Alamance County approves ARPA reallocations, transportation and DOJ grants in budget amendment

Alamance County commissioners unanimously approved Budget Amendment 5, a package of appropriations and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) reallocations intended to obligate available federal funds before a year‑end deadline and move several locally planned projects forward.

Rebecca Crawford, the county's budget and management services director, told the board the amendment adds $140,113 to the general fund for transportation programs serving elderly and disabled residents (the award requires a 10% match to be covered by active fare revenue), accepts a $15,000 grant from Camp Hope America for the Family Justice Center to cover camp‑related program costs, and recommends supplanting previously incurred EMS salaries and fringe with ARPA so those general‑fund dollars can be reprogrammed elsewhere.

The amendment also addresses procurement issues on a planned water and sewer contract for the ACC Public Safety Training Center: staff reported no bidders responded to the ARPA‑funded RFP, and recommended using county general funds for that water/sewer work and increasing the existing ACC capital project budget to keep the training center on schedule. Crawford said ambulance and paramedic vehicle purchases were already procured or in progress and would not be canceled; the amendment is a funding swap rather than a reduction in planned EMS purchases.

Crawford further told commissioners the county will reallocate a remaining $83,000 of mobile radio funds after receiving additional E‑911 revenues and confirmed the health department had been awarded $900,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice over four years (Oct. 1, 2024–Sept. 30, 2028) to support an adult treatment court program aimed at about 50 high‑risk, nonviolent individuals over the grant term. The DOJ funds are intended for contract services, education supplies and training.

County finance staff reported preliminary November sales tax receipts of about $3.6 million—roughly $60,000 above November 2023 collections—and that the county is tracking slightly ahead of prior projections. Staff also said the county has spent about $25.8 million of allocated ARPA funds and plans to appropriate the remaining roughly $5 million as part of the end‑of‑year actions and supplantments to meet U.S. Treasury guidelines.

Chair moved the amendment; after questions and clarifications from commissioners about procurement rules and funding flows, the board approved the entire package by unanimous voice vote. The amendment was presented as a one‑time reallocation exercise to fully obligate and position ARPA funds for eventual expenditure.