Council directs staff to draft supplemental budget to transfer portion of ARPA funds into general fund

City staff updated the council on the status of Roseburg’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation and won council direction to prepare a supplemental budget proposal.

Staff said the city received $5,215,000 in ARPA funding and that a number of projects are underway or in design. "About $412,000 that, we could say is in progress," staff told the council, and roughly $3.22 million remained in the ARPA fund at the time of the meeting. Staff explained that funds must be obligated or spent by the end of the calendar year and clarified that 'obligated' requires a signed contract or purchase order rather than an earmark.

Because some large projects (a public safety center third-floor buildout, sewer design, park work and a potential land-exchange or economic development project) may not be fully obligated by the deadline, staff proposed one clean option: transfer the un-obligated portion into the general fund as revenue replacement and create new budget line items for special projects and capital. Doing so would allow the city to use the funds for payroll and then repurpose those general fund dollars later for project work.

Councilors asked for clarity on which projects already have signed contracts (the staff memo identified about $412,000 in down payments and other commitments) and expressed concern about preserving money for emerging priorities such as an urban campground. After discussion, a motion directing staff to take steps necessary to bring back a supplemental budget proposal to transfer a portion of the ARPA funds to the general fund passed; the transcript records the final voice tally as 6–1.

Staff said they will bring detailed options back for council review, including proposed special-project line items and the timing needed to meet federal obligation rules.