At its Sept. 26 meeting, the Indian Trail Town Council voted to fund eight community-based projects using the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-enabled funds, also known as surplus funds, that were set aside in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget. The projects are:
- Union County Public Schools that serve Indian Trail students ($166,000):
- Primary Schools = $90,000
- Secondary Schools = $76,000
- Union County Education Foundation = $4,000
- STeAM Children’s Studio = $15,000
- Union County Charter Educational Association, Inc. = $40,570
- Community Shelter of Union County = $75,000
- Safer Community Ministry = $5,500
- HELP Pregnancy Center = $1,500
- Moore Park waterline extension (50% of design costs) = $27,141
The Moore Park waterline project depends on Union County agreeing to a 50/50 partnership for the project's total cost. The Town is working with the County on a proposal.
In June of this year, the Town Council voted to use the interest earned on the ARPA dollars from July 2022 through June 2023 to fund outside agencies, which totaled $334,711. The funded projects were selected based on applications received during the Town’s call for projects, which ran from Aug. 1-31, 2023. To be considered, organizations were required to have 501(c)3 status and serve residents in the Indian Trail community. The Town received 12 applications totaling $1,333,532 in requests.
The Town’s internal ARPA committee narrowed down the projects and developed a recommendation for the Town Council based on the following criteria: the project met all laws governing the Town and ARPA funding; the project would have the greatest impact on the community; the project was fair and equitable; and in an effort to look at new organizations, the project/agency had not received funds from the Town in the past.
To start purchasing the requested items, Town staff will hold meetings with the agencies that were awarded funds in the coming weeks. Staff will use these meetings to outline the timelines that will be followed and other requirements of the agencies receiving funds. Staff hope to have all funds expended by the end of December 2023.
“Receiving the ARPA funds was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Town,” said Adam McLamb, Director of Public Works. “They allowed us to create surplus dollars in our general fund to support the local organizations that are helping our community. We look forward to partnering with the organizations selected this year and would like to thank all the organizations that submitted applications. Everyone who applied is doing great work in our community to help those in need. The Town is proud to contribute to a small part of the work you do every day.”
ARPA Background
Through ARPA, the Town was allocated $12.7 million to assist in the response to the pandemic and rebuild a stronger community. The funds allocated by the U.S. Treasury office have specific areas in which they can be spent: Public Health and Economic Impact Addressing COVID; Replacing Lost Revenue; Providing Employee Premium Pay; and Infrastructure Investment (water and sewer, stormwater, or expanding broadband access).
Indian Trail chose to use $10 million in ARPA funds to pay for the Union County Sheriff’s Office contract for the two-and-a-half years. The Town implemented this step using the approved Revenue Replacement Allowance. By doing so, the Town was able to create $10 million in surplus general funds for projects to support the community.
To date, the Town has been able to support the following organizations: Porter Ridge and Indian Trail Athletic Associations; local fire departments through the purchase of new fire trucks; James B. Crump VFW Post 2423; Cameron’s House of Hope; Food for Families; Union West Rotary; Indian Trail Lion’s Club; Common Heart; minibus for the Town Hall/Parks and Recreation; and waterlines for the Emerald Woods subdivision through a partnership with Union County.
For more information about the Town of Indian Trail and its use of ARPA funds, visit http://indiantrail.org/664/ARPA-Funding.