East Bridgewater Rushes to Earmark ARPA Funds Before Year-End Deadline
Officials allocate remaining American Rescue Plan Act money to avoid returning unused funds to federal government
EAST BRIDGEWATER - December 30 - In a special meeting held on December 30, 2024, East Bridgewater’s Select Board raced against the clock to allocate remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds before the year-end deadline. The urgency stemmed from a federal directive requiring municipalities to commit unspent ARPA money or face returning it to the US Treasury.
"If we don't have that by tomorrow, then we will lose this money," Town Administrator Charlie Seelig explained during the meeting. "There's a directive from the feds that says if you haven't used that money, if you haven't committed that money, not used it as in the work is done, but you need to have made the commitment, you will return that money."
The meeting focused on reviewing a list of projects and their current status to ensure all funds were properly allocated and documented. Officials stressed the importance of having contracts or formal commitments in place for each project to satisfy auditor requirements.
"We need to have commitments on hand, not just that you went out to bid or you're thinking of going out to bid, but you've got to have a bid in and you've got to have something," Seelig added. "Contract would be wonderful, but at least a letter back to ACME, whoever, to say we're accepting your bid, we're accepting your proposal, please proceed."
Projects discussed during the meeting included a town hall sign, sidewalk improvements on Union Street, IT upgrades, permitting software, and various repairs and renovations to public facilities. The board also addressed the allocation of funds for playground equipment, social-emotional school programs, and road repairs.
One notable development was the successful approval of all Plymouth County projects. "This morning, we just got our last two approvals that we were waiting on. So every Plymouth County project is approved," Town Accountant Melanie Dean announced.
The meeting revealed that some previously planned projects had to be dropped or modified due to time constraints. For instance, a pavilion project and Sachem Rock safety improvements were removed from the list as they couldn't move forward quickly enough.
Officials also discussed reallocating funds from projects that didn't progress as planned to other eligible expenses. One such example was the proposal to move $153,897 to the road repairs line, utilizing funds from projects that didn't materialize.
"If everything stays the way I've just listed, it leaves about $153,897 towards what we'd hope to move that over to John's road repairs line," Dean stated.
The board emphasized the need for proper documentation to satisfy auditor requirements. "We'll be able to say to the auditors and to the federal government, yes, we have made those commitments and we won't be returning any of the money," Seelig explained.
Throughout the meeting, officials worked to ensure that every dollar was accounted for and properly allocated. They discussed various projects, including HVAC improvements at the library, fire equipment upgrades, and security enhancements at local schools.
The board also addressed potential reimbursements and how they would be handled. For instance, regarding a $24,000 expense for a town hall generator, Select Board Chair David Sheedy clarified, "If we get reimbursed with that, do we have to give that back to the feds?" The response indicated that such reimbursements would not need to be returned to the federal government.
As the meeting concluded, the board voted to accept the proposal for the listed projects and invoices. The motion passed unanimously, with members expressing satisfaction with the outcome.
"Again, a tremendous job by everyone that's been involved in the ARPA thing," Sheedy commented, acknowledging the collective effort to secure the funding.