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Resident asks commissioners to clarify transfer of $150,000 in ARPA funds to county fiber project
Summary
A Hamburg Township resident told the Livingston County Board July 14 that $150,000 previously authorized for a Brighton-area schools JROTC program is available for reallocation to a county fiber project and urged the board to confirm the move before ARPA obligation and expenditure deadlines.
A Livingston County resident urged commissioners at the July 14 meeting to clarify whether $150,000 originally authorized for a Brighton-area schools JROTC program may be reallocated to the county’s planned fiber project.
Cindy McNemich of Hamburg Township told the board she was concerned the $150,000 — approved in a prior 2023 resolution for a JROTC program that is now not moving forward — must be designated consistently with ARPA rules. "As you know, ARPA funds have strict deadlines for obligation and expenditures. Funds must have been obligated by 12/31/2024 ... The funds must then be expended by 12/31/2026," McNemich said, and she asked the board to confirm the additional ARPA funds are within the project’s budgeted ARPA use.
Board discussion later in the meeting indicated the county had consulted Guidehouse, a compliance consultant retained to assist with ARPA reviews. A board member said Guidehouse advised the county could reassign unused portions of ARPA funds to projects that had been approved by the 2024 obligation date, and that the county fiber plan is an acceptable ARPA use. The board member thanked McNemich for raising the question and said the county had anticipated similar inquiries.
The comment follows earlier action in 2023 referenced by the speaker (a resolution authorizing $150,000 to Brighton-area schools for a JROTC program). McNemich asked the board to explicitly clarify the status of that allocation when discussing the ARPA fiber resolution (agenda item 8.9). The meeting record shows the question was raised and a board response citing Guidehouse guidance was provided; no formal reallocation vote appeared on the meeting agenda that evening.
Next steps: the county’s public agenda indicated the fiber allocation is under consideration as agenda item 8.9; the board’s reference to Guidehouse suggests staff will follow consultant guidance on whether and how funds may be reassigned.
