It has been a year since Congress passed the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, providing $1.9 trillion to states, counties and cities throughout the country.

It has  been almost nine months since Lowndes County learned what its share would be — $11.2 million —  but until Tuesday most of the discussion among the board of supervisors has been speculative.

On Tuesday, those discussions evolved from the abstract to the actionable. District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks presented a sweeping draft plan for how those funds could be spent during a two-hour work session. Almost half the funds ($5.4 million) would go toward rural water/sewer projects, but there is money earmarked for four other categories.

Although there was plenty of vetting of Brooks’ draft, including other projects not accounted for in the proposal, the discussions were productive, even harmonious.

District I Supervisor Harry Sanders, who has often been Brooks’ most vocal opponent on policy matters, said the plan was “pretty good.”

In addition to the $5.4 million for water/sewer, the plan included $1.4 million for Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority improvements, $800,000 for nonprofit organizations that serve the county, $465,000 for tourism and $250,000 for law enforcement.

None of these figures are written in stone nor were there any discussion of how those funds would be spent in those five categories.

But what emerged from Tuesday’s meeting was a tangible framework and an important step in the process.

There are still matching funds from the state’s $1.8 billion in ARPA available, and while there will be fierce competition for those funds, we do know that state legislative leaders have promoted spending ARPA funds on infrastructure. Matching funds, along with contributions from the rural water/sewer associations, could turn that whatever money the county eventually commits to those improvements to $10 or $11 million.

It’s unlikely that the county would ever be in a position to improve water/sewer on this scale without this one-time windfall. It fits the mission of ARPA perfectly.

During the meeting, there was some discussion about using ARPA funds to repair and improve county facilities, but Brooks argued — successfully, it appears — that those needs should be handled as they have in the past, through the county’s regular budgeting.

Instead, Brooks said, the goal of the plan was to benefit as many citizens as possible in a tangible way.

As the county pursues matching funds from the state, the totals provided Tuesday are almost certain to be adjusted.

But the necessary framework needed to allocate the money to specific areas has been established.

We especially like to plan to set aside significant amounts of money for our area nonprofits, most of which have been seriously affected by the pandemic. As early as last summer, supervisors speculated that ARPA money could be spent to expand Community Counseling, for example.

The devil, as always, is in the details, and there is certain to be debates and discussions as the plans take shape. Tuesday’s work session produced a plan that will allow supervisors to move forward at a good pace.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

READER FAVORITES

• 

  Our View: Chapman gets long overdue vote of confidence at CMSD

  By Dispatch Editorial Board • 1 day ago

• 

  Our View: Welty Gala features return of Elizabeth Smart

  By Dispatch Editorial Board • 4 hours ago