Bartholomew County is only one of thousands of local government units nationwide seeing the end coming for its federal Covid relief funds.
County government still has 47% of the $16,273,089 received through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) in 2021 and 2022. Only $236,818 was spent during the first quarter of this year, county Auditor Pia O’Connor said.
But the remaining balance of $7,600,120 has already been spoken for, she said.
A total of $4 million from the current balance will be spent on the countywide broadband project, which is something federal officials have strongly encouraged across the country. Bartholomew County government is investing ARP dollars to provide broadband in remote, rural areas where it is not economically feasible for private companies to extend fiber optic cable to every house.
According to a first quarter summary prepared by O’Connor, the remaining balance of $3,836,938 is categorized as funds to replenish “County Government Revenue Losses.” The federal government requires that local units of government earmark all of their ARP-funded projects by the end of this year. However, the deadline to spend that money doesn’t arrive until the end of 2026.
Besides the broadband initiative, other high-ticket items include:
- $3.27 million on renovations and upgrades at the 150-year-old Bartholomew County Courthouse.
- $2.5 million to replace the heating, ventilation and air conditioning at the Bartholomew County Jail.
- $726,000 for a new LED lighting system at the Dunn Stadium ball fields.
- $600,000 on an illuminated 12-court pickle ball complex at Dunn Park.
- $100,000 invested for a new water, electrical and sewage system for campers and recreational vehicles at the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds.
Other investments include $80,422 on soil erosion at Heflen Park and $68,440 to replace an elevator at the E911 Emergency Operations Center.
There was also assistance to nonprofits and rural fire departments that suffered financial losses during the pandemic.
The county was allowed to claim $10 million in lost revenue with few strings attached, as long as each expenditure fell into one of the fairly broad categories established in Washington D.C.
However, local units of government are prohibited from using ARP money to lower taxes, to increase pension funds or finance general county government expenses.
