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Staff recommends reallocating $3.8M in ARPA recovery funds to Helene emergency response and community paramedics
Summary
Staff told commissioners Buncombe has obligated $50.7M in SLFRF (ARPA) funds, with about $3.8M available for reallocation (including ~$3.5M from a delayed Cox Avenue project); staff plans to propose reallocations for emergency response and community paramedics and will ask the board to ratify two line‑item transfers and consider reallocations on June 2.
Rachel Sawyer, Buncombe County Strategic Partnerships Director, briefed the board on the county’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) allocation and recommended staff‑led reallocation of available balances to cover Helene emergency response costs and a small equipment purchase for community paramedics.
"Our allocation was $50,700,000," Sawyer said, summarizing the county’s ARPA portfolio and noting staff have obligated 88% of the funds; she identified roughly $3,800,000 available to reallocate, with the largest single balance tied to a delayed Cox Avenue affordable housing project (about $3.5M).
Sawyer stressed federal rules constrain reallocations: funds can only be moved to an existing ARPA project created by Dec. 2024 and any added funding must align with the project's scope of work. Staff recommended moving a modest amount (roughly $32,000 plus an underspend) to community paramedics to purchase radios and directing the primary remainder to cover emergency response costs related to Helene while staff continue to pursue funding for permanent repairs.
Commissioners questioned whether Ferry Road infrastructure items could draw from those balances; Sawyer said scope limitations and timing prevent moving some funds across differently scoped projects. She also warned that unobligated funds not spent within federal timelines must be returned to the Treasury.
Staff said they will present a set of reallocations for board action on June 2 and will include two ratifying line‑item transfers previously executed during the state of emergency (about $46,000 and $50,000).
