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Pitt County officials report near-complete ARPA spending, with small unobligated balance and housing contingency return
Summary
County staff told commissioners Pitt County received about $35.1 million in ARPA funds and has spent roughly $33.7 million, leaving a small unallocated balance (around $38,000) and a housing-category variance that may revert because encumbrance rules required contracts by Dec. 31, 2024.
County staff gave an update to the Pitt County Board of Commissioners on the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending and remaining obligations.
Michael Hardy, presenting the ARPA fund status, said Pitt County received $35,107,000 in ARPA funding and has expended approximately $33.765 million. He said most categories—broadband, two community centers, employee health and safety (including courthouse improvements and EMS equipment), housing and homelessness, business assistance, and water and sewer infrastructure—have been funded and executed through contracts and obligations. "With the pending obligation, we'll be liquidating that by the 12/31/2026 deadline," Hardy said.
Commissioners pressed staff about residual funds for housing and homelessness projects after Hardy explained contingency use in construction contracts. Hardy and another staff member outlined that contingency allowances built into multi-year contracts sometimes resulted in actual costs coming in under estimates; because contracts had to be encumbered by Dec. 31, 2024, small remaining balances on some projects (roughly $37,000–$38,000 in one housing project example) may have to revert rather than be reallocated to new work. The presenter gave a housing-category allocation figure of about $3,474,000 with $3,437,000 expended in that category as presented to the board.
A commissioner remarked, "So literally, we don't have any money left... it's obligated," and staff confirmed the encumbrance and liquidation deadlines constrained options to reassign small leftover amounts. The board moved to accept the ARPA update as presented; the transcript records a motion, second and voice vote but does not include individual vote tallies.
Numbers and formatting here reflect the figures presented during the meeting; the transcript contains some formatting inconsistencies that have been normalized for clarity.
