The Berrien County Board of Commissioners is preparing to reach out to local governments and non-profits about federal ARPA dollars the county will need to distribute. Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, County Administrator Brian Dissette said there will be a lot of funds to use, and before long, the opportunity will be lost.
“The end of 2024 is the hard deadline for the commitment and the use of those ARPA funds,” Dissette said. “We have $30 million to spend, and the lesson learned from the CARES Act is do not get into a situation where you’re rushing at the end of the reporting period.”
Dissette said he doesn’t know what local governments are going to propose for use of that $30 million, but the county will get better proposals if they have plenty of notice.
“It is a once in a generation investment by the federal government, and taking the time to let the local units to submit their applications, their ideas on the use of funds. Giving the locals as much time as possible makes a ton of sense.”
Dissette said the locals could propose broadband projects – in fact, he expects that from the rural townships – but other proposals could be for roads, parks, or housing. Commissioner Ezra Scott said he thinks the county should set aside $8 million alone for broadband. Commissioner Mamie Yarbrough proposed the board hold a retreat to hash the issue out.
