The $14.2 million question: How will Wood County spend its allocation of federal pandemic aid?
Alan HovorkaWISCONSIN RAPIDS – Wood County officials found out they would receive a historic $14.2 million as part of federal relief last year.
The county received half of its allocation last year through the American Rescue Plan Act and expects to receive the other half later this summer. But, for the most part, it's held off on spending, said Lance Pliml, Wood County Board chair.
Here's how Wood County officials will decide what to do with the money
What's been spent already, and how will the county decide how to spend the rest?
County officials used $1 million of its $14.2 million allocation to address infrastructure weaknesses exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as heating, cooling and ventilation system upgrades in county-owned buildings and nursing homes. The county is also expanding courtroom space for the fourth circuit court using relief money.
The county has largely held off on spending the money, Pliml said, because it wants to wait until the county is in possession of the full allocation.
"You'd hate to spend money you don’t have yet," he said.
The other delay in spending comes from identifying projects that would be one-off expenditures and wouldn't require tax levy support once implemented, he said.
In the coming months, county officials will collect input from department heads, committees and the public for ideas on what to spend the remaining $13 million. Those ideas will go through County Board committees and filter up to a newly-created ad hoc group of all committee chairs.
The chairs will then select and prioritize which projects should be funded, Pliml said. Then, the proposals will go before the County Board.
"When we look at this money, we look at this as a one-time shot," he said.
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County could target child care for economic relief and development
While specific projects haven't come forward, county leaders already have initial ideas for possible relief money spending, such as on-site child care for county employees.
For Pliml, one of the key issues facing the county government is retaining employees. Possible uses of relief dollars could go to pay and benefit increases, such as making onsite child care available to the county's 700 employees.
Similar to other workforce struggles in the country, access to child care has families deciding whether to go to work or stay home, Pliml said.
More broadly, he said he'd like for the county to explore the uses of federal dollars for child care in the county.
Other broad categories for spending include:
- Incentivizing workforce housing by buying up land and installing utilities to entice development companies
- Offset inflation and rising construction costs for the Wood County jail project.
- Stabilize county health care facilities, such as Edgewater and Norwood
- Provide more resources for drug treatment, mental health and senior services
- Rebuilding or caring for roads, bridge and parks
Ed Newtown, Wood County's finance director, said the county's planning to take its time with spending the money. The county has until 2024 to pick projects and then until 2026 to spend all of it.
Contact reporter Alan Hovorka at 715-345-2252 or ahovorka@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ajhovorka.