The Jefferson County Commission adopted an interagency agreement during its Dec. 31 meeting, committing nearly $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to the care of the county Facilities Department, potentially allowing the funds to be applied to the development of a new public health facility.
The interagency agreement with the Facilities Department, according to county officials, fulfills the U.S. Department of Treasury’s “obligation” criteria, which states that ARPA dollars would only be considered obligated if they were committed through a formal contract, invested, or otherwise committed before Dec. 31, 2024.
While counties were required to obligate their ARPA funding by the December deadline, the committed funds can be spent anytime before Jan. 1, 2027. Of the total, the county is considering allocating $188,000 to the Cottage Five restoration effort, which would see a building on the former Montana Developmental Center’s South campus converted to a new public health facility.
