Spencer County draws second ARPA tranche, approves fire district equipment and several community grants

Spencer County Fiscal Court on March 21 voted to draw the second tranche of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and approved a series of ARPA and county funding actions intended to support emergency services, community nonprofits and election-outreach efforts.

The court voted to draw the second ARPA tranche (~$1,879,352.50), continuing a previously recorded draw of the first tranche; total county ARPA allocation cited in meeting materials was $3,758,705.00. The court also approved ARPA Resolution #5 to pay KIPDA (Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency) a 1% management fee to manage reporting and compliance for ARPA funds, as recommended by KIPDA.

Key funding actions taken at the March 21 meeting:

- Mt. Eden Fire District: The court approved a $29,878 ARPA distribution to Mt. Eden Fire District to buy a battery-powered extraction tool, a Kodiak rescue stabilization kit, 1,000 ft of 5-inch hose, 300 ft of 2½-inch hose, and two battery-powered chain saw/blower combos. Motion passed 3–2 (ayes: Magistrates Travis and Brewer, Judge Riley; nays: Magistrates J. Moody and Beaverson).

- MPCAA: The Fiscal Court released the remaining $20,000 previously appropriated to the Multi-Purpose Community Action Agency for senior programming and related services (motion approved by voice vote).

- CASA: William Meyers (CASA) requested $20,000–$50,000 to support volunteer recruitment, training and staffing. KIPDA consultant Jennifer Wilson’s guidance (read into the record) noted two ARPA pathways for nonprofit grants: assistance to a pandemic-impacted nonprofit or a subaward to carry out an ARPA-eligible county program; the court deferred most ARPA requests pending an advisory prioritization process.

- Tire Amnesty: The court approved a one-day county-only tire collection event on Friday, June 10, 2022 (8 a.m.–5 p.m.) to use state grant funds and county labor; prior events collected 29,200 tires and had additional county costs.

- Postcards for elections outreach: The court approved spending $5,487.63 to mail postcards to households explaining voting options for the May primary (the state will not fund postcards this cycle).

- Gearheads on Main: The court approved up to $2,500 for portable restrooms for a recurring car-cruise community event.

Court direction and process: Magistrate Tim Brewer moved (and the court adopted) a plan to hold pending ARPA funding requests until an advisory board is formed to prioritize projects, except for the Mt. Eden Fire District request which the court approved immediately. Judge Riley emphasized that ARPA funds must be committed by the end of 2024 and spent by 2026, and that KIPDA would assist with compliance and reporting.

What this means: The drawing of the second ARPA tranche makes significant discretionary funds available; the court signaled caution by establishing a prioritization process for larger requests but allowed immediate, targeted assistance for emergency services. Several nonprofit and community-service requests (CASA, Habitat for Humanity, MPCAA) remain on the table pending prioritization.

Next steps: The county will work with KIPDA to manage reporting requirements for ARPA-funded grants and to create an advisory board to vet and prioritize outstanding requests. Individual grant recipients must comply with county monitoring and KIPDA reporting as described in the meeting packet.