Spencer County Fiscal Court elects ARPA revenue standard, funds Washburn Lane study and approves $75,000 for fire district

Spencer County Fiscal Court voted on March 21, 2022 to elect the U.S. Treasury's one-time ARPA "standard allowance" for revenue loss and approved two separate ARPA expenditures: a directed survey and engineering study for Washburn Lane and a $75,000 distribution to the Taylorsville-Spencer County Fire District.

The court heard a presentation from Jennifer Wilson and Jarret Haley of the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) and reviewed written guidance from Rich Ornstein, staff attorney with the Kentucky Association of Counties. The presenters summarized the Treasury Final Rule provision (31 CFR —7 35.6(d)) that allows smaller local governments to elect a deemed revenue loss of up to $10 million or up to the size of their allocation, avoiding a county-by-county lost‑revenue calculation.

County Judge Executive John Riley said he intended to move the resolution after hearing the explanation and supporting legal opinions. The court approved ARPA Resolution #1, electing the standard allowance and authorizing the county to treat its full $3,758,705 allocation as available for eligible "government services" under the standard allowance rules.

The vote on ARPA Resolution #1 was recorded by roll call and the court ordered the election of the standard allowance.

In separate action the court approved ARPA Resolution #2 to begin detailed survey, engineering design and a competitive construction estimate for improvements to Washburn Lane, citing safety and anticipated residential development in the area. Magistrate Jim Travis and Judge Riley argued the improvements would preserve a corridor and help economic development; some magistrates countered that road needs exist throughout the county and questioned priority. The resolution directs county engineers to work with QK4 and seeks potential support from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Rural Secondary Road Program. The motion passed with three ayes and two nays (Esq. Travis, Esq. Brewer and Judge Riley in favor; Esq. J. Moody and Esq. M. Moody opposed; Esq. Beaverson absent).

The court also considered a request from the Taylorsville-Spencer County Fire District for $75,000 in ARPA funds to purchase hose, 10 sets of firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE), a battery-powered extrication tool and swift-water/dive equipment. Chief Nathan Nation and the fire board explained the request in a written letter and pointed to volunteer staffing and front-line pandemic service. The court approved a one-time ARPA distribution of $75,000 to the district. Roll call recorded three ayes and two nays (Brewer, Riley and Travis voted to approve; J. Moody and M. Moody voted no; Beaverson absent).

Votes at a glance

- ARPA Resolution #1 (Election of Treasury standard allowance for revenue loss): Approved (roll call; ayes recorded; Beaverson absent). See transcript SEG 008'SEG 011. - ARPA Resolution #2 (Washburn Lane survey/design/estimate): Approved, 3 ayes / 2 nays (Travis, Brewer, Riley = ayes; J. Moody, M. Moody = nays); Beaverson absent. See transcript SEG 012'SEG 015. - ARPA Resolution #3 (Taylorsville-Spencer County Fire District $75,000 distribution): Approved, 3 ayes / 2 nays (Brewer, Riley, Travis = ayes; J. Moody, M. Moody = nays); Beaverson absent. See transcript SEG 016'SEG 019.

Why this matters

Electing the standard allowance simplifies reporting and gives Spencer County broader flexibility to use its ARPA allocation for general government services such as infrastructure, vehicles and public safety equipment without performing a detailed lost-revenue calculation. The Washburn Lane authorization begins engineering work that could lead to construction to address documented safety and access concerns in a corridor experiencing new residential development. The $75,000 fire district award will immediately fund equipment the district says it needs for emergency response and water/dive incidents.

What the court did not decide

Approvals at this meeting authorized planning, surveys and a one-time grant distribution; they did not finalize construction contracts for Washburn Lane or detailed procurement for the fire district purchases. The court also heard competing views about spending priorities for ARPA funds and whether some projects should wait for a future administration or be prioritized by a transparent plan.