Luzerne County Council unanimously adopts Broad Street Exchange budget amendment and several ARPA changes

Luzerne County Council unanimously adopted an ordinance amending the 2026 fiscal-year budget for the Broad Street Exchange, recording an 11–0 vote at the start of the evening session. The council then approved a package of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) modifications and county road-and-bridge resolutions by unanimous roll calls.

The Broad Street Exchange ordinance was moved and seconded during the voting session and "Passes 11 0 unanimously," the chair said after the roll call. Council members also approved ARPA modifications for Larksville Borough, Harvey's Lake Borough, countywide roadway/stormwater improvements and multiple airport-related ARPA changes in separate roll-call votes, each recorded as unanimous in the meeting transcript.

Members pressed staff on timelines tied to ARPA spending deadlines after a new U.S. Treasury interpretation required projects to be "substantially completed." County administration told the council they expect a clarifying memo from Booth Management Consulting and that some contractors delayed starting work while awaiting extensions. As the county manager put it during the meeting: "The projects have to be substantially completed," a phrase repeated by staff when explaining the new interpretation.

The approvals included both direct appropriations and authorizations to execute grants and contracts tied to ARPA and other state funds. Councilors said they expect further follow-up memos and a schedule of next steps from operations staff to ensure compliance with federal requirements and project completion dates.