Public hearing on $15.4M ARPA infrastructure appropriation draws nonprofits' pleas

The Jackson County Legislature opened a public hearing on Ordinance 6092 on July 13 to authorize up to $15,415,000 in ARPA funds for county and municipal infrastructure projects. County Executive Phil Levoda said the proposal prioritizes county facility repairs — including renovating the first floor of the county courthouse to improve accessibility and relocating the jury room — while routing funds to municipalities that the administration identified after outreach to mayors and city managers.

Nonprofit leaders asked the county to consider programmatic needs in addition to capital work. Elizabeth Keever, chief resource officer of Harvesters, told legislators the nonprofit network serves hundreds of organizations in the county and urged continued access to funding, saying the sector has seen "we work with 500 organizations, and just in Jackson County alone, we work with 500 organizations, and we've had to make some really difficult decisions over the years." Courtney Thomas of Newhouse argued that "public safety is infrastructure," asking the legislature to allow funds for community outreach and violence‑prevention programs as well as streets and buildings. Legislators voted to hold the ordinance for further discussion and to coordinate with the executive and municipalities before advancing it.