The flow of expendable cash into Bartholomew County that local government has enjoyed in recent years will soon be substantially curtailed.
After countywide broadband is 80% complete and extensive courthouse renovations are completed, county government will have spent all of the over $16 million it received in federal COVID relief funds.
A total of $16,273,089 in federal COVID relief money was provided to county government. Half of those funds were provided in 2021, while the remainder was dispersed in 2022. After interest revenue was factored in, the total “American Rescue Plan” (ARP) funds for county government rose to $16,415,481, Bartholomew County Auditor Pia O’Connor said.
Officials were prohibited from using these funds to lower taxes, to increase pension funds or finance general county government expenses.
O’Connor and the three Bartholomew County commissioners said they wanted the biggest and longest-lasting bang for the buck.
“We tried to utilize this money for projects that benefit everyone,” commissioners’ Chairman Larry Kleinhenz said.
“We specifically aimed at projects that 10, 15 or 20 years from now, we can say we know where that came from,” Commissioner Tony London said.
For example, the $4 million set aside for high-speed internet provided Meridiam Infrastructure North American Corp. an incentive to make a much larger investment to bring broadband service to remote areas of Bartholomew County.
“We leveraged that $4 million for about $35 million more,” Kleinhenz said.
All ARP money must be earmarked for a specific purchase by the end of this year. All funds must be spent by the end of 2026.
Another long-term investment has been replacing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning at the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s office and county jail.
“That’s a generational expense,” London said in regard to the $2.1 million in upgrades. “A 25-year expense that we won’t have to make out of the general fund.”
The amount that has been spent to date is $10,283,523, O’Connor said. During the second quarter of the year, the county spent $1,468,154 mostly on courthouse renovations, O’Connor said.
With a balance of $6,131,966, about $4 million will be spent on helping to create countywide broadband service, with the remaining $2,131,966 primarily earmarked for the courthouse project and smaller expenditures, she said.
Renovations at the courthouse have been needed for several years, but the work was put off in order to pay for more pressing matters. If it weren’t for the county ARP funds, Kleinhenz says the 150-year-old building would have deteriorated more rapidly.
”We would have kicked it down the road another 10 years because we didn’t have the money,” he said. “On top of that, there would be inefficiencies in wasting energy and additional repairs.”
