By Megan Kelley
Clarkston News Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — At its regular meeting on April 2, the township board voted to approve the reallocation of unspent American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and pull money from unfinished projects to 2024 so they can be completed.
“Back in 2021, the township received funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, which is ARPA. We received just under $3.9 million, projects were identified and motion 2022-06-095 approved an ARPA budget for 11 different projects,” said the township’s Budget and Operations Analyst, Bob Yaeger. “As of Dec. 31, 2023, roughly a year and a half later; three projects have been completed, four are in progress and four have not been started.”
The three projects that have been completed are cyber security upgrades, Brady Lodge HVAC and the water main extension on Pine Knob Road.
In progress projects include fire ambulance and command vehicles, Bay Court maintenance garage, Deer Lake restoration and storm water drainage improvements in Clintonwood Park.
More specifically, those four projects include purchase of a 2022 Ford F450 Wheeled Coach Ambulance, the purchase of a 2022 Mercedes Benz Sprinter Van, pre-engineering and final design/permitting services for the Bay Court maintenance garage, and engineering services for the Deer Lake Beach Restoration project.
Because the vehicle purchases were both included in the township’s 2024 budget, those funds do not need to be brought into 2024. However, the other two projects were not included in the 2024 budget and needed to be moved forward to 2024 in order for those projects to be completed.
Additionally, according to Yaeger, the funding for the three remaining projects (unfunded revenue loss, park security upgrades and a water main extension into Clintonwood Park) needs to be reallocated to newly identified projects that are a higher priority for the township.
“The supervisor, treasurer and clerk along with department directors have met several times to discuss ARPA qualified projects,” Yaeger said.
The higher priority projects identified include fuel depot at DPW, a stationing alert system at all three fire stations and a generator for Brady Lodge.
Eliminating the previously identified projects frees up $800,000 of ARPA funds and including leftover funds from already completed projects (cyber security upgrades was $199 over budget, water main extension on Pine Knob Road came in $339,568 under budget, Brady Lodge HVAC came in $5,500 under budget) gives the township a total of $1,144,869 that can be re-allocated to these high priority projects.
Township documents lay out the reallocation as follows: $890,000 to the fuel depot at the DPW, $135,000 to fire station alert systems and $119,869 for a generator at Brady Lodge.
The board voted 6-0 in favor of re-allocating unused 2023 ARPA funds to the newly specified projects and approved the presented budget amendment to bring the unspent funds into 2024. Trustee Ronald Ritchie was absent from the meeting.