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Demorest weighs ARPA spending list while sewer‑bore contract negotiations continue
Summary
City Manager Mark Musselwhite outlined potential uses for ARPA funds — including SCADA, water-modeling, GEFA grant contribution, hydrants and fire gear — but said the list cannot be voted on until negotiations over a sewer‑bore contract (including a contractor request that the city pay half the cost of a machine) are resolved.
City Manager Mark Musselwhite presented a proposed uses list for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds at the Oct. 1 Demorest work session and emphasized the list could not be finalized while a separate sewer‑bore contract remained unresolved.
The ARPA proposal included line items and amounts: SCADA $148,945; water model $73,000; Toccoa connection $39,000; a GEFA grant contribution $40,000; 17 fire hydrants $92,000; and Fire Department turnout gear, hose, uniforms and storage totaling $48,126. Musselwhite told council he continued to discuss the sewer‑bore contract with the contractor to determine the full expense if the city cancels the contract.
City Attorney Thomas Mitchell said the contractor asked the city to pay for half of the machine the contractor purchased to perform the contract and recommended that the city negotiate with the contractor. Musselwhite noted ARPA funding allocations must be identified by Dec. 30, creating a deadline for staff to resolve the contract question and present a final spending plan.
No vote was taken on ARPA allocations during the work session; staff presented options and highlighted the dependency on the sewer‑bore contract outcome.
