Members of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Subcommittee were before the Marshall County Commissioners Monday morning to present a recommended ARPA fund expenditure plan.
Member Tim Harman explained that the plan was amended to include some funds for start-up costs for the Regional Sewer District.
Harman stated, “The [Marshall County] council also may be obligated, or the county, may be obligated to be helping the Sewer District for a little bit with those start-up costs so we’ve got money in there for the Sewer District start-up costs, but the big one is the half-million dollars we would like to see be given to those folks who cannot afford the hook-up or it would cause a hardship. Basically, we’re trying to correct an unfunded mandate.”
The amended plan includes $75,000 for start-up costs, $16,925 toward attorney costs in preliminary work toward the formation of the Regional Sewer District, and $500,000 for sewer relief which will be directed through the Marshall County Community Foundation.
The hook-up costs will be determined on an at-need basis if it is required for certain homeowners to connect to sewer districts.
Marshall County Community Foundation and United Way Executive Director Linda Yoder explained that the $500,000 for sewer relief would be put into a non-permanent fund and overseen by personnel there.
“The plan would be to set up a separate committee that would then determine eligibility for receipt of those funds,” commented Yoder. “This is similar to the work that we do all the time through the Community Foundation and United Way. We work with different grants committees on these kinds of things. Having something on a needs-based basis and figuring that out –that is something that we would have folks at the table that would be familiar with that process.”
The rest of the $2,153,552.75 would be spent with about $1.386 million toward the Marshall County Highway Department, $75,000 to the United Way for the Fund the Essentials 2 initiative for food distribution which is reduced from the previously approved $150,000 for that project, and $100,000 for Office of Community and Rural Affairs Grant matches for Polk and Tippecanoe Townships for new fire stations. If the grants are not awarded, the money will be directed to the Marshall County Highway Department. The commissioners approved the plan as presented. The Marshall County Council will be reviewing the plan during their meeting Thursday, August 10.
