Millions in funding for remodeling the county elections office, buying a new forensic imaging machine and continued support for the county court system are on track as the County Council looks at using some of the last American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money available.
During an Aug. 23 “council time” meeting, the Clark County Council heard information on nearly a dozen requests for ARPA funding.
The county has received close to $95 million in ARPA funds, based on information presented by staff. Of that, roughly $12.8 million remains uncommitted.
The amount was greater than what was presented to the council earlier this year, Clark County Finance Director Mark Gassaway acknowledged. County staff has re-analyzed what previously committed funds they will be spending through the rest of this year and in 2024, with anything not allocated in that timeframe now considered uncommitted.
Of the $8 million in requests the County Council advanced through the process, all have been vetted for eligibility and will qualify under ARPA guidelines, Gassaway said.
Among those projects was a slight increase to an existing community grant program. In February, the council agreed for $2 million to go toward nonprofits and $1 million for small businesses.
The program had dozens of businesses and organizations participate, and it ended up with a slight overrun of about $41,000, Gassaway said. The council approved paying the difference with ARPA funding.
Councilor Sue Marshall noted the many nonprofits that took advantage of the grant. The staff report indicated 31 in total.
“They definitely took a hit with COVID in large part because they were not able to do fundraising,” Marshall said.
The largest request for ARPA funds was about $4.4 million to remodel the county elections office at 1408 Franklin St. The work will include the installation of a back-up power generator and relocating the auto licensing center to the neighboring county public service center.
The last major remodel of the building happened in 2003, Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said. Minor modifications were made a few years back.
“The plan is that this expansion of this work area would enable the elections office to continue to conduct elections in a timely, efficient manner for at least the next 20 years,” Kimsey said.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s office had a few requests, the most major of which being about $1.2 million for a forensic imaging machine.
The machine would allow for a full-body X-ray in 13 seconds, said Doreen Gunderson, operations manager for the Clark County Medical Examiner’s office. The imaging could address requests and concerns from families and law enforcement that ordinarily couldn’t be identified without a full-body autopsy.
The system would also reduce the time of autopsies. Gunderson said, for example, it would take a fourth of the time to autopsy someone with multiple gunshot wounds thanks to the imaging machine.
Given the one-time nature of the ARPA funds, Councilor Gary Medvigy was in favor of requests involving remodels or new construction.
“Capital projects are a great way to spend this money,” Medvigy said.
Another seven-figure request was roughly $1.1 million to extend 11 positions with the county prosecuting attorney’s office through 2024. Gassaway explained those positions are handling the backlog of court cases that were held up due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the positions were funded through ARPA from the outset, changes in the criminal justice process and leave for employees have highlighted the need for keeping those staff, Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Golik said.
“Frankly, if we hadn’t used ARPA funding, I’d be here saying we need to use general funds for this, or public safety sales tax for this,” Golik said.
All of the projects discussed by the council will be reviewed during a formal public hearing before approval, allowing for testimony prior to the final vote. Per ARPA, the county has until the end of next year to commit the funds.
“What you’re doing today is essentially starting that process of committing the funds,” Gassaway said.
A date for the public hearing when the requests will be approved was not set as of press deadline.
