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Lauderdale Lakes staff urges quick ARPA reallocation to avoid returning $9.9 million
Summary
Finance Director Sharon Haynes told commissioners the city has $9.9 million in unspent ARPA funds and proposed swaps to move money into faster-deploying programs including home repairs and public safety to meet federal obligation and expenditure deadlines.
Finance Director Sharon Haynes told the commission the city received $18,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and faces nondiscretionary deadlines to obligate and expend the money.
"The city of Lauderdale Lakes was awarded $18,000,000 in American Rescue Act funding with strict federal requirements mandating all funds be obligated by 12/31/2024 and fully expended by 12/31/2026," Haynes said, and staff reported $9,900,000 remained unspent as of the last reporting period. To avoid returning federal money to the U.S. Treasury, Haynes recommended reallocating the remaining balances to quickly deployable projects.
Haynes proposed specific swaps on the handout: $250,000 to the home-repair assistance program, $235,000 for city facilities upgrades, and $4,700,000 to a public-safety category within ARPA revenue replacement limits. She explained the $10,000,000 cap on revenue-replacement usage shaped that public-safety figure.
Commissioners pressed staff on why so much remained unspent. Staff said infrastructure projects often require longer procurement and construction timelines that slowed disbursement, while home-repair and public-safety spending could move more quickly if reallocated or if staff used contracted support. Multiple commissioners said time was "of the essence" and urged staff to pursue temporary staffing or vetted contractors to speed execution.
