The Clark County commission, which typically meets on Wednesdays at Springview Government Center, met a day early due to scheduling conflicts.
The amount of revenue lost by a county to the pandemic was originally determined by a formula created for the American Rescue Plan Act that compares revenues from pre-pandemic years to revenue earned during the pandemic.
Last September, commissioners approved spending of ARPA funds to reimburse the county for an estimated $1.38 million worth of lost revenue that resulted from the pandemic through Dec. 31, 2020.
Clark County Public Information Office Michael Cooper said the drop in sales tax revenue greatly contributed to the overall revenue loss during the pandemic, as much of Clark County stayed home.
Overall, the sales tax generates roughly $9 million annually, and money collected from tax makes up roughly 60% of the county’s general fund.
The money authorized to cover the reimbursement is part of the $26 million allocated to Clark County from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in March 2021. A total of $350 billion was allocated to help local governments across the country reeling from the pandemic.
Clark County commissioners have allocated millions in ARPA funds for various projects, such as employee paid administrative leave and technology for the county’s dispatch center, expected to open this year.
Commissioners also approved ARPA spending for a stormwater improvement project for Enon-Xenia Road to alleviate flooding in the area and for a fiber optic project to service county-owned buildings, as well as a safety improvement project for Spangler Road.
In November 2021, the commission also authorized $800,000 of spending toward a project to extend the waterline that runs near Park Layne. Another $220,000 was allocated in January to assist Clark County veterans seeking aid through the county veterans office.
Up to $2.5 million in the federal relief dollars was allocated to reimburse the county for a portion of dispatch center costs, as well an additional $300,000 to cover the costs of programming and personnel expenses for reentry services for people preparing to leave incarceration in Clark County.
The commission also voted to allocate $125,000 for a part-time position for several years for the Ohio State University extension office of Clark County. The position will focus on assisting the county’s local food program and community gardens. In addition, roughly $260,000 in ARPA funding was allocated to reimburse the county for COVID-19 health care expenses incurred by the county self-insurance health care program.
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