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County details $38.8M ARPA "freed-up capacity," names completed and ongoing projects
Summary
Todd Vaught told commissioners the county used the ARPA public-sector workforce provision to claim $38.8 million, freeing general-fund capacity for projects including homeless prevention vouchers, a Fayetteville State hub and an unhoused support center contract; staff will reconcile encumbrances and return with details.
Todd Vaught, who presented the county''s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) accounting, told the Board of Commissioners that Cumberland County received $65,168,690 in total ARPA funding and met the U.S. Treasury''s obligation deadline.
"Cumberland County received $65,168,690 in American Rescue Plan funds in two tranches starting back in 2021," Vaught said, and later added, "the county did meet the 12/31/2024 obligation deadline, and we did not have to remit any ARPA funds back to US Treasury." The presentation ran through how staff used the federal final rule''s expenditure category 3.2 (public sector workforce rehiring) and elected Option 2 to maximize allowable payroll coverage.
Under that interpretation, Vaught said, the county was able to document $38,800,000 in eligible payroll and fringe costs for select staff hired between March 3, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2024, which in turn "created additional capacity in the general fund." That "freed up capacity" has been applied to a mix of capital and programmatic work.
Vaught listed six completed projects funded in whole or in part by freed-up capacity totaling $1,050,294, including a community paramedics program, an AED program, a Fayetteville State University hub, a homeless prevention and eviction-voucher program, a security fence project at Robins Mills, and a utilities transponder project. He said another group of ongoing projects has $12,152,701 expended or encumbered and about $9,996,344 remaining in allocations; a third category contains projects allocated but not yet encumbered totalling $14,149,419.
Among items noted for board action or amendment, Vaught said the county attorney and staff worked with Cape Fear Valley on a contract and scope for a $1,000,000 medical-school-related award that the board approved at its June 15 meeting. He also cited a budget ordinance amendment authorizing $494,208 tied to the unhoused support center provider pre-opening contract.
Commissioners asked for additional detail distinguishing projects that are merely board-approved from projects that are encumbered by purchase order or contract. Vaught explained that the board''s prior approvals do not always appear as encumbrances immediately in the financial system; some items will show encumbrances in FY27 once PO lines are created. He agreed to provide staff''s reconciliation and a breakout of: projects already expended or encumbered; projects with pending encumbrances; and projects approved but lacking planned expenditures, so the board can better assess potential freed capacity.
Staff also flagged interest earned on ARPA holdings ($1,855,939) and said interest had been posted in a separate project line; the board asked staff to return with options for how, if at all, that interest might be used or moved into parking-lot funds.
What happens next: staff will reconcile encumbrances and obligations and provide an updated project/expenditure report and recommendations at the board''s next meeting.
