project.

Why it matters: The county is using ARPA funding for several facilities projects (the annex, the Third Floor courtroom infill and the sheriff's remodel). Freeing savings from the annex would let the court move ARPA dollars directly into the sheriff's remodel without returning them to the general fund, provided the county follows ARPA rules…