County administrator: $2M in ARPA set for broadband; 10% spent, commissioners press for on-time completion
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Summary
County Administrator Andrew Keller told the Richland County Board on Jan. 6 that the Broadband Ohio project has $2,000,000 in ARPA funding for 748 last-mile connections and that $200,000 (10%) has been expended; commissioners emphasized monitoring and concern about meeting federal expenditure deadlines.
During the board’s Jan. 6 meeting, a visitor raised questions about the status and timing of ARPA-funded projects and whether all ARPA monies must be spent by the federal deadline. County Administrator Andrew Keller described the county’s approach and the status of major ARPA projects.
"Those resolutions, we have renewed annually. They apply to procurement," Keller said, describing two routine resolutions the board adopted to align county purchasing with federal thresholds. He added that the micro-purchase threshold is $50,000 and the simplified acquisition threshold is $350,000 "set by the Code of Federal Regulations."
Keller provided specifics on projects funded with ARPA dollars. "We allocated $2,000,000 towards this [broadband] project from ARPA funds. I believe we've expended $200,000 so far. That's 10%," he said, describing progress and the drawdown structure tied to 10% construction benchmarks.
Keller said the county is "actively monitoring all of the outstanding projects," citing major projects including the Belleville sewer project and courthouse construction. On the Broadband Ohio effort, he said the program targets 748 last-mile connections in the northern part of the county and that Charter Communications is the contractor working on permits and installations.
A meeting attendee and remote participant, Carl Hundl, asked how concerned the board should be about meeting the federal expenditure deadline. Keller responded that the county intends to plan as though the strict deadline (discussed in the meeting as 12/31/2026) will not be extended and that staff are monitoring SLFRF rules and project drawdowns. "We just don't wanna be a part of that creation of law," Keller said regarding relying on congressional action to change federal deadlines.
Commissioners said they will continue to press the broadband contractor for progress. "We constantly remind Charter in a very friendly and professional way that we need to get this project done by year's end, and they assure us that it will be," Commissioner Tony Guerrero said.
The board did not take additional formal action on ARPA funding at the Jan. 6 meeting beyond reaffirming procurement and administrative oversight; staff said they will monitor project milestones and drawdowns and address any unfinished work on a case-by-case basis.
Next steps: County staff will continue to monitor the Broadband Ohio drawdowns and other ARPA-funded projects; the board will expect regular progress reports and may take action if projects do not meet contractual or federal requirements.