ARPA funds reported fully expended; committee approves grant-related budget adjustments

Treasury staff informed the Finance Committee that all American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated to county projects were expended by the program deadline of Dec. 31, 2024. Sarah said the treasury’s immediate task is monitoring recipient documentation and closeout reports to ensure expenses were properly obligated and recorded to withstand audit.

Sarah said some recipient agencies and entities still must submit closeout information and that federal guidance might not be finalized for all items until 2026. “We’re still awaiting information on closeout reports,” she said, and staff will keep the committee updated on outstanding documentation.

Separately, Finance Director Reid Acree brought forward a set of department-originated budget adjustments tied to newly received grants. Reid said the adjustments are net-zero (revenue equals expense) and requested committee approval to avoid required footnote disclosures in the financial statements. The committee moved the package to the executive level for processing (moved by Tom Kitson, seconded by Nancy Naylor) and the motion carried.

Ending: Staff will present a fuller ARPA wrap-up to the committee and county board on request; the committee asked staff to prepare a final presentation for a future board meeting.

Note: The committee did not adopt any new ARPA spending in this session; the discussion focused on closeout and documentation requirements.