The end is near. Well, the end of Jefferson County’s ARPA funds, at least.

While meeting in Bessemer on Thursday, commissioners allocated more than $1.6 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 stimulus package. The plan was a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the pandemic and recession.

Joe Knight, finance chairman of the commission, said there may be funds left over that were approved for projects that didn’t require all that was allotted.

“If there’s a little piece here and a little piece there, we’re gonna pull it together and then be done with ARPA,” Knight said. “You have to have it allocated by the end of this year, this calendar year. Then it has to be spent by 2026. You have to obligate it.”

Knight acknowledged that some entities that received ARPA money may have become used to getting it and expect to get more.

“That’s the danger of this,” he said. “It’s very explicit that this is one-time funding, don’t depend on it. We’re not going to be very receptive to say, ‘Well, y’all gave us this, this and this. But now, that’s gone. I need more.’  No, that wasn’t the deal.”

Commissioners will continue to disburse community grant money, as it did before and since the pandemic.

“But the ARPA money’s gone. The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) money’s gone,” the commissioner said. “I haven’t heard of the feds printing more money to throw out at us again. There’s no more big pots (of money) coming that I’m aware of.”

Jefferson County enlisted the help of Witt O’Brien as consultants in vetting requests for stimulus funds. Knight said the firm definitely earned its keep.

“When we decided to do this, we wanted to find the best fit for our county,” he said. “If you misspend it, or it doesn’t fit into the category of the feds’ guidelines – and there are a lot of guidelines – then they can come back and get that money.”

The county has paid O’Brien about $9 million in the past four years for its work relating to about $340 million in stimulus and recovery funding as well as road grant preparation work.

Knight also had praise for Justin Smith, an assistant to County Manager Cal Markert. Smith who is leaving Jefferson County to be the assistant city manager in Pelham, worked directly with the county’s efforts to manage the federal COVID funds.

“That’s what he’s doing in his last week here, kind of cleaning up the loose ends, basically,” Knight said. “He’s done a great job but we still have his cell number.”

Morgan Road Speed Limit

In other business, the commission authorized the execution of a through-road agreement for maintenance and repair of certain roadways located within the city limits of Helena. It then reset the speed limit on Morgan Road in Helena to 55 mph to align with the road having been expanded to four lanes. The commission discussed the change during its committee meeting Tuesday.