County reports ARPA allocation fully obligated; majority of funds spent as of Dec. 31, 2024

Joe Lamers, director of the Milwaukee County Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance, told the Intergovernmental Relations Committee on April 7 that the county had obligated 100% of its $183,000,000 allocation of state and local fiscal recovery funds under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) by Dec. 31, 2024.

Lamers said that as of that date approximately 81% of the fund had been expended and that remaining funds are eligible for spending through the end of 2026. He said county staff are processing reimbursements and that several large projects account for the majority of the remaining balance and are expected to be completed across 2025 and 2026. "I'm happy to report that as of December 31, 2024, Milwaukee County reached the required 100% obligation," Lamers said.

Committee members asked whether the county was at risk of losing funds; Lamers said the U.S. Treasury had warned jurisdictions that un-obligated funds could be reclaimed, but Milwaukee County met the obligation deadline. Separately, Lamers said a different ARPA allocation related to immunization was suspended following federal guidance; that action was communicated through the state and has led the county to suspend related contracts for certain mental-health programs because of uncertainty over whether those funds will be restored. Lamers said the exact dollar amounts tied to that immunization allocation were not specified in the committee conversation and that staff would provide follow-up details.

Supervisors asked whether the suspension affected 2025 service delivery; Lamers said some programs were paused because the county could not assume the federal funding would be restored, though he offered to follow up with specific program names and dollar figures.