Clark County justices earmark $2.5M in American Rescue Plan spending

Justices of the peace in Clark County gave approval Monday to earmark some $2.5 million in federal funding for a variety of improvements and projects.

By: Joel Phelps
Arkadelphian.com

Justices of the peace in Clark County gave approval Monday to earmark some $2.5 million in federal funding for a variety of improvements and projects.

Addressing members of the Quorum Court, county Judge Troy Tucker explained an outline of appropriations recommended to the full court by its Budget Committee. Justices voted to transfer $2,498,000 received from the American Rescue Plan Act for various uses. The federal government disbursed $65.1 billion in ARPA funds to government entities throughout the nation during the Covid pandemic. Clark County was the recipient of $4,335,398 in ARPA funding, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Tucker said the county must earmark the spending this year and fulfill the expenditures by the end of 2025. To date, the county has used ARPA funding for employees’ one-time bonuses and a landfill project, among others; ARPA funding has also been set aside for roof repairs at the court complex.

(Editor’s note: Percentages calculated below were rounded to the nearest whole number.)

The county road department is set to receive 24% of ARPA funding, or $600,000. The budget lists the expenditure under the category of asphalt; however, Tucker said the money would be used to purchase equipment and for capital improvement projects at road department facilities.

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