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Simpson County Fiscal Court delays decision on ARPA-funded clerk/PVA building as some favor park community center
Summary
Deputy Clerk Grace Dickens and PVA Alison Cummings told the court their offices face a near-term permanent-records storage shortfall and urged using ARPA funds for a new County Clerk/PVA building; several magistrates opposed that plan and prefer directing ARPA toward a community center at the county park. No action was taken; the court will revisit the issue July 19.
County officials on July 5 pressed the Simpson County Fiscal Court to decide how to spend federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, but the court did not reach a resolution.
Deputy Clerk Grace Dickens and Property Valuation Administrator Alison Cummings told the court they face growing, permanent records-storage needs as Simpson County’s workload expands. Both officials presented inventories of records that require permanent retention and said current office space is approaching capacity. "We are fast approaching storage capacity and need an option to house permanent records," Dickens told the court.
Judge Executive Mason Barnes said he and Magistrate Marty Chandler previously supported using ARPA funds to build a joint County Clerk/PVA facility on county-owned land at East Kentucky and North Court streets; Magistrates Scott Poston, Myron Thurman and Nathaniel Downey opposed that use at the June 7 meeting and prefer allocating the money to a community center at the county park. The parks option was raised at the same meeting after Parks Director Lisa Deavers outlined park needs and a proposed plan, and court minutes note that Kentucky Downs has committed—through the City of Franklin—to appropriating $150,000 annually for 20 years to park capital improvements contingent on the city contract.
The court emphasized that ARPA funds are time‑sensitive: they must be obligated by December 2024 and fully expended by December 2026, according to the meeting record. No motion to commit ARPA funds was passed on July 5; the court scheduled further discussion for its July 19 meeting.
Magistrate Scott Poston proposed using the ARPA allocation for the proposed community center at the park, arguing capital improvements there would meet community needs. Supporters of the clerk/PVA building said an office would address a statutory retention obligation and avoid offsite storage costs; opponents said capital spending on parks would provide broader public benefit.
The disagreement left the issue unresolved. The court’s record shows it will revisit the question on July 19, at which point members may vote to commit ARPA funds to one of the two capital projects or propose different uses.
