Waupaca County board approves $425,000 ARPA allocation for employee premium pay

The Waupaca County Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 27 to allocate $425,000 from its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allotment for premium pay to eligible county employees.

The motion to adopt Resolution No. 24 was moved by Supervisor Kevin Will and seconded by Supervisor Miller and carried on a 24-1 vote; the transcript does not identify which supervisor cast the lone dissent. The resolution authorizes spending in accordance with a county policy developed to allocate premium pay ‘‘based on essential responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic’’ and directs the finance director to amend the 2022 budget to reflect the expenditure.

County materials noted that Waupaca County received $9,904,210 under ARPA, and that after the board’s second allocation of $425,000 there remained $5,224,610 available for eligible projects. The resolution references the U.S. Department of the Treasury final rule on eligible uses for ARPA funds; the board recorded that it had reviewed the Treasury guidance when developing its premium-pay policy.

The action was recommended for introduction by the Human Resources Committee and the Waupaca County Finance Committee. The resolution states that the premium-pay policy is attached to the resolution (the transcript references the policy but does not include the policy text), and that implementation will follow the policy’s eligibility and distribution rules.

Next steps: the finance director is authorized to amend the 2022 budget and allocate the $425,000 to the appropriate fund(s); the transcript records no additional board direction or an implementation timetable in the meeting minutes.