Johnson Co. Supervisors criticize ARPA process

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 10/14/21

When Johnson County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Leadership Team delivered an update that included scoring and removing a number of proposed projects last week, Supervisor Rod Sullivan …

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Johnson Co. Supervisors criticize ARPA process

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When Johnson County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Leadership Team delivered an update that included scoring and removing a number of proposed projects last week, Supervisor Rod Sullivan took issue with it.

The county, which has $29.3 million in ARPA funds to spend, has sought input from Johnson County department managers and the public to determine ways to use the money. No projects or expenditures have yet been approved by the Board of Supervisors.

But last week’s report, which was given by three Leadership Team members, drew criticism from Sullivan, a longtime supervisor.

“I think the board should have been more heavily involved at that spot,” Sullivan said of decisions that involved the Leadership Team issuing scores of 1 or 2 for each project in data-driven categories of urgency, readiness and operational infrastructure.

Even after all projects are considered, the board will make the final decisions on approval, Donna Brooks, Grants Coordinator, told the board.

The current proposed projects, which range from hiring COVID-19 contract tracers for the county’s public health department to $3 million for Kent Park improvements, come only from department managers. Projects coming from public input are still to come because public sessions are ongoing, including one meeting this week in Lone Tree.

Current proposals total $38.5 million and have been described by Brooks, Special Projects Manager Ray Forsythe and Grants Assistant Allison Wells during previous Board of Supervisor work sessions.

“The board needed to be involved earlier,” Sullivan said.

“The thing that I wrestle with is having come into this process after it was established, after the train had left the depot,” said first-year Supervisor Jon Green, former Lone Tree mayor. “I don’t want to blow up the process … but at the same time wanting to be involved.”

Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass didn’t feel the same way.

“They’re not making the decision,” she said. “To say you weren’t involved in the process is really unfair. It’s been around all along, and we get these ample reports. It’s been there.”

After a discussion on whether to have the ARPA Leadership Team deliver an updated report, the board chose to go ahead with it. No approval decisions were made.

The full report can be viewed on Johnson County’s website (go to the agenda documents for the October 6 meeting.)

In his weekly COVID-19 report to the board, Sam Jarvis, Community Health Division Manager, Johnson County Public health, said the number of COVID-19 cases was starting to go down.

Jarvis said that at-home tests dropped off by 12:30 p.m. were being run the same day by the state lab. The same-day, drop-off site in Johnson County is the Johnson County Health Department, 855 S. Dubuque St., Suite 217. At-home tests can be picked up at the Health Department or mailed directly to your home. Go to testiowa.com. The test kits are free.

At last week’s formal meeting, the board issued a proclamation for Indigenous People’s Day on October 11.

This week’s formal meeting of the board, which will include zoning and land planning proposals, will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.