It’s been about three years since the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) – Biden’s COVID-19 stimulus package – was signed into law, and spending deadlines are approaching. Any ARPA funds that haven’t been obligated by the end of this year, and spent by the end of 2026, must be returned to the federal government.
ARPA distributed over $6 million in federal funds to governmental units in Leelanau County, including over $4.2 million to the county itself and almost $2.2 million to the 14 villages and townships.
All the county’s ARPA dollars are spent or earmarked for spending, county Interim Finance Director Cathy Hartesvelt said. According to michigan.gov, one of the eligible uses for ARPA funds is investing in broadband infrastructure. Leelanau County has heavily leaned into this option, with most of its relief dollars going towards a $5 million contract with Point Broadband.
The county board of commissioners contracted Point Broadband in 2022 to lay a fiber optic cable network reaching “unserved” and “underserved” addresses in the county. At the time, $3.2 million of ARPA funds were committed, but even more dollars ended up going into this project as of March 2024. The contract stipulated that the network would be completed by Dec. 31, 2023.
While the network is online in some areas – including Leland Township south of M-204 and west of Lake Leelanau, Centerville and Solon townships, and portions of Kasson and Elmwood townships – the project still is incomplete, and it is unclear if it will be finished in 2024 either.
Before entering this contract, the county board of commissioners committed about $50,000 to DCS Technologies for a 2021 broadband survey. In February 2022, they committed $125,000 to the local HomeStretch Nonprofit Housing Corporation, and just over $6,000 to Gosling Czubak Engineering for soil boring drilling for the tower on the government center campus.
The county board agreed to spend its remaining uncommitted ARPA funds early this year. They will be used for the replacement of 10 existing heat pumps in the government center for $112,500 and paying the remaining $1.8 million of the Point Broadband contract. The latter item also required money from the county’s delinquent tax revolving fund, Hartesvelt said.
Of the 14 villages and townships in Leelanau County, Elmwood Charter Township received the most ARPA funding at $474,790.83, followed by Suttons Bay Township at $249,795.88, Bingham Township at $222,973.65, and Leland Township at $214,486.08. The others received anywhere between $39,513.36 and $169,508.10.
The Elmwood Township board transferred $350,000 in ARPA funds as a down payment on a new ambulance for the fire and rescue department at its January monthly meeting. Township Clerk Connie Preston said the costs of the ambulance could go over, but if they have enough funds left, they will consider using them to purchase new playground equipment at Cherry Bend Park.
“Support(ing) public health expenditures” through park improvements is another eligible use for ARPA dollars. Elmwood Township spent about $26,500 on new drinking fountains at their parks and the charter township offices, while Suttons Bay Township devoted much of its funds to a parking lot expansion at its flagship Herman Park, which was completed last year. Others, like Bingham, Centerville, and Empire townships, are using funds for improvements at their township halls. For the first two, these include bringing the offices in compliance with new state laws requiring townships to provide a space for counting absentee voter ballots. Funds were also used to equip meeting halls to stream online during the pandemic, though several townships and villages have since discontinued this practice.
Leelanau Township received $158,053.43 in ARPA funds, $60,000 of which are being used to lease solar panels to offset electricity bills for 10 qualified low-income residents for 15 years. The remaining amount is helping finance a new cell tower that will provide service to areas where no signal is available.
