An area in the Bethel Community along County Road 827, seen in February 2020.

After waiting months for final guidance on how it can spend more than $16 million of federal funds under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Cullman County leaders finally have the answer they’ve been hoping for — and it’s a safe bet that a substantial portion of the money will go toward improving local roads.

The Cullman County Commission received word earlier this month that a flat $10 million of its $16.2 million total ARPA allocation will qualify for General Fund spending, thanks to a stipulation in final federal rules that allow municipalities to spend a portion of their ARPA funds as compensation for “lost revenue” — revenue, in other words, that local governments may presume was negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although Cullman County saw revenue increases last year from sustained upticks in sales tax collection, ARPA rules still allow the county commission to use $10 million of the one-time funding under the assumption that the pandemic nevertheless took a toll on its finances.

“Thankfully, Cullman County did not have lost revenue when we ran our calculations. But, when the final rule came out, it included a clause that says that we can still presume lost revenue up to $10 million,” explained county administrator John Bullard. “So even though we technically didn’t have that loss, we are still able to claim it. Now we have $10 million of this money that the commission is able to allocate just as they would with General Fund money.”

County commission chairman Jeff Clemons said the commission hasn’t yet made a final determination on how much of the $10 million it will spend on county road projects, but he indicated it would likely be a substantial amount. “We’ve actually got a plan in place now. We haven’t voted on it yet, but we will have the details worked out and ready to present for a vote very soon,” he said Tuesday.

There’s still a remaining $6.2 million of the county’s $16.2 million ARPA total that falls under stricter guidelines; federal rules that applied at the time of the funds’ initial allocation. That money can’t be used for roads, but still qualifies for spending on special mitigation projects related to public health.

One major project that will be funded out of that portion is an overhaul of the HVAC ventilation system inside the courthouse. At its regular meeting this week, the commission awarded an initial bid for architectural and engineering services for the project to JMR+H, with bidding on actual installation of the new system set to be awarded later.

“That project will still have to follow the stricter guidelines, and it’s a sizable project,” said Bullard. “It’s a new modern system; one that will provide fresh air ventilation and ultraviolet-light ‘scrubbers’ to supply clean air throughout the courthouse.”

All of the county’s ARPA funds must be allocated by 2025, and spent by 2026. Clemons said he expects the commission to take up a road plan based on the additional funding well ahead of the upcoming spring paving season, potentially as soon as its Feb. 15 regular meeting.

In other business at its regular meeting, the commission:

Ratified an agreement with the North Alabama Highway Safety Office for federal funding of additional law enforcement hours, as part of a traffic and seat belt enforcement initiative.

Adopted the official districting maps for the Alabama House of Representatives, the Alabama State Senate, and the Alabama State School Board/State Board of Education District map, along with legal descriptions of each, all of which have previously been approved by the state legislature.

Ratified the ongoing levy of an existing county school sales tax dated from 2012, in cooperation with the Cullman City Board of Education’s request ahead of a $42 million capital improvement bond measure.

Set a public hearing for the proposed vacation of a portion of County Road 630, at the request of a private resident. The hearing will be held at the commission’s Feb. 15 regular meeting.

Renewed catastrophic inmate medical insurance with Hunt Insurance, in the amount of $72,647 — an approximate $5,000 increase over last year’s $67,500 renewal.

Approved the purchase of two 95 PTO Massey Ferguson tractors from the state bid list, at $63,495.50 apiece, for right-of-way mowing to be done by the road department.

Approved the purchase of two Land Pride PTO rotary mowers from Sourcewell Cooperative, at $38,321 apiece, for the road department.

Authorized the use of the courthouse south parking lot for Swamp John’s fundraising dinners, to be held from 3:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. on both Feb. 28 and on March 24.

Approved an increase in the spending limit on the county’s annual fireworks show, raising the maximum from an amount not to exceed $25,000 to an amount not to exceed $32,000. The date of this year’s fireworks show at Smith Lake Park is set for July 4, with a weather-delayed alternate date of July 5 if needed.

Authorized the county’s renewal premium payment of annual CRS liability insurance in the amount of $429,806.

Authorizes chairman Clemons to sign a contract with Loomis Bros. Circus to perform at the Cullman County Ag Center from Feb. 4 to Feb. 6.

Approved a play proposal for Bronco Estates Subdivision, a minor subdivision containing 7 lots located on County Road 1718.

Approved an open bid for shoulder work material to Wiregrass Construction Co., Inc.

Authorized chairman Clemons to sign three separate agreements all related to grant-funded improvements to trails, facilities, and services at Stony Lonesome OHV Park.

The next commission meeting will be held Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. in the commission meeting room of the Cullman County Courthouse. A 4 p.m. public work session will precede the meeting.