Harahan council moves ARPA cash to streets, police vehicles and senior-center costs as it amends 2024 and adopts 2025 budget

Harahan — The City Council approved a series of budget amendments and ARPA transfers on Dec. 19 designed to secure state road-repair grants, buy police vehicles and shift certain capital costs off the general fund.

Council members voted to add two state-requested cooperative-en-deavor resolutions to the agenda and approved them unanimously. The resolutions authorize the mayor to accept state funding for emergency road repairs on Monroe Street/Reesor Avenue and on Okay Avenue/Elper Street. Finance Director Todd Turnioin told the council the state has approved a large portion of project worksheets and about $1,000,000 in approved PWs remained unpaid but moving through processing.

The meeting’s major fiscal action was a package of ARPA amendments. Councilman Asbell proposed, and the council approved, a spending package that included $200,000 for police vehicles, $130,000 for a crane/maintenance truck, $20,000 for Axon holster sensors that auto-trigger body-cam recording, and $50,000 for ADA-accessible entrances at a playground. The package was sized to meet the federal ARPA obligation deadline and to convert previously allocated capital expenses into ARPA where allowed.

“We do continue to have monthly meetings with the…