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Committee outlines conditional plan for $5.5 million in remaining ARPA funds
Summary
Committee discussed reserving roughly $5.5 million in remaining ARPA funds for an Alpha Center purchase, a voter-registration location and to help fund a new detention center, pending appraisals and obligation deadlines; no binding allocation was approved at the meeting.
Committee staff told members June 24 that about $5.5 million of ARPA funds remain and proposed three priority uses: purchasing an Alpha Center building (appraisal pending), securing a voter-registration location and allocating leftover funds toward a new detention center.
Mister Eubanks (Speaker 3) said the Alpha Center board was meeting the following night and that appraisal figures should be available afterward. He asked the committee for agreement that staff should pursue negotiations and return with final numbers. "I just kinda wanted to point that out and make sure y'all agreed," he said.
Members asked whether obligating funds would create a binding commitment if better needs emerged. Speaker 6 reminded the group that federally eligible obligations should be made by Dec. 31 to meet program requirements; staff confirmed a contract obligation by Dec. 31 would satisfy that timing. Several members suggested reserving funds conditionally and requested staff return with purchase prices, contracts or other evidence before making final commitments.
No formal vote was taken to allocate ARPA to these three projects at this meeting; the committee expressed intent to prioritize the Alpha Center appraisal and a potential voter-registration site and to apply remaining ARPA to the detention-center project if the numbers match the county’s priorities and procurement rules. Staff said they would report updated cost figures to council once available.
Because several items remain subject to appraisal, contract negotiation and federal obligation deadlines, the committee did not adopt a final appropriation schedule at this meeting.
