COLUMBUS, Ind. — With $16.2 million coming to Bartholomew County government through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), local officials have decided to get professional consulting help to make sure they spend it the right way.
Baker Tilly US, LLP — a Chicago-based public accounting and consulting firm with an office in Indianapolis — made an offer to ensure that whatever Bartholomew County officials purchase with those funds will qualify under stringent federal guidelines.
The county will receive about $8 million on or before May 11, while the remaining $8.2 million will be received next year, county Auditor Pia O’Connor said.
Under the agreement, Baker Tilly will charge a variable hourly rate for their consulting, but the total contract amount approved Monday by the Bartholomew County Commissioners cannot exceed $25,000 over the next two years, commissioner Chairman Larry Kleinhenz said.
The offer was made less than a week after the commissioners and the Bartholomew County Council reached an informal consensus that professional advice is needed.
