Commissioners approve $10 million in ARPA funds to reimburse sheriff salaries

The Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 2 approved an updated American Rescue Plan Act spending plan and authorized the use of $10,000,000 in ARPA funds as revenue replacement to reimburse sheriff's office salaries and overtime.

"The American Rescue Plan Act did give Sedgwick County $100,200,000 in direct funding for certain authorized uses," CFO Lindsay Pariseau told the board as she reviewed the updated SPIN plan. Pariseau said the county has obligated major allocations for public-health response, court backlog and public safety and is proposing $10 million to reimburse traditional government services tied to payroll registers and timekeeping records.

Pariseau said the county has robust documentation and compliance processes for ARPA spending, including roughly $4.8 million for ARPA management and compliance and remaining contingency funds to address last-minute contract or personnel overages. Commissioner Dennis thanked staff for the care taken during multiyear reporting to the federal government and for maintaining accurate records.

Chair moved to approve the updated plan and the resolution to transfer $10,000,000 for revenue replacement; Commissioner Lopez seconded. The clerk called the roll and the motion passed unanimously.

The ARPA plan also lists continuing obligations that extend into 2025–2026 for several court- and public-safety-related contracts, and staff said final obligations must be in place by year-end to comply with Treasury deadlines. Pariseau said she will return in October and December with status updates and that any use of contingency funds would be reported to the commission.