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Richland County ad hoc committee hears ARPA closeout: $5.4M reimbursed, $881,098.35 reallocated to Family Services Center
Summary
At its Dec. 17, 2024 meeting the Richland County Coronavirus Ad Hoc Committee received an ARPA grants update from ACA Thomas: the county has reimbursed about $5.4 million of roughly $6.3 million allocated, moved funds for affordable housing, and re-obligated $881,098.35 to the Family Services Center; eight final reports remain outstanding.
The Richland County Coronavirus Ad Hoc Committee met Dec. 17, 2024, to receive an update from county administration on the status and closeout of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant awards.
ACA Thomas, who led the presentation, told the committee the county is "winding down our ARPA grant allocation process" and that a clerical error on roughly 15 contracts listed an incorrect December 31 date; administration contacted affected grantees and adjusted deadlines so expenditures would comply with the required October 31 end date. By the end of November, Thomas said, the county had completed reimbursements and "reimbursed just over $5,400,000," which she described as about 85% of the roughly $6,300,000 that had been allocated for grants.
Thomas directed members to packet pages showing a category-by-category breakdown of allocations and expenditures, and she said packet pages include award details by grantee (awarded amount, expended amount, reimbursed amount and remaining balance). She said about 30 grantees received awards and each underwent a desk review before reimbursements to ensure federal compliance.
The administration also reported program-level changes: an approximately $4,000,000 affordable-housing allocation was moved (the packet notes it was reallocated to a different use consistent with earlier council actions), and funds for youth and recreation services were re-obligated to the Family Services Center. When a committee member asked for the exact reobligated amount, Thomas replied, "At present, it's $881,098.35."
Committee members pressed administration on challenges experienced during the grant round. Thomas said many subrecipients were unfamiliar with federal-award requirements, which complicated desk reviews and slowed responses. She said in some cases proposed expenditures proved ineligible for federal reimbursement; administration and its contractor worked with grantees to identify allowable alternatives so projects could be completed and reimbursed.
Thomas also told the committee there are about eight grantees whose final reports were still outstanding; those final reports are due Jan. 15 to meet the county's Jan. 31 deadline for federal reporting. The chair said the committee may hold one additional meeting to review final reports but that administration could instead package a final closeout report for the full county council.
Routine procedural business at the start and end of the meeting included approval of the July 2 minutes, adoption of the meeting agenda, and a motion to adjourn, all of which were recorded as approved on voice roll calls during the session.
The committee did not take further formal action on reallocations during the meeting; next steps are for administration to complete outstanding reports and deliver a final closeout summary to the committee or full council.
