Commissioners discuss allocation of ARPA funds

COLFAX — The Whitman County Commissioners met for the Tuesday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m., workshop to discuss the emergency reserve fund transfer and the evaluation of how America Rescue Plan Act Funds (ARPA) can be allocated from the $9,732,115 they received.

Chief Finance Administrator Jessica Jensema presented and discussed both Emergency Reserve Funds and what could potentially qualify for receiving the ARPA funds with the commissioners.

Jensema said that several years ago, the commissioners established the emergency reserve funds and have not transferred money into them for multiple years.

Jensema said that they keep the emergency reserve fund to be fiscally responsible, which is set aside in case there is an emergency.

Jensema said an example of such an emergency would be a government shutdown. “We keep two months of operating funds in an emergency reserve, so that if that were to happen we could continue all services for two months,” Jensema told the Gazette Tues. Feb. 20, noting that they fortunately did not have a need to dip into the fund during the pandemic.

The funds include all salaries, benefits, and operations for the current expense fund, and upon discussion, Jensema recommended county commissioners leave the transfers sitting at the rounded number of $665,000, excluding annual operational transfers.

County Commissioners and Jensema then moved on to the discussion of ARPA funds.

“As you know, we have ARPA funds obligated by this year,” Jensema said, noting that they need to be spent by 2026, with the possibility of legislature extending that date.

Jensema told commissioners they have an estimated $442,000 not obligated and $205,000 set aside for daycare services in Whitman County.

Another discussion of where the county could allocate ARPA funds included the Bill Chipman Trail, which Commissioner Art Swannack asked if they had determined whether that bridge would qualify for ARPA.

Public Works Director Mark Storey said there was a cost with structural engineers on the bridge to get it rated. “A lot of people use that as a transportation corridor,” Storey said.

Further discussion went into how they could research in the future how the project might be able to receive ARPA funding.

Commissioner Tom Handy said that with many downtown Pullman businesses worrying about closing down for future construction, they are looking for ways to find relief. “In the same way it might’ve before the project being done is being paid by ARPA,” Handy said.

Jensema said that Swannack found out that once Inslee took away his emergency order in Washington, they couldn’t give money because it was considered gifting of funds by legislation.

Handy asked if it could work if they were allocating funds to a nonprofit.

“If we give a grant to a nonprofit, they have to justify their expenditures in alignment with our contract,” Jensema said.

Whitman County Auditor Sandy Jamison asked if a voter ballot drop box in small towns would qualify for ARPA funds since the ones installed in two rural towns worked well for those who did not want to use the post office and could not make it to Colfax. “They’re about five grand a piece right now; I just pull that out of current expense,” Jamison said.

Swannack responded they would look into if the ballot boxes qualified.