The Steele County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 23 to allocate remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds toward courthouse improvements and a phone/security system upgrade, with commissioners approving the measure by voice vote.

Speaker 1, who led the ARPA discussion, outlined options for the county’s remaining balance and recommended dedicating about $85,000 to finish a phone and security upgrade and placing the remainder into a courthouse improvement fund. Speaker 1 said the county could also direct funds to Tyler software upgrades (roughly $63,000) and annual Tyler maintenance (about $23,000), and noted a possible $16,000 expense tied to legacy software.

The motion to allocate ARPA dollars — funding the security/phone upgrade and moving the rest into the courthouse improvement fund — was made and seconded (Speaker 2 moved) and approved after commissioners voiced their support. Speaker 2 concluded the vote by saying, “Motion carried.”

Speakers emphasized legal and timing constraints: Speaker 1 reminded the board that ARPA obligations must be in place and spent by the end of 2026 and cautioned against obligating ARPA toward road and bridge projects because other funding sources are available for those priorities. The group discussed the option of reobligating funds late in 2026 to a road project if necessary.

Commissioners also discussed procurement approach for any building work related to courthouse improvements. Speaker 1 recommended issuing an RFP or sealed bids and, where needed, hiring an engineer or general contractor to assess the building and prepare reliable cost estimates before committing funds. Speaker 3 agreed to contact a previously used contractor for an initial estimate.

Following the vote, Speaker 1 asked for signatures on two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) that will transfer $129,529 into the courthouse improvements account and $85,000 toward the phone/security project.

The county also reported receiving a $25,000 historical grant (50/50 cost-share) from the Historical Society for interior courthouse lighting work; the contract is expected in February or March and work would follow the procurement process.

Next steps: commissioners requested cost estimates and recommended developing clear RFP/bid documents before advertising for bids; staff were directed to obtain MOUs and seek contractor assessments before spending the committed ARPA dollars.