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Montgomery County finalizes ARPA 'Montgomery Thrive' obligations; commissioners split over cooperative district transfer
Summary
The Montgomery County Commission adopted a resolution finalizing the obligation phase of its ARPA-funded Montgomery Thrive initiative and approved specific funding allocations, while a separate transfer of ARPA interest to support a Whitewater project passed 3-2. Commissioners must submit individual allocation preferences by Dec. 20 for certain salary allocations.
The Montgomery County Commission on Dec. 17 adopted a resolution formalizing the obligation phase of the county’s Montgomery Thrive program, the commission said, consolidating prior ARPA commitments and approving specific funding allocations tied to the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) receipts.
The resolution, approved unanimously, summarizes obligations the county identified as of Dec. 17, 2024, including $486,000 for Critical Home Repair, $125,000 for County Parks and Recreation, $50,000 for The Beacon Center, $200,000 reconciliation funding to the City of Montgomery, $450,000 for ARPA monitoring and sustainability, and $1,727,673.14 for public health and safety salaries. The resolution directs that any remaining unobligated ARPA funds as of Dec. 30, 2024, be obligated to the CommUNITY Partners Program.
Under the adopted language, each commissioner may allocate up to $345,500 of the $1,727,673.14 earmarked for public health and safety salaries to existing ARPA beneficiaries or to the county volunteer fire association; commissioners were required to communicate those preferences in writing to County Administrator Kindell Anderson by Dec. 20, 2024. After that date, the County Administrator and Finance Director are authorized to obligate the funds to compliant costs paid by the General Fund and to record each commissioner’s allocations in the official attachment to the resolution.
While the Montgomery Thrive resolution carried unanimously, a separate funding action on the same agenda drew a split vote. The commission approved a transfer of up to $2,000,000 of interest generated from ARPA funds to the Montgomery Community Cooperative District in support of Montgomery Whitewater by a 3-2 vote (yes: Chair Doug Singleton, Vice Chairman Moore-Zeigler, Commissioner Castanza; no: Commissioners Sankey and Harris). The transfer resolution was presented as a distinct item and identified as support for a Whitewater development project.
The meeting packet frames Montgomery Thrive as the county’s consolidated approach to spending SLFRF funds received under the American Rescue Plan Act and notes the county received $43.9 million in SLFRF funds. The resolution references compliance with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Final Rule on SLFRF expenditures.
Votes at a glance (key motions on the Dec. 17 agenda): - Montgomery Thrive finalization resolution — Moved by Vice Chairman Moore-Zeigler; seconded by Commissioner Castanza; result: adopted unanimously. - Transfer to Montgomery Community Cooperative District (support for Montgomery Whitewater) — Moved by Commissioner Castanza; seconded by Vice Chairman Moore-Zeigler; result: adopted 3-2 (opposed Commissioners Sankey and Harris). - ADECA EECBG grant application (submit application for up to $250,000) — adopted 4-1 (opposed Commissioner Harris). - Multiple other appropriations, procurement awards, and routine minutes approvals — carried unanimously (see packet).
The resolution instructs staff to ensure compliance with applicable procurement rules and federal guidance and reserves the county’s right to amend the obligation list if future adjustments are required. The county’s formal attachment (Attachment A) was referenced repeatedly in the resolution as the operational record of obligations and allocations.
Chairman Doug Singleton and other commissioners noted the Montgomery Thrive framework seeks to concentrate one-time federal funds on priorities such as community restoration, mental health crisis services and small business support. The resolution and the packet emphasize documentation and reconciliation of previously reported obligations; the County Administrator and Finance Director will incorporate commissioner allocation records into the official Attachment A following the Dec. 20 allocation deadline.
The commission’s action moves previously planned and ad hoc ARPA commitments into a single, consolidated resolution and establishes a timeframe and procedure for allocating a specified portion of public health and safety salary funds among commissioners’ designated beneficiaries.
